Syria Protests Continue - Thousands
BEIRUT — Thousands of Syrians rallied Sunday for a third consecutive day in a tense southern city where security forces killed at least five protesters, signaling that unrest in yet another Arab country is taking root, a witness and activists said.
The witness in Daraa told The Associated Press by telephone that protesters were angry about the shooting Friday and mass arrests after the demonstrations calling for political freedoms in one of the region's most repressive countries. They demanded officials involved in the violence be fired.
An activist in Damascus who is in close contact with Daraa residents said protesters were particularly incensed at a delegation from President Bashar Assad that came to offer condolences to the families of the dead. Another Damascus activist said police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, killing one person. He said more than 200 people suffered from gas inhalation and were treated at a nearby mosque that has been transformed into a field hospital.
Neither the witnesses nor the activists would allow their names to be used, for fear of government retaliation. Their accounts could not be immediately confirmed. Syria keeps a tight lid on information, particularly when it comes to security issues.
Syria's government appeared to try to calm the situation later. An official promised to free 70 people held after the deadly protests Friday as well as the teenagers whose detention after scrawling anti-government graffiti touched off the unrest.
The Syrian official said an investigative committee recommended firing several government and security officials in Daraa, accusing them of mishandling Friday's protests.
The Damascus activist said thousands of protesters called for an end to emergency laws, in place since the ruling Baath Party took power in 1963.
Syrian police sealed off Daraa after Friday's demonstrations, allowing residents to leave the city – but not to enter.
The National Organization for Human Rights said authorities randomly arrested people who participated in Friday's protests in at least five cities, including the coastal town of Banyas, Homs and the capital Damascus.
Ammar Qurabi, who heads the rights group, said those arrested were charged with writing anti-government slogans.
A Syrian official acknowledged only two deaths in Friday's violence and said that authorities would bring those responsible to trial. The official said that even if an investigation shows security officers were guilty, they will be put on trial "no matter how high their rank is."
The violence was the worst since 2004 when clashes that began in the northeastern city of Qamishli between Syrian Kurds and security forces left at least 25 people dead and some 100 injured.
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