Global Arab Network | Six killed - Army fires on peaceful protesters in Syria

Translate this article to your language:

GANPublications

e-Publications

Add Site to Favorites

Add Page to Favorites

Make Homepage

Share This Page

RSS Feed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |

Six killed - Army fires on peaceful protesters in Syria

Global Arab Network - - George Haddad

Five_killed_-_Army_fires_on_peaceful_protesters_in_Syria_Daraa

Syria (Daraa) - At least six armless people have been killed by live bullets fired by security forces on protesters outside a mosque in the Syrian city of Daraa, Syrian human rights activists told international media.

Hundreds of people had gathered in the streets outside the Omari mosque to prevent troops from storming it.

The mosque has been the focus of anti-government demonstrations since Friday. At least 10 people have now been killed in clashes with police and soldiers.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay earlier urged the Syrian government to end the use of "excessive force".

"People have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government," she said.

The UK has also condemned the "excessive use of force" by security forces.

Barry Marston, UK Foreign Ministry Spokesman, told Global Arab Network: “All Syrians have a right to express their views in a peaceful and open manner. We are extremely concerned by reports of increasing violence and the excessive use of force by security forces, apparently resulting in the death of a number of protesters.”

Marston added: “We are also disturbed by reports of the arrest and prosecution of around 20 human rights activists who attempted to conduct a peaceful protest outside the Interior Ministry last week, along with reports of demonstrations in various towns being broken up with lethal force. We call on the Government of Syria to respect the people's right to peaceful protest and listen to their legitimate grievances.”

The crackdown on protesters also earned a harsh rebuke on Tuesday from the European Union, which condemned the authorities' handling of the rallies as "unacceptable."

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement that the 27-nation bloc "strongly condemns the violent repression, including through the use of live ammunition, of peaceful protests in various locations across Syria."

On Tuesday, Hundreds of people had gathered around the Omari mosque in the Old City, but were dispersed by the security forces.

By the afternoon, some protesters had erected tents outside the mosque - they said they were going to remain there until their demands for greater political freedom and an end to corruption were met.

But shortly after midnight, the power supply and telephone lines to the area were cut.

Witnesses said released tear gas and fired live ammunition at protesters around the mosque.

Ali Ghassab al-Mahamid, a doctor who had gone to help victims of the violence, was killed, Reuters news agency reported. One witness said he was shot dead by a sniper.

A political activist said the old quarter was in total darkness. "It is still difficult to know exactly what happened," he told Reuters.

One activist told BBC Arabic there was a "massacre" taking place in the country.

"The Syrian authorities are now committing a crime against humanity whose victims are innocent, defenceless and peaceful citizens, who are staging peaceful sit-ins, and who don't even have stones to defend themselves with," said the activist, who gave his name to the BBC.

"These people think that they can kill the democratic protesters without being held to account."

State media said four people had been killed. Officials blamed the violence on an "armed gang", which they said had attacked a medical team in an ambulance, killing a doctor, paramedic and driver. One member of the security forces had also been killed, said the report.

"The security forces who were near the area intervened, hitting some and arresting others," the AFP news agency quoted officials as telling state media.

Syrian authorities have also detained writer Louai Hussein, one day after he posted a petition online demanding the right to freedom of expression, a London-based rights group reported.

Hussein, 51, is a former political prisoner who was jailed from 1984 to 1991 over his activism with the communist party in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Global Arab Network

Add comment

The opinions of the authors in articles published are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Arab Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published comments are the opinions of private individuals and do not reflect the views of Global Arab Network