Syria death toll rises amid violent government crackdown on protests

Bloodiest weekend of uprising yet as Assad regime attempts to quell news by cutting off internet in major cities Syria has experienced one of its bloodiest weekends since the start of the uprising, with details emerging today of a violent crackdown on Friday despite the government’s attempt to stop news spreading by cutting off the internet in major cities. Across the country, an estimated 90 people were killed on Friday, with dozens more dying since. Residents of the western town of Jisr al-Shughourin said at least 35 people had been killed there since Saturday. The crackdown continued today, with activists reporting gunfire and tanks moving into the town of Khan Shikhon in the north-west province of Idlib. Rights groups say more than 1,200 people have died and at least 10,000 have been detained in Syria since March . Videos from Friday show what appears to be some of the biggest rallies yet, as well as graphic scenes of violence. One, purportedly taken from the roof of Al-Karak mosque in Deraa shows five men with their heads smashed lying in pools of blood. Another shows a man in plain-clothes firing on unarmed protesters in the city of Hama, where most of the people were killed on Friday; the city was calmer on Saturday, when thousands of people gathered for funerals, activists said. In 1982 in Hama, between 10,000 and 30,000 people were killed when Syria’s then president, Hafez al-Assad, father of the current president, Bashar al-Assad, ordered security forces to put down an Islamist uprising in the city. State media agency, Sana, reported that four policemen were killed by armed terrorist groups who attacked state buildings and police stations in Jisr al-Shughour. It did not mention a video posted online that purports to show Hama protesters hanging a man, apparently a security policeman found among mourners at a funeral on Saturday. Activists say the video has not been verified, but acknowledge that a small minority of protesters are fighting back. At least four children were among those killed at the weekend, the Local Co-ordinating Committees, a network of local opposition groups, said. Friday’s protests were called Freedom for Children Friday in memory of more than 72 children killed since the protests began in mid-March. Outrage has grown over the death of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb, whose body was handed back to his parents last week with marks of severe torture. “We are all mothers of Hamza al-Khateeb” reads one of the banners held by women shown in a video of a sit-in at a private home. Meanwhile, rights groups say around 500 people have been released from prison under an amnesty announced last week as the government continues to claim it is making preparations for a national dialogue. Opposition members and analysts have said the moves are insincere, and do not go far enough. A gathering of opposition members last week in Turkey described Assad’s rule as unsustainable, given the brutality of the regime towards its citizens. A statement on Friday at the end of the four-day conference called on Assad to “resign immediately” and to hand authority to his vice-president “until the election of a transitional council”. The decision to cut the internet on Friday appears also to have backfired, irritating Syrians and drawing condemnation from the US. On Saturday, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said: “Syria must understand that attempting to silence its population can’t prevent the transition taking place.” However, despite growing criticism by western governments, they have stopped short of calling on Assad to step down. A draft UN security council resolution has yet to be put to the vote, with opposition coming from China and Russia. Syria Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Hillary Clinton Nidaa Hassan guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 5, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.