At least 34 reported dead in Syrian protests

At least 34 reported dead in Syrian protests

2011-05-21 06:15:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- At least 34 people were killed on Friday in clashes between security forces and protesters in Syria, CNN reported.

Demonstrations took place across Syria after Friday prayers, with protesters demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and calling for the release of political detainees. The Syria Human Rights Information Link told CNN that at least 11 people died in the western industrial city of Homs when security forces fired at crowds.

A rights activist in Homs said security forces fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd, but people refused to leave. Security forces then fired at the throngs, killing some and wounding others.

The Syrian Human Rights Information Link also told CNN that 13 died in Maarat al-Numan southwest of Aleppo. Other deaths were reported in the western city of Deir Alzour, in the southern city of Daraa, and in the western coastal city of Latakia.

According to an eyewitness, heavy security presence surrounded a demonstration that started with 800 people in Damascus and grew to 3,000. Security personnel fired tear gas into the crowd and arrested protesters, the eyewitness said.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency on Friday said that "17 martyrs, including civilians, policemen and security forces members, were killed by gunfire from armed groups that exploited gatherings of citizens in Idleb and the outskirts of Homs on Friday and opened fire. "

It said there were no confrontations or interference by security forces in other locations, where scores of people gathered.

Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday that about 1,400 people have been crossing into Lebanon from the Syrian town of Tal Kalakh, where violence has erupted recently. The number is "in addition to those that have crossed since late April. Local authorities estimate that around 4,000 Syrians have crossed to Lebanon," the agency said in a written statement.

According to Human Rights Watch, Syria's security forces have killed some 700 people since demonstrations began on March 16. More than 100 protesters were killed on April 22 and 23 alone, and at least several thousand detained.

In mid-March, pro-democracy demonstrations began in Syria and have continued across the country, which has been ruled by the Baath Party since 1963. Protesters are demanding the ouster of al-Assad, who took over the post from his father Hafez al-Assad in 2000, and calling for greater freedoms including the end of the 1963 state of emergency.

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