22 April 2011 Last updated at 12:37 GMT
Syria: Assad troops 'fire on Friday prayers protesters'
Mobile phone image of Syrian troops in Homs (21 April 2011) Few images are
emerging from Syria as international news organisations are being refused entry
Syrian troops are reported to have opened fire on protesters as thousands
marched after Friday prayers against President Bashar al-Assad's government.
At least three people were injured near Damascus, witnesses said, and reports
said security forces opened fire near protesters in Homs and in Hama.
In concessions to protesters on Thursday, President Assad formally ended five
decades of emergency rule.
Human rights groups say more than 200 people have died in weeks of protests.
A spokesman for Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Mr Assad "has the opportunity to
prove his intentions by allowing (Friday's) protests to proceed without violent
repression".
"The reforms will only be meaningful if Syria's security services stop
shooting, detaining, and torturing protesters," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy
Middle East director.
Clear demands
Despite the concessions, reports from the streets of Syria's cities on Friday
suggested violence had once again broken out.
At least three people were injured when troops opened fire in Douma, on the
outskirts of Damascus, witnesses said.
"Thousands took to the streets in Douma. I helped carry three people the
bullets hit in the leg," one witness told Reuters by phone.
Rallies were also reported the southern city of Deraa, where protests in March
were quelled with deadly force.
News agencies quoted witnesses as saying that the protesters were calling for
the downfall of Mr Assad's government.
International news organisations are largely refused entry to Syria at the
moment, limiting the scope of the information they can gather about events
there.
As the demonstrations resumed, an umbrella group representing Syrian protesters
issued a statement saying the anti-government protesters wanted nothing less
than a "rapid reformulation of our national institutions".
The statement, under the name of the "Syrian local organising committees"
demanded:
* An end to torture, killings, arrests and violence against demonstrators
* Three days of state-sanctioned mourning for deaths so far
* An independent investigation into the deaths of protesters and judicial
proceedings in the light of evidence revealed
* Release of all political prisoners
* Reform of Syria's constitution, including a two-term presidential limit
'Armed insurrection'
The Syrian government says it is listening to protesters' demands and President
Assad is pushing through a programme of reforms. Thursday's concessions
included abolishing state security courts and allowing peaceful protests.
President Bashar al-Assad President Bashar al-Assad says protesters' demands
for reform have been heard
However, other laws give the government wide-ranging powers to detain activists
and suppress dissent.
The new law requires Syrians to seek permission from the interior ministry for
demonstrations. Some lawyers have said this continues to restrict the freedom
of assembly in the same way as the emergency law.
President Assad said last week there would be no more "excuse" for
demonstrations once the state of emergency had been lifted.
But analysts say increasing numbers of opposition activists are calling for the
downfall of the regime.
"The state of emergency was brought down, not lifted," prominent Syrian
activist Suhair Atassi wrote on her Twitter page.
"It is a victory as a result of demonstrations, protests and the blood of
martyrs who called for Syria's freedom."
Syria's unprecedented wave of unrest has been inspired by uprisings against
authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.
However, Damascus has said an "armed insurrection" by Salafist groups is taking
place in Homs and further north in Baniyas.
Salafism is a strict form of Sunni Islam which many Arab governments equate
with militant groups like al-Qaeda.
Demonstrations against Mr Assad's ruling Baath Party began in the southern city
of Deraa in mid-March and quickly spread to other towns and cities.
The unrest poses the gravest threat to his rule since he succeeded his father
Hafez al-Assad 11 years ago.
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