Human Rights Watch Presses Syria to Stop Using Excessive Force
Syrian security forces have killed five people and injured dozens of others since March 18 during protests in the southern town of Daraa, Human Rights Watch said.
Government forces fired on demonstrators and used tear gas to break up a public gathering in the town yesterday, HRW said on its website. It called on the government to stop using live fire and excessive force against protesters.
“The government has shown no qualms about shooting dead its own citizens for speaking out,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, the organization’s Middle East and North Africa director. “Syrians have shown incredible courage in daring to protest publicly against one of the most repressive governments in the region, and they shouldn’t have to pay with their lives.”
The rallies in Syria mark the latest extension of the political turmoil that has engulfed the region this year. Uprisings have toppled the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt and threatened the rule of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, where United Nations-backed international forces have started air strikes to protect civilian protesters.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nayla Razzouk in Amman at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
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