By Al Jazeera Staff in on March 25th, 2011.
Photo by AFPAs the situation in Syria escalates, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.
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AJE Live Stream - Special Coverage: Syria Unrest - Region in turmoil
(All times are local in Syria GMT+2)
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr has this exclusive report from the city of Daraa:
More extremely graphic footage from Daraa:
Thousands of supporters of president Bashar al-Assad flood the streets of Damascus tonight to counter demonstrations against his regime. Many people drive through town, chanting and honking in support of the president.
In this YouTube clip protesters in the central square of Daraa destroy the portrait of president Bashar Al-Assad:
More YouTube footage of demonstrations in Homs. The protesters in this clip rip a banner with the image of the late president Hafez Al-Assad to pieces:
A large crowd continues to surround the Al Jazeera bureau in Damascus. The pro-regime protesters are threatening to burn or storm it.
Alistair Burt, UK's Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, expressed concern about the ongoing violence in Syria:
I have been watching closely the situation in Syria, and am deeply concerned by the use of force against demonstrators. I condemn the violence that has resulted in a large number of deaths in Deraa. All Syrians have a right to express their views peacefully.
I call on the Syrian government to respect the people’s right to peaceful protest and to address their legitimate grievances. I call for restraint on all sides but in particular from the Syrian security forces. Violence is never the right answer to these situations.
I note the statement from the President’s Advisor, Butheina Shabaan, that the Syrian government is looking at political reforms. I call on the Syrian government to implement these proposals without delay and to engage peacefully on the legitimate demands of the Syrian people, who will be looking for action to back up such statements.
Ten people were killed today in clashes between protesters and security forces in the southern Syrian city of Sanamin, a high-ranking official told AFP news agency.
Anas al-Abda, the chairman of the Movement for Justice and Development in Syria, tells Al Jazeera that the pro-regime protests in Damascus are "most probably fabricated and organised by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad".
Maamoun Al-Homsi,a leading Syrian opposition figure, called on the international community to intervene to stop "the massacres against civilians by President Bashar al-Assad's regime" in protests across Syria.
"There are killed and wounded and those who are arrested in all the provinces," he told Reuters by telephone from Canada, referring to protests that spread beyond the southern town of Daraa on Friday challenging Assad's rule.
The United States calls on the Syrian government to stop violence against demonstrators and the arrests of human rights activists, White House spokesman Jay Carney says.
We strongly condemn the Syrian government's attempts to repress and intimidate demonstrators.
Some hundred pro-regime protesters are surrounding the Al Jazeera office in Damascus, asking Al Jazeera to air their support for president al-Assad live on TV. If not, they are threatening to storm the office.
Security forces killed three people in the Mouadamieh district of Damascus after a crowd confronted a procession of cars driven by supporters of president Bashar al-Assad, residents said.
"The cars entered Mouadamieh after a protest by residents to denounce the killings in (the southern city) of Deraa," one of the residents said.
A map of Syria showing all the cities that saw protests today:
This image comes from SyrianFreePress's Channel and is yet another reference to president Bashar al-Assad. It also reads. Your turn has come, doctor:
This photo of graffiti in Syria was posted on Twitter. It reads: "Your turn has come, doctor" - a reverence to president Bashar Al-Assad, who is also an eye-doctor.
First video of dead bodies emerges after Syrian security forces open fire on protesters near Daraa WARNING - images in this video might not be suitable for some viewers [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]:
Quick recap of the latest developments: Protests are spreading across Syria.
In the southern city of Daraa, which has been in revolt for a week, gunfire and tear gas scattered a crowd of thousands after people lit a fire under a statue of late president Hafez al-Assad.
Al Jazeera aired comments by a man who said security forces had killed 20 people on Friday in the nearby town of Sanamein.
In Hama, in the centre of the country, where Hafez al-Assad put down an Islamist revolt in 1982 at a cost of many thousands of lives, residents said people streamed through the streets after weekly prayers chanting "Freedom is ringing out!" – a slogan heard in uprisings sweeping the rest of the Arab world.
More YouToube footage of the protests - this latest one is from Latakia, where protesters claim at leats one person was killed by security forces [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]:
The Syrian Information Ministry claims that there were armed people among the protestors in Daraa. Security forces were shot at and returned fire, Reem Haddad, an Information Ministry spokesperson, told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, says:
It is escalating very quickly. The protests are spreading throughout Syria. There are several casualties, some people say eight, and some say 20. It is not possible to independently verify these numbers.
A witness and Deraa resident who was at the protest earlier tells Al Jazeera:
It was peaceful. Protesters tried pull down a statue of president Al-Assad, then the police opened fire on the protesters.
Syrian security forces kill at least 20 people in town of Sanamein, near Deraa, a witness tells Al Jazeera:
There are more than 20 martyrs .... they (security forces) opened fire haphazardly.
Syria's information minister seems to have missed something. He says the situation is "totally calm" throughout the country. Mohsen Bilal told Spanish radio Cadena Ser:
There is a totally peaceful climate in the Syrian towns and the terrorists have been arrested.
Several people were killed on Friday when a demonstration headed to the Syrian protest city of Daraa was raked by gunfire, a human rights activist told AFP news agency.
Several protesters were killed in a shooting in Sanamen as they were headed toward Daraa.
The activist requested anonymity. The news could not be confirmed by independent sources or hospitals in the area.
YouTube footage of demonstrations throughout seems to be flooding the web. This latest one is from Deraa [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]:
More YouTube footage of the demonstrations in Damascus in support for Deraa [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]
:France called for the "rapid and effective implementation" of reforms promised by Syria, including the lifting of the state of emergency in place for nearly five decades. Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said:
France has taken note of the reforms announced yesterday by Syrian authorities. We call for the rapid and effective implementation of these measures, including the lifting of the state of emergency and the release of prisoners detained for having participated in protests.
On Thursday the regime of president Bashar al-Assad announced the release of all activists locked up sinceanti-government demonstrations began a month ago, and said it might scrap the 1963 emergency law.
More video is showing up on YouTube of after-prayer protests. This latest one is from Homs. The protesters march in solidarity with the people of Deraa [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]
:Protesters in Deraa are shouting slogans denouncing Maher al-Assad, brother of the Syrian president and head of the Republican Guard, a witness tells Reuters. As they headed to the main square in the city after the funeral of at least five protesters killed by security forces this week, thousands chanted:
Maher you coward. Send your troops to liberate the Golan
Israel captured the Golan Heights in a 1967 war.
About 1,000 people rallied in the town of Tel, just north of Damascus, in support of the city of Deraa, and denounced two relatives of president Bashar al-Assad as "thieves", witnesses said.
At least 44 people have been killed in Deraa in a police crackdown on protests by reformists that began a week ago.
More video of protests in Syria via Facebook - this time in Hama, a city just north of Homs. Hamah was was the scene of a 1982 attack by Syrian security forces that killed thousands. The protesters are chanting for more freedom [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage].
Here is how the Syrian authorities ended a protest in the Grand Ummayad mosque in Aleppo today [Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of this footage]:
There were other, smaller-scale protests held for the first time in Homs, Banias and Deir Ezzor, but they were not dealt with so violently, with demonstrators arrested rather than shot.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from the capital Damascus, said "it is a new Syria".
Hundreds of Syrian villagers march to Daraa in support of the city, chanting:
"Freedom is ringing".
- Syria's "Day of Dignity" is under way, despite a nationwide security clampdown and a reform pledge by the government suggesting some of the "just" demands by protesters could be met, including political reforms.
- In Daraa, at the funeral of six of the victims shot dead by police, protesters called for freedom and for political reform.
- No security forces were present at the funerals after an agreement was made with local authorities to stay away.- A harsh response by security forces to anti-government demonstrations in Daraa, 100 kilometres south of Damascus, has so far failed to quash protests in the city despite a spiralling civilian death toll since demonstrations began there a week ago.
- At least 44 people are believed to have been shot and killed in Daraa by security forces backed by the military since last Friday, with scores more wounded, according to human rights activists and a city hospital official.
A counter demonstration took place by supporters of President Assad, who is facing an unprecedented challenge to his 11 year rule.
Syrian secret police broke up demonstrations in the centre of the Syrian capital and arrested dozens of people, according to witness reports.
Al Jazeera's correspondent said:
"About 100 protesters are marching in Mezze following Friday prayers, chanting freedom freedom, peaceful peaceful...".
Thousands of mourners chanting for freedom march in Daraa city behind coffins of dead protesters.
Protesters shouting for freedom gathered in the capital and other areas around the country on Friday as security forces ordered journalists to leave the southern city where a brutal weeklong siege on demonstrations killed dozens of people.
Daraa, the main city of southern Syria's drought-parched agricultural heartland, has become a flashpoint for protests in a country whose leadership stands unafraid of using extreme violence to quash internal unrest.He called on the Syrian population (in this video message) to "march in support for the revolution of youth" during Friday's 'Day of Dignity'.
Syrian troops have dismantled checkpoints in Daraa and there was no visible army presence on the streets for the first time since last Friday.
But she stressed the importance of not undermining the planned 'Day of Dignity' protests, saying "Friday is going to be a challenge and a test for the activists and the government".
We are hearing reports that president Bashar al-Assad, who faces the most serious unrest of his 11-year tenure, will speak to his nation within the next few hours to try to calm the situation.
On Thursday, Assad's government pledged to consider lifting some of the country's most repressive laws in an attempt to stop the weeklong uprising in Daraa and prevent it from spreading.
But many activists rejected those promises and called for demonstrations around the country on Friday.
These were the scenes on the streets of Daraa on Wednesday, after security forces stormed a mosque in the southern city:
He told The World Today Thursday's concessions do not go far enough.
Maleh, who was released from prison earlier this month under an amnesty for older political prisoners, says his countrymen are ready for a revolution.
The 80-year-old lawyer is one of Syria's most prominent human rights campaigners.
Authorities in Syria are bracing for the possibility of further protests, following a week of unrest that has left dozens dead in Daraa city.
Protests have been planned in Daraa and in the nation's capital, Damascus for after Friday prayers. Organisers have dubbed it a "Day of Dignity".
A statement posted yesterday on the Facebook page "The Syrian Revolution 2011" called for demonstrations in all Syrian provinces.
Click here: Syria braces for 'day of dignity' rallies - for more on this story.
Good morning, welcome to Al Jazeera's live coverage of the continuing unrest in Syria.
Syria: Protests in
Deraa, Damascus, Hama and Homs
Click to play
Amateur footage sent to the BBC showed people chanting pro-freedom slogans at a rally in Damascus
Protests have been staged in towns and cities across Syria, including the capital Damascus, a day after the government announced limited changes.
Unconfirmed reports said a number of people had been killed in at least three separate protests.
Fresh gunfire was also heard in the city of Deraa, which has become the centre of a serious challenge to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Amnesty International fears 55 people have died there in the past week.
The marchers who took to the streets in Deraa on Friday had attended funerals for some of the 25 protesters killed on Wednesday.
'Peaceful, Peaceful'Some of the protesters started a fire under a bronze statue of Mr Assad's father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, witnesses reported.
Another group of protesters trying to reach Deraa were killed in the nearby village of Salamen when security forces opened fire.
A government official confirmed that at least 10 protesters had died, although witnesses said up to 20 people had been killed.
In Damascus, around 1,000 were reportedly continuing a protest into Friday night, vowing to stay until their demands had been met.
Earlier, hundreds marched on King Faisal Street chanting: "Peaceful, Peaceful, God, Syria, Freedom."
Analysis
Lina Sinjab - BBC News, Damascus
The situation has escalated today, with demonstrations across the country.
Thousands of protesters are marching in Deraa, chanting for freedom.
They are criticising a presidential adviser who said they were protesting because they were hungry. "Deraa people are not hungry, we want freedom," they are saying.
In Damascus, one demonstration was broken up by security forces. Many people were arrested and protesters brutally beaten.
Earlier, we tried to visit Deraa but we were stopped by security forces and sent back to Damascus.
I think the worse it becomes, the more anger there is.
The barrier of fear has been broken in Syria and people don't want to be silenced any more.
Things could have been solved peacefully but after the violence last week and again today, it feels like a betrayal of yesterday's promises.
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This protest was broken up by security forces and many were arrested, reports say.
Another protest reported to the BBC by an eyewitness took place around al-Rifai near Qasar Sousah Square.
Supporters of Mr Assad were also staging large protests in the capital, and clashes erupted between the two sides.
In the central city of Hama, hundreds of people were said to have gathered on the city streets to chant "freedom".
In 1982, the Syrian army put down an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama. Rights groups believe that tens of thousands of civilians were killed when large parts of the city were destroyed in the military assault.
In Tall, witnesses quoted by the Reuters news agency said about 1,000 people had rallied to show their support for the Deraa protesters, and were chanting slogans denouncing members of the ruling Assad family.
Demonstrations which ended in violence were also reported in the cities of Latakia and Homs. One person was killed in each place, the Associated Press news agency quoted an activist as saying.
There were also protests in Banias and Dahel, AFP reported.
Changes promisedOn Thursday, the Syrian government said it would consider political reforms, including the possible ending of emergency laws introduced in 1963.
The government also said it would put on trial those suspected of killing several protesters in Deraa.
Mr Assad later ordered the release of everyone arrested during the "recent events", state media said.
Presidential spokeswoman Bouthaina Shaaban blamed outside agitators for whipping up trouble, and denied that the government had ordered security forces to open fire on protesters.
But she said this "did not mean mistakes had not been made".
'Appalling and brutal'UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has telephoned Mr Assad to urge restraint and underline Syria's obligation to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens.
In the US, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington was deeply concerned at what was happening.
"We strongly condemn the Syrian government's attempts to repress and intimidate demonstrators," Mr Carney said.
Amnesty also condemned the treatment of demonstrators.
"The excessive force apparently again being used by security forces is the latest example of the Syrian authorities' appalling and brutal response to recent dissent, and make their pledge to investigate the violence sound rather hollow," said spokesman Philip Luther.
"If the words we heard from the Syrian government yesterday are to mean anything, they must immediately issue clear orders to restrain the security forces to prevent further loss of life."
>via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12858972
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