No End in Sight to Syria’s Crackdown on Dissidents
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JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Three days into the Arab League’s investigation of the Syrian government’s crackdown on pro-democracy dissidents, the situation has reportedly not gotten any better.
Opposition activists alleged that protesters in the capital city of Damascus were shot at by the country’s security forces on Thursday — even during a visit by Arab League observers.
The latest incident occurred as tens of thousands had gathered at the Grand Mosque area of Douma to welcome the monitors and to show their opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the 14 fatalities in the suburbs of Damascus were among the 35 people killed in Syria Thursday. Deaths were reported in other cities where Arab League observers were sent to ascertain whether al-Assad was abiding by his agreement to remove soldiers and tanks from various cities.
One opposition group, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, maintains that 130 people have died since Arab League representatives arrived on Tuesday.
While it’s impossible to know the actual death toll, the United Nations estimates that over 5,000 people have died during the nine-month crackdown. Al-Assad contends he’s battling outside agitators who’ve riled up dissidents in his nation.
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