Syria: Another Friday of Protest - and Deadly Suppression

On Monday, we posted an update on last weekend’s deliberate attacks across Syria, which left more than 120 civilians dead and more than 200 missing.  The violence does not appear to have discouraged subsequent demonstrations, as tens of thousands of Syrian citizens marched today in a show of solidarity for the residents of the city of Deraa, who have been under siege since last week’s protests.

While the protesters in the Syrian capital of Damascus today were only met with tear gas, security forces reportedly used live ammunition in Deraa and Homs, resulting in the deaths of at least 32 people earlier today. We are continuing to monitor the situation as more information becomes available, and are particularly concerned about further violence in Deraa, as well as in other places including Aleppo and Banias.

We continue to believe that this violence is deliberate, as the government is clearly using deadly force to suppress peaceful dissent. This is not only evident through their use of live ammunition to quell protests, but also widespread disappearances of anti-government activists and the torture of activists in government custody.

The international community has already begun to take steps towards isolating the Syrian government. In Geneva this morning, the United Nations Human Rights Council discussed the situation in Syria during a special session called by the United States. The council condemned the crackdown and called for an investigation into violations of international human rights law. The U.S. has also imposed sanctions against five Syrian entities and individuals. The European Union is also in discussions about sanctions, but has yet to impose targeted measures.

At the moment, it does not appear that today’s violence meets the levels of last weekend, but we continue to be concerned about a further spike in fatalities, as well as the potential for sectarian violence between the Alawite and Sunni communities within Syria. There are also increasing reports of clashes within the Syrian army.

GI-NET/SDC will continue to monitor the situation on the ground over the weekend and will post updates as the situation warrants.