Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Syrian protesters keep up pressure



Anti-government activists to continue rallies and strikes despite cabinet approval for bill to scrap emergency laws.

Al-Jazeera

"Several thousand people have gathered in the central Syrian city of Homs, keeping up the pressure on Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, despite apparent political concessions.

Also about 4,000 university students from Daraa and surrounding areas protested near the city's al-Omari Mosque, Associated Press news agency reported.

Wednesday's development came despite a government warning to residents to stay at home, and a day after protesters began a general strike and vowed to continue demonstrations in the city's Clock Square.

Locals described Homs, Syria's third largest city with a population of 1.5 million people, as looking "like a war zone", with all shops and businesses closed for the strike.

Syrian security forces opened fire and used teargas on Monday night to disperse an anti-government sit-in.

Also on Wednesday, Syrian authorities arrested an opposition figure, Mahmuod Issa, in Homs....."

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