Syrian government addresses killing of demonstrators
Syrian authorities are intending to take legal actions against those who were behind the killing of demonstrators calling for political freedoms in the gravest unrest in years that swept this Mediterranean country over the past days.
"The Syrian government is willing to open a transparent investigation to punish those responsible for the demolition and killing of victims during a gathering in Deraa on Friday," Syrian Al-Ikhbarya TV said on Saturday.
The official TV said the authorities are going to "chastise those who were in charge before the assailants who were pushed by foreign sides." No further explanation was given.
One eye witness, speaking on condition his name would not be used, said that funerals for two people were taken earlier in the day with no violent incidents at all. Human rights activists said on Friday that Syrian security forces used water cannons, batons and gunfire to disperse hundreds of protesters in the northern city of Deraa, killing at least five people and injuring dozens.
Security forces clash with protesters
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The violence began when a large group of people emerged from the Al Omari mosque, marching and shouting slogans against corruption and calling for more political freedoms. Government-run Syrian Arab News Agency said in a terse statement the previous day that "infiltrators in Daraa caused chaos and riots and smashed cars and public and private property before they attacked riot police."
Friday's violence happened during one of several demonstrations across the country in areas including Homs,
Banyas and the capital, Damascus. But only the Daraa protest turned deadly, according to a statement by the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights in Syria.
Serious disturbances in Syria would be a major expansion of the wave of unrest tearing through the Arab world for more than a month in the wake of pro-democracy uprisings. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said he was concerned about the reported deaths and said the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators was unacceptable.
"The Secretary-General believes that, as elsewhere, it is the responsibility of the government in Syria to listen to the legitimate aspirations of the people and address them through inclusive political dialogue and genuine reforms, not repression," said his spokesman, Martin Nesirky.