Syrian Security Forces Fire on Mourners in Several Towns

The death toll from the protests on Friday, one of the bloodiest days in the so-called Arab Spring, had risen by Saturday to 109 people, a number that activists said was likely to rise as more bodies were returned to their families. Another group said 114 people had been killed.

The bloodshed on Saturday followed a pattern seen frequently in the tumult that has swept the Arab world. Funerals have often turned to demonstrations, where more have been killed by security forces bent on crushing dissent against authoritarian leaders. While Saturday’s death toll paled in comparison with the number killed on Friday, it suggested that the country might be entering a prolonged period of turmoil as protesters continue to press the greatest challenge to the Assad family’s four decades of rule.

President Bashar al-Assad’s government has struggled to cope with the unrest, offering concessions that would have been startling at one time, while using violence against those who persist in demonstrations. Though the revolt has drawn large numbers into the streets since it started on March 15, it has yet to achieve the critical mass of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. However, organizers say they believe the bloodshed may draw more people into the uprising’s fold.

In a possible sign of cracks in the government’s facade, two members of Syria’s largely powerless Parliament resigned on Saturday. The two, Khalil al-Rifai and Nasser al-Hariri, both independent lawmakers from Dara’a, where the uprising started, told Al Jazeera that they were resigning to protest the killing of demonstrators.

Wissam Tarif, the executive director of Insan, a human rights group, said that security forces fired live ammunition at mourners after they buried their dead. The funerals soon became protests, with calls for the fall of Mr. Assad, who inherited power from his father, Hafez, in 2000. Such demands, uttered publicly, were once unheard of and serve as a marker of how outrage is overcoming fear in the repressive state.

Mr. Tarif said 11 people were killed in towns on the outskirts of Damascus, where some of the worst bloodshed was reported Friday: Douma, Barza, Maadamiah and Qabon. Others were reported killed in Azra, but activists had yet to confirm their names.

In Barza, a witness who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said that at least 1,000 mourners came under fire as they prepared to bury four men and two children, one 7 years old and the other 14. The witness said security forces aimed directly at the mourners, many of whom sought shelter in the nearby Al-Salam mosque.

He said the shooting lasted at least 10 minutes. Religious leaders inside the mosque pleaded on loudspeakers for security forces to stop firing at unarmed protesters and called for medical help for the wounded.

“They shot directly at people, and all hell broke lose,” the witness said. “We could hear voices of children and people screaming frantically. We don’t know how many were killed, but we heard one saying on the phone that four of his neighbors were killed and many were injured.”

In Douma, another town on the outskirts of Damascus, at least 1,500 mourners marched from the main mosque to the cemetery, a witness said. As they approached a government building, police in plain clothes began firing at them, in barrages that lasted three hours.

“I saw people killed in front of me,” the witness said. “People were on the ground wounded, and no could assist them, help them or get to them.”

His voice turned angry. “How much people can take, we don’t know,” he said. “They’re not going to get killed every day and just keep watching. If we’re going to pay with our lives for the president’s reforms, then we don’t want his reforms.”

Friday’s violence started after the noon prayers, when thousands gathered in protest. Their demands have grown since the uprising began: from calls for reform to demands that President Assad step down.

In at least two towns, protesters tore down Mr. Assad’s picture and wrecked statues of his father.

Employees of The New York Times contributed from Beirut, Lebanon, and Damascus, Syria.

 

Clashes Reported in Several Libyan Cities

 Edward Yeranian | Cairo ?April 16, 2011

Libyan rebel fighters load a truck with ammunition on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, Libya, Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Fighting is being reported in at least three Libyan cities Saturday, including the besieged port of Misrata, where living conditions continue to deteriorate. Human rights groups are also accusing Gadhafi loyalists of using cluster bombs in the city.

Desperate residents of the besieged rebel-held city of Misrata express their grief and anguish as the battle for the city continues unabated. Witnesses report shelling and rocket attacks by pro-Gadhafi forces around Misrata port where hundreds of civilians have been hunkering down.

Al Jazeera TV showed images of buildings around the port ablaze, with fire coming out their windows, after an intense rocket barrage. Witnesses say large portions of the city have been abandoned due to the intense shelling and hundreds of families are living in cramped conditions, without running water and electricity.

The group, Human Rights Watch,? is also accusing pro-Gadhafi forces of using dangerous cluster bombs, banned by most countries, in Misrata. Human Rights Watch spokesperson Emma Daley says an observer from the group witnessed Gadhafi forces using what she thinks were cluster bombs.

"We actually witnessed what we believe were three cluster munitions strikes a couple of nights ago over a populated neighborhood of Misrata. And, we interviewed a couple of witnesses who believe that they saw cluster munition attacks on earlier occasions. And finally, our researchers in Misrata found physical evidence. They found sub-munitions from cluster munitions that they were able to identify as a Spanish weapon manufactured in 2007," he said.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim, however, denies that Gadhafi forces are using cluster bombs, insisting that it would be foolish to do so, since the evidence would be obvious. "We challenge them to prove this. To use these bombs, you know, the evidence will remain for days and weeks and we know the international community is coming en masse [to] our country soon. So, we can't do this. We can't do anything that would incriminate us, even if we were criminals," he said.

Ashraf Mohammed, an Egyptian man who worked in Misrata and was recently evacuated by sea to the rebel-held city of Benghazi, describes conditions in the city before he left. He said that more than 80 missiles fell on Misrata port, in the 24 hours before he was evacuated from the city. He notes that even more shells fell on the rest of the city, and three Egyptian workers were killed in the attacks.

Mohamed Abu Tunyan, a worker from Bangladesh, explains that the shelling and the lack of food and water made living conditions dire for himself and hundreds of other Bangladeshis. He said he and about 1,500 other Bangladeshi workers were hiding in the Masna steel factory in Misrata for about 15 days. He complains that the shelling on the port area, along with the lack of food and water made living conditions extremely difficult.

Heavy fighting was also reported Saturday around the eastern city of Ajdabiya. Rebel forces have reportedly taken some new ground from Gadhafi loyalists on the road to the oil port of Brega. The fighting comes amid a recent flurry of diplomatic activity, and conferences in Berlin, Cairo, and Doha, Qatar.

Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
and discuss them on our Facebook page. 16-04-2011 Pale Horse (usa)

“First black President, bombed Africa... How ironic.”

16-04-2011 eriuhdlkj (oz)

"... government forces have been accused of using dangerous cluster bombs in an ongoing assault." oh well, at least the other bombs aren't dangerous.

16-04-2011

Regime change is the main focus of the allied coalition and the rebels couldn't care if their western allied coalition carpet bombed all of Libya to achieve their aims. 2 things are now going to happen. 1 - The destruction of Libya. 2 - The killing of untold numbers of Libyan soldiers and civilians.

16-04-2011 Richard (Nigeria)

President goodluck is the wenan

16-04-2011 NFM (South Africa)

Nato has moved from wanting the libyian government to stop violence against its people (which is unjustifiable), now wanting regime change. A political solution need to be found with AU and UN as the forefront. We need an african solution to our problem not NATO missiles. Libyans must find the solution through peaceful negotiations and democratic elections.

16-04-2011 Ram (UK)

Human Rights Watch is merely doing the job it was set up to do.

16-04-2011 solardiva (USA)

Hold up - Spain's shipment of munition and arms have never been delivered. HRW only saw and collected evidence of cluster munitions. Uncanny coincidence that Israel is using them too? Lets find out who Spain sold the munitions to and then decide if they were Gadhafi's or maybe someone is setting someone else up. Weren't the CIA in Libya? This is their tactics we have seen them before. Digg people - wake up from your slumber.

16-04-2011 Unu (USA)

Is US using cluster bombs? I guess so.

16-04-2011 Johnnie (USA)

In the interest of fair disclosure and journalistic ethics VOA should have mentioned that while most countries have banned cluster munitions, the United States is not one of them. VOA is owned by the US Federal Government after all.

16-04-2011 Colin Trent (UK)

Good luck Gaddafi . You have a lot of support world wide. The coalition forces headed by Obama are bullies forcing regime change.

16-04-2011

Cluster bombs were used by USA/NATO in Serbia war capaign. 100% civilian death achieved. Qadaffi has cluster bombs?

16-04-2011 ryeatley (UK)

"Rebels who have been receiving some assistance from NATO"? Had NATO not become paid-for-in-oil mercenaries serving the few anti-Gaddafi rebels, the whole thing would have finished weeks ago, with little loss of life. As for cluster munitions, who has not signed the Convention on cluster munitions which prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of such, and has used them rather receently, even in populated areas?

16-04-2011 zabi urrahman mamnoon ahmadzai Journalist of KhbyerWeekly (Afghanistan)

We know that Freedom is important but we all must think about life of people so Mr.Obama and Mr.Gaddafi make a way to solve all problems. i think peace is important and we all need it.

16-04-2011 Jim Kendall (USA)

Perspective: Every man, woman and child - on both sides of the issue - who dies in Libya is dying - for all he cares - for Gaddafi. All Gaddafi is concerned for is his personal sustenance. Such imperial selfishness deserves TERMINATION.

16-04-2011

Can we really believe anything the "rebels" claim. We know we can't believe the UN, Nato and the US. So why believe the rebels?

16-04-2011

Because the claim of cluster bombs was investigated by human rights watchdogs

16-04-2011 (US)

So basically they are just allegations without any proof. The propaganda media can say whatever they want--does not make it factual. People need to realize they are being manipulated. It all comes down to stealing the natural resources of Libya . For humanitarian reasons of course.

16-04-2011 Chien-Wei Wu (Taiwan, R.O.C.)

While the U.S. is one member of the NATO organization, we should be aware that VOA is also under the jurisdiction of the U.S. BUT, the VOA news is reporting with justice and detachment, showing no partiality to any side. That's what the news industry has been working on. So, there's no doubt that the VOA is performing well on this issue.

16-04-2011 LibyaisforLibyans (Arabia)

Its very surprising to notice that on the internet everyone is skeptical at this bomb to peace operation .. but on our tv's its all good vs bad especially if the bad is unproven or simply not intentional and the good is riddled with bad... such as being a racist bunch of unknowns and being publicly supported by al-qaida and a bunch of crying armed gang with jet fighters attack helicopters dozens of tanks and artillery for every truck.. why are we bombing .. OIL .. why do we like the rebels.. OIL

16-04-2011 Kwame (Ghana)

Gaddafi must stand firm so that after good conquers evil he will know how to use another strategy to let Nkrumah' s dream: UNITED AFRICA with an African High Command come true. He is the only true African leader left. Americans and their allies want to "kick the ladder" and yet descend for our indispensable resources. Hide the ladder for now Gaddafi!

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