AMMAN – Syrian security forces shot dead at least 20 protesters yesterday as hundreds of thousands of people staged the biggest protests so far against President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses and rights groups said.
Dr Assad, facing the greatest challenge to 40 years of Baath Party rule, has sought to crush demonstrations that broke out in March.
Human rights groups say some 1,400 civilians have been killed, but the protests have still grown. Activists and witnesses said police fired live ammunition and tear gas in the capital, Damascus, and suburbs, killing at least 11 people. – (Reuters)