Hundreds of dissidents were arrested across Syria yesterday, including in the flashpoint town of Daraa and a besieged Damascus suburb, after dozens were killed in weekend protests, activists said.
Anti-regime activists called for fresh protests aimed at breaking the week-long siege of the capital’s Douma suburb and of Daraa, as well as in solidarity with other towns faced with deadly crackdowns.
Six civilians were killed in Daraa on Saturday, a day after massive protests over the Muslim weekend in Syria where rights groups say the civilian death toll from unprecedented demonstrations that erupted on March 15 has topped 580.
British Prime Minister David Cameron denounced Syria’s “disgraceful” crackdown and urged more global pressure against Damascus, although Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned against foreign military intervention.
The United States has blocked assets of President Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher, who commands the feared Fourth Armoured Division, as well as top officials and Syria’s feared intelligence services.
The European Union is preparing a raft of sanctions, including an arms embargo.
“At least 356 people were arrested today across Syria, including in Daraa, Douma, Latakia and Qamishli,” an activist said by telephone.
He said demonstrations were taking place in the central city of Homs, where protesters were chanting “the people demand the fall of the regime” in the Khaldiyeh area near Nur mosque.
A protest was also being held in the coastal city of Latakia and a candlelit vigil in Banias.
Troops in tanks backed by other armoured vehicles yesterday cruised Daraa streets, shooting to keep residents indoors and arresting men aged 15 and over, an activist from the town said.
“Since early morning the army and security forces have been combing neighbourhoods one by one and making sweeping arrests. Hundreds have been arrested since Friday,” activist Abdullah Abizad said by telephone.
In Douma, “the army has tightened the siege and has a list of 200 names of people it wants to arrest,” another activist said, adding security forces “have vowed not to leave Douma before arresting everyone on the list.”
“There are also intermittent clashes in Douma between residents and the security forces, and there is a rumour that a member of the security forces was killed on Saturday.”
An activist said security forces have been stepping up arrests “in order to terrorise the people” and undermine the protest movement.
“They arrest people indiscriminately, question them, threaten them and then release them to arrest others. The whole idea is to terrorise them and marginalise them.”
A young man said how he escaped yesterday from Douma at “great risk” using back roads. “It was very difficult and very dangerous. I had to avoid all the checkpoints.”
“People are afraid to leave their homes but they are beginning to feel the pinch. There are shortages of food, baby milk and other basic stuff,” he said.