In Syria thousands in the streets, nine dead
Third day of protests in Morocco

AMMAN – Thousands of Syrians attended the funeral of protesters who died in clashes with police in Nawa, in the south of the country. “Long live Syria, down with Bashar!” The violence that Nawa had suffered four deaths yesterday followed a bloodbath on Friday in the Middle Eastern country, an event that for Syrian dissidents marked a point of no return in comparison with the regime. According to human rights groups, over 120 people have been killed in the last two days.

And today at least nine people were killed by Syrian forces in the coastal town of Jabla, near Latakia, after a demonstration. In breaking the news, an anti-regime activist stated that the clashes also caused several injuries. The new governor of the region went to Jabla to meet dignitaries at the mosque. After his departure, the police surrounded the city and opened fire on the people, the activist explained. Shortly after the announcement of the deaths in Jabla, around 3,000 inhabitants of Banias, a city some fifty kilometers from Latakia, started a protest sit-in on the highway that connects Latakia to Damascus.

The popular protest also extends to the western regions of North Africa. Thousands of people took to the streets this morning in Morocco in peaceful demonstrations to demand radical reforms and an end to imprisonment for political reasons. This is the third day of mass demonstrations since the February protests began.

About 10,000 people have joined the protests in Casablanca. Protesters in the capital Rabat also reported corruption and torture as well as protesting unemployment, which is very high among young people. To avoid the unrest that toppled political leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, the authorities have already announced some reforms. The protesters demand that King Mohamed VI cede part of his powers and limits the extensive influence of the monarchy over the economy.

(April 24, 2011)