Rights group says 12 Syrians killed in clashes

[April 18, 2011]  BEIRUT (AP) -- A Syrian human rights group says the death toll has risen to 12 from shootings during protests and a funeral on Sunday night.

Ammar Qurabi is the head of Syria's National Organization for Human Rights. He said Monday eight people died in two shootings in the central city of Homs and a nearby village. He also said four protesters were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the northern cities of Latakia and Idlib.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide Sunday as part of the monthlong uprising against the country's authoritarian regime. Syrian security forces in uniforms and plainclothes have launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrations, killing at least 200 people, according to human rights groups.

[Associated Press]

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