Thousands of protesters demand reform in Syria

[April 15, 2011]  BEIRUT (AP) -- Activists and witnesses says thousands of people are demonstrating in several Syrian cities.

The witnesses say about 10,000 people were chanting "freedom, freedom" Friday in the southern city of Daraa, which has become the epicenter of the protest movement.

Others witnesses say demonstrations have begun in the northeastern village of Bayda and in Douma near the capital, Damascus. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.

A monthlong protest movement calling for sweeping reforms has steadily gained momentum in Syria. More than 200 people have been killed during the government crackdown on protesters, according to Syria's main pro-democracy group.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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Syrian security and intelligence agencies have detained and tortured hundreds of protesters during a month of demonstrations against one of the Middle East's most repressive governments, a human rights group said Friday.

The statement came as the country braced for what is expected to be another day of demonstrations, which have been gathering momentum since the uprising started four weeks ago, inspired by the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.

New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Syrian authorities to immediately stop the use of torture and free all demonstrators, activists, and journalists in custody. The group said hundreds have been arbitrarily detained and subjected to "torture and ill-treatment." It didn't provide a precise number.

Protests across Syria have steadily increased, with tens of thousands calling for sweeping political reforms to President Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime. More than 200 people have been killed during the government crackdown on protesters, according to Syria's main pro-democracy group.

"There can be no real reforms in Syria while security forces abuse people with impunity," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "President (Bashar) Assad needs to rein in his security services and hold them to account for arbitrary arrests and torture."

Also Friday, A Syrian journalist told The Associated Press he was set free after 16-day detention during which he was whipped and beaten. The journalist, who also had his head shaved, said he was set free shortly before midnight Thursday.

The journalist, who asked that his name not be made public, said he saw some 200 detainees being freed from the detention center where he was held.

The release came a day after Assad ordered the release of hundreds of detainees involved in the protests seeking to wrest political freedoms from one of the Middle East's most repressive governments.

Assad's order signaled an attempt to calm weeks of growing protest anger and pre-empt protests planned for Friday.

The Obama administration said Thursday that Iran appears to be helping Syria crack down on protesters, calling it a troubling example of Iranian meddling in the region and an indication that Assad isn't interested in real reform.

Syria's government and its state-run media have sought to cast the unrest as a foreign conspiracy perpetrated by armed gangs targeting security forces and civilians. Reform activists, however, say their movement is peaceful.

[Associated Press; By BASSEM MROUE]

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