Syrian forces killed at least 12 people on Friday as they fired on rallies supporting army defectors opposed to a crackdown that the U.N. said has cost more than 3,000 lives. “Twelve people were killed today” and dozens wounded, Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP by telephone.
“There were massive demonstrations in several Syrian cities despite a significant deployment of security forces,” Mr. Abdel Rahman said, including a rally in Deir Ezzor, “the largest since military operations ended there in August.”
Pro-democracy activists called for nationwide demonstrations on Friday in support of “free soldiers” — a reference to defectors — after 36 people, including 25 soldiers, were killed in clashes across Syria on Thursday.
Western governments have issued increasingly shrill warnings that unless the Assad regime heeds popular demands for reform, the so far peaceful protest movement risks resorting to violence. “More than 100 people have been reported killed in the past 10 days alone,” U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said, raising the overall death toll since mid-March to more than 3,000.
