Governments Open Fire In Syria And Yemen During New Round Of Protests
Another day of protests has turned violent in both Syria and Yemen. Korva touched on Syria this morning, but the extent of the government action is coming into focus.
Human rights activists told The Wall Street Journal that at least 20 people are dead after the government shelled Bab Amro near the center of Homs and government tanks attacked a town near Deraa:
The week’s stepped-up assaults show that the government of Bashar al-Assad has embraced the violent strategy that other regimes — including Iran, Libya and Bahrain — have employed to clamp down on the pro-democracy movements. That puts the Assad regime —primarily Alawite, one of several large minorities in Sunni-majority Syria — at risk of further isolation from the international community.
One resident of Homs told the BBC that the shelling lasted for three hours. Now, the man said, the town is “surrounded. There is no way for the wounded people to go out to the hospital.”