Syrian troops kill protesters despite monitors
Syrian security forces opened fire on thousands of anti-government protesters in the central city of Hama Wednesday and killed at least six people, according to activists, as Arab League monitors on a mission to end the regime’s crackdown on dissent visited another flashpoint city nearby.
Though Syria has made some concessions to the monitors since they began work Tuesday, government forces have at the same time been pressing ahead with attempts to put down peaceful protests in Hama, Homs and other parts of the country. Activists said at least 39 people have been killed by security forces in the two days since the observers arrived.
The government released 755 prisoners following a report by Human Rights Watch accusing authorities of hiding hundreds of detainees from the observers. It was the second concession in two days to the Arab League.