SYRIA: Residents in a small village in the Syrian province of Homs gather each night to hold a protest against President Bashar al-Assad, and say they only have the rebel Free Syrian Army to protect them

Record ID: 280301

  • Title: SYRIA: Residents in a small village in the Syrian province of Homs gather each night to hold a protest against President Bashar al-Assad, and say they only have the rebel Free Syrian Army to protect them
  • Date: 28th February 2012
  • Summary: VILLAGERS SINGING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VILLAGER, ABDUL, SAYING: "We are suffering - it's slaughter and despair. Every day is a massacre in the streets -- they massacre women and children, there is no water, no electricity, no bread. People are suffering, everyone is suffering and we have only one demand -- that is for the regime to go." VARIOUS OF VILLAGERS DANCING AND SI
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADVCT2V85LNWOU1OXEPG56O9HK
  • Story Text: Residents of a village in the Syrian province of Homs said on Monday (February 27) they had been bombed by aircraft as President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on unrest in the region.
    The villagers of al-Qusair gather each night after evening prayers to hold an anti-Assad demonstration.
    Villages in Homs province, along with Homs city itself have seen waves of a military crackdown by Syrian government forces during the near-year-long unrest against Assad's rule, which rights groups say has seen up to 7,000 people killed.
    The Syrian government says about 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed by what it calls "armed terrorist groups".
    "We are suffering - it's slaughter and despair. Every day is a massacre in the streets -- they massacre women and children, there is no water, no electricity, no bread. People are suffering, everyone is suffering and we have only one demand -- that is for the regime to go," one Qusair resident, Abdul, said.
    "Tanks fire every day randomly -- today we were even bombed by aircraft. We have only the Free Syrian Army to protect us. Here we are coming out to demand freedom, like in any other country. We want to live like any other people. That is not too much to demand," said another, Fedah.
    During the protest on Monday evening, signs were held up saying in English, "We ask freedom," and "Are you listen? Are you see? We are listen and see".
    On Monday Syrian artillery pounded rebel-held areas of Homs city as Assad's government announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution in a referendum derided as a sham by his critics at home and abroad.
    While foreign powers argued over whether to arm the rebels, the Syrian Interior Ministry said the reformed constitution, which could keep Assad in power until 2028, had received 89.4 percent approval from more than 8 million voters.
    Syrian dissidents and Western leaders dismissed as a farce Sunday's vote, conducted in the midst of the country's bloodiest turmoil in decades, although Assad says the new constitution will lead to multi-party elections within three months.
    The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters under the banner of the Free Syria Army and others.
    Qatar joined Saudi Arabia in advocating arming Syrian rebels, given that Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block any action by the U.N.
    Assad says he is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups" and his main allies - Russia, China and Iran - fiercely oppose any outside intervention intended to add him to the list of Arab autocrats unseated by popular revolts in the past year.
    The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people had been killed by the attacks on Baba Amro in Homs on Monday.
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