SYRIA: Men and women gather for the funeral of a Syrian activist as his mother calls for help and weapons

Record ID: 280320

  • Title: SYRIA: Men and women gather for the funeral of a Syrian activist as his mother calls for help and weapons
  • Date: 29th February 2012
  • Summary: FEBRUARY 28, 2012 (AL-QUSAIR, HOMS REGION, SYRIA) (REUTERS) WIDE OF STREET, PEOPLE STANDING STREET, WOMAN SITTING ON PAVEMENT / OTHERS STANDING YOUNG CHILDREN STANDING IN STREET BY DOORWAYS EXTERIOR OF HOUSE / MEN STANDING OUTSIDE MEN STANDING AT ENTRANCE OF HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOTHER OF DECEASED SAYING: "We are begging you to help us. Tell al-Ar'our to declare
  • Embargoed: 15th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4AOQPLJ4FTN9EHK7KCJGXT4Y8
  • Story Text: Mourners gathered in the town of al-Qusair, 20 miles south of Homs, on Tuesday (February 28) for the funeral of a Syrian activist who worked in support of the Free Syrian Army.
    Family members asked that the 35-year-old not be named.
    Before the funeral began, the deceased's mother, distressed and sobbing, begged the outside world for help.
    "We are begging you to help us. Tell al-Ar'our (an exiled Syrian religious figure) to declare Jihad. Send us weapons; to the men and to the women. We women will take up arms. God is great," she shouted, as she sat by her dead son's body.
    Approximately one week ago, the deceased had been present when troops were fighting to clear a checkpoint located near a granary silo on the outskirts of the town. During the fighting, a tank shell landed near them and he suffered a head injury when he was hit by shrapnel. Five others were also wounded during the battle.
    He was first taken to a field hospital however, it was soon established that his injuries were too serious to be treated on the spot. He was then taken to Lebanon for further treatment but died en route. His body was returned to al-Qusair for burial.
    Men and women marched in his funeral, chanting in Arabic: God is Great. There is no God but Allah.
    Syrian forces shelled opposition strongholds, killing at least 25 people, on Tuesday and a wounded British photographer was smuggled out of Homs into neighbouring Lebanon..
    In Hama province, security forces bombarded the town of Helfaya, a centre of protests in the uprising against Assad. Activists said the 20 deaths of Sunni Muslim villagers there were among at least 100 killed in the province in the last two weeks in revenge for rebel Free Syrian Army attacks on security forces commanded by members of Assad's minority Alawite sect.
    The reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities tightly restrict media access to the country.
    Opposition groups say hundreds of civilians have been killed or wounded in the siege of Baba Amro and other rebellious districts in Homs, where terrified residents are enduring dire conditions, without proper supplies of water, food and medicine.
    The Syrian military's latest bombardment of Baba Amro was the heaviest in a 24-day-old assault, activists said.
    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least five people were killed in Baba Amro on Tuesday, a day after 84 were killed in Homs, out of an overall death toll of 122 civilians across Syria.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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