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20 March 2011 Last updated at 15:09 GMT
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<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> <!--$render("page-bookmark-links","page-bookmark-links-head",{ useForgeShareTools:"false", position:"top", site:'News', headline:'BBC News - Syria: Fresh protests in southern city of Deraa', storyId:'12800243', sectionId:'99125', url:'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12800243', edition:'International'}); --></SCRIPT>Syria: Fresh protests in southern city of Deraa
Bashar al-Assad has led Syria since 2000, tolerates little dissent
Continue reading the main story Related Stories
Police tried to disperse protesters in the southern city, and one demonstrator was reportedly killed.
The protesters called for an end to Syria's 48-year-old emergency law, and for the dismissal of officials involved in a crackdown this week, reports said.
Violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces on Friday left at least four people dead.
The protests on Sunday came as a government delegation arrived in Deraa to offer condolences for those killed.
Activists were quoted as saying that police had used tear gas and live ammunition to try to clear the demonstration.
Roads into Deraa have been blocked and there have been military helicopters flying over the city, they said.
One activist told AFP news agency that one protester had been shot dead and dozens injured. Residents were also quoted by Reuters as saying one demonstrator had died.
'Children freed'
On Saturday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse crowds at the funeral of two of those who died a day earlier.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose Baath party has dominated politics in the country for almost 50 years, tolerates little dissent.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones reports from neighbouring Lebanon that Syrian authorities are using a combination of force and concessions to try to prevent further protests.
The government says it has released 15 children arrested for spraying revolutionary slogans on walls in Deraa, and it has announced a three-month reduction in the length of compulsory military service across the country.
The official news agency has tried to explain the security forces' use of live ammunition by saying that instigators impersonating security officials have misled the police into using violence and live bullets.
So far Syria has remained unaffected by demands for change in the Arab world, but it now seems the government is facing a challenge to its authority, our correspondent says.
Are you in Syria? Have you taken part in the protests?
Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Share this page
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<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> <!--$render("page-bookmark-links","page-bookmark-links-head",{ useForgeShareTools:"false", position:"top", site:'News', headline:'BBC News - Syria: Fresh protests in southern city of Deraa', storyId:'12800243', sectionId:'99125', url:'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12800243', edition:'International'}); --></SCRIPT>Syria: Fresh protests in southern city of Deraa
Continue reading the main story Related Stories
- Middle East protests: Country by country
- Why no Egypt-style revolution in Syria?
- Three killed at protest in Syria
Police tried to disperse protesters in the southern city, and one demonstrator was reportedly killed.
The protesters called for an end to Syria's 48-year-old emergency law, and for the dismissal of officials involved in a crackdown this week, reports said.
Violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces on Friday left at least four people dead.
The protests on Sunday came as a government delegation arrived in Deraa to offer condolences for those killed.
Activists were quoted as saying that police had used tear gas and live ammunition to try to clear the demonstration.
Roads into Deraa have been blocked and there have been military helicopters flying over the city, they said.
One activist told AFP news agency that one protester had been shot dead and dozens injured. Residents were also quoted by Reuters as saying one demonstrator had died.
'Children freed'
On Saturday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse crowds at the funeral of two of those who died a day earlier.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose Baath party has dominated politics in the country for almost 50 years, tolerates little dissent.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones reports from neighbouring Lebanon that Syrian authorities are using a combination of force and concessions to try to prevent further protests.
The government says it has released 15 children arrested for spraying revolutionary slogans on walls in Deraa, and it has announced a three-month reduction in the length of compulsory military service across the country.
The official news agency has tried to explain the security forces' use of live ammunition by saying that instigators impersonating security officials have misled the police into using violence and live bullets.
So far Syria has remained unaffected by demands for change in the Arab world, but it now seems the government is facing a challenge to its authority, our correspondent says.
Are you in Syria? Have you taken part in the protests?
Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
