Gunfire heard in Syrian city

Syrian forces reportedly fired shots at hundreds of protesters who had gathered overnight in Homs city in defiance of warning by the authorities to halt what they called an insurrection. Thousands of protesters had gathered in the Syrian city of Homs to demand an end to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule and 50 years of emergency rule.

A Human Rights campaigner said forces loyal to the President opened fire overnight on protesters in the city’s main Clock Square after asking demonstrators to leave.

This reported use of force comes after thousands demanded the overthrow of Assad yesterday at the funerals of 17 protesters killed in Homs, which is north of Damascus.

President Bashar al-Assad’s announcement on Saturday that he would end nearly half a century of emergency rule with legislation that should be in place by this week, has done nothing to quell the appetite of those looking for political freedoms.

Syria’s Interior Ministry has called the wave of unrest an “insurrection” and has blamed the violence on armed gangs and infiltrators.

As the protests continue no independent media is allowed into Homs or other cities but rights campaigners say more than 200 people have been killed since the protests began.
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