Syria: Over 5,800 Killed In 2011 In Revolt
The Syrian opposition said the ongoing crackdown launched by the Syrian regime to quell the uprising against it, killed more than 5,800 people last year. At least 13 people were killed Saturday, despite the presence of the Arab Fact Finding Mission in the country.
Rights groups have documented the death of 5862 people since the outbreak the protests against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, including 395 children and 287 prisoners who died under torture. The organizations said that among the dead were 146 women and 19 doctors.
Meanwhile, the Syrian regime on Saturday held the funeral of 21 members of the army and security forces after they were “targeted by armed terrorist groups in Homs, Hama and Idlib and Damascus,” the official news agency, SANA reported.
And less than 24 hours after the declaration of an agreement between the two major wings of the Syrian opposition, the head of the opposition National Council, Dr. Burhan Ghalyoun issued a statement late Saturday, saying that “the document is a draft and not a final agreement. It will be presented to the Secretariat and the Executive Office of the National Council, and must be approved by the National Assembly.” The statement by Dr. Ghalyoun came after senior opposition figures criticized the agreement. Some members of the National Council even claimed that Iran is behind this step. According to the reports, the agreemet was reached following arduous negotiations in Cairo. The most important item in this agreement is the total rejection of any foreign military intervention in Syria, which could affect the sovereignty and independence of the country.
