Syrian President Bashar Assad pulled back police and soldiers from a restive southern city and released dozens of political prisoners yesterday in an attempt to appease demonstrators furious about a violent government crackdown on dissent that has left many dead.
A resident said by telephone that security forces had withdrawn to the outskirts of Daraa, where protests demanding the release of youths arrested for spraying anti-government graffiti have spiraled into more than a week of daily confrontations with security forces, who have repeatedly opened fire.
The protests spread throughout Syria on Friday and witnesses reported 15 people killed in at least six cities and villages.
The Daraa resident said more than 1,000 people were holding a silent sit-in the al-Omari mosque, the epicenter of the protests.
Protesters used the mosque as a refuge and ad hoc medical center until they were driven out in a government assault on Wednesday.
They retook the mosque during clashes with government forces on Friday, witnesses said.
The clashes erupted after protesters attack a statue of late Syrian president Hafez Assad in Daraa’s main square, witnesses said. The Daraa resident said the statue had been knocked down and a giant picture of Bashar Assad, the late leader’s son, had been torn apart.
Activists called online for a popular peaceful uprising yesterday in all Syrian provinces. It urged people to take part in funerals “and not return home.”
However, most cities appeared calm, and a human rights activist said authorities had released 70 political prisoners.
Abdul-Karim Rihawi, who heads the Syrian Human Rights League, said most of those released had been imprisoned at Saidnaya prison in a Damascus suburb where political detainees are usually kept.
He said no further details were immediately available and there was no official confirmation.
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