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May 5, 2011

Syria Extends Crackdown to Damascus Suburb 
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The Syrian government is continuing its crackdown on pro-democracy
activists. Around 300 people were reportedly arrested overnight in a
raid on the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Syrian forces have also reportedly
been deployed in new operations to other areas where protests have taken
place. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, hundreds of
detainees arrested in earlier raids received three-year prison sentences
this week. Meanwhile, the Syrian government has acknowledged it is
detaining Dorothy Parvaz, a journalist with the Al Jazeera English news
network. Parvaz went missing Friday after arriving to cover Syria's
unrest. More than 500 Syrians are believed to have died since the
protests began seven weeks ago.



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