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Syrian Forces Tighten Grip Ahead of Protests

   VOA News  April 21, 2011
   Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) handout photo shows people gathering for
   funeral of two people allegedly killed in recent clashes in Homs, 160
   kilometers (100 miles) to the north of Damascus on April 19, 2011.

Photo: AFP

   Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) handout photo shows people gathering for
   funeral of two people allegedly killed in recent clashes in Homs, 160
   kilometers (100 miles) to the north of Damascus on April 19, 2011.

   Syrian security forces have been deployed in the central city of Homs,
   ahead of nationwide anti-government protests planned for Friday.
   Witnesses Thursday said soldiers and plain-clothed security forces have
   taken positions around the city, which has been the scene of deadly
   clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police.
   Homs has been the epicenter of the protest movement and the target of a
   violent government crackdown. Activists say several protesters were
   killed Tuesday when security forces opened fire on a sit-in
   demonstration in Homs. Another 12 people were killed in clashes Sunday.
   Syrian state media reports President Bashar al-Assad named a new
   governor of Homs province Thursday, Ghassan Mustafa Abdul-Aal, two
   weeks after he fired the previous governor.
   The embattled president has promised a number of planned reforms to try
   to meet the demands of protesters, but has failed to stop the
   opposition movement.
   On Tuesday, the government passed a bill lifting nearly 50 years of
   emergency rule which banned demonstrations and restricted the media.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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References

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