Syrians have been taking to the streets to demand freedom and an end to corruption in what may be the beginning of moves towards revolution in the country, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus Demonstrations have been taking place in towns and cities across Syria over the past week in response to Internet calls for greater freedom and an end to corruption in the country. During the protests, anti-government flyers have been handed out, with graffiti in many Syrian regions demanding an "end to the regime," a catchphrase also used in the earlier protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. In the Syrian capital Damascus, some 100 protesters gathered in one of the main markets and were then immediately surrounded by security forces with several people being arrested. The next day, the families of detainees picketed the ministry of the interior, the minister eventually emerging to listen to their demands. However, plainclothes policemen then prevented the demonstrators from continuing their protest, dispersing them by force and arresting more than 30 people, one third of them women. These protests were followed by another that started at the Al-Awami Mosque in which plainclothes police dispersed a crowd chanting slogans demanding freedom, beating them with sticks and arresting some 30 demonstrators. The protests have not been confined to the capital, with demonstrations also taking place in Homs, Banyas and Deir al-Zor, police using sticks, tear gas and water cannons in attempts to break up the protests, as well as arresting tens of demonstrators. Protests in the southern governorate of Daraa close to the Syrian-Jordanian border have been the most violent. Hundreds of men gathered at the town's largest mosque last Friday, before marching and shouting demands for political freedom, an end to corruption and the release of children arrested six weeks earlier for writing anti-regime graffiti. On Wednesday, security forces fired on protesters killing more than six and wounding scores. "Security forces fired live bullets and teargas on protesters," a human rights activist said, adding "They cut off electricity and started firing," killing at least four people. The dead and wounded were taken to the main town hospital, which was cordoned off by security forces, preventing anyone from entering. Helicopters hovered above the town, and barricades were placed on entrance roads. While the clashes between the protesters and the security forces later became subdued because of the heavy security presence, the families of the dead demonstrators indicated that they were intent on continuing the protests. According to the state-controlled Syrian News Agency, "infiltrators manipulated a gathering of citizens in Daraa close to a mosque and caused disruption, harming public and private property. The security forces then intervened to protect citizens and property, but they were attacked by hooligans." Video clips on Facebook and YouTube showed images of hundreds of people shouting slogans against businessman Ramy Makhlouf, a cousin of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad who is believed to control large sectors of the Syrian economy. Outside television channels have broadcast the videos, and external Websites and media outlets have broadcast the names of those who died as proof of the violence used by Syrian security forces. The US has strongly condemned the use of force by Syrian security forces against the protesters, with a spokesman for the US National Security Agency calling on Syria to allow people to demonstrate freely and to bring those responsible for the violence to justice. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the use of violence against the protesters was "unacceptable", adding that the Syrian government should listen to the aspirations of the people. In a January newspaper interview, president al-Assad said that the Syrian government was in step with the convictions of the people and that there was no hostility to the regime in Syria. Syria would not be hurried into implementing political reforms, he said, and it would do so in the way it thought best, rather than yielding to external pressure. Meanwhile, reports from Daraa have said that youths have threatened to set the town's security headquarters alight if the government does not release the detainees and if those responsible for the killings are not held accountable. The Syrian leadership has set up a committee at the ministry of interior to investigate the events in Daraa and to take steps against anyone found responsible for the violence. On Sunday, Al-Assad sent a delegation to Daraa that included a minister and deputy minister to pay its respects to the families of those who died in the violence. The official Syrian media has described those killed at Daraa as "martyrs", one official saying that "infiltrators" posing as police officers had been telling the security forces in Daraa that they had been authorised to use violence and live ammunition against gatherings. Before the government delegation left the town, it was announced that "the investigative committee in Daraa has decided to release the young men who were arrested and who had nothing to do with the events." It was also announced that "investigations are continuing into the true instigators behind the events." Syrian media reports have said that representatives of the town's inhabitants had conveyed 10 demands to the delegation that went beyond the release of the detained youths, including the resignation of the governor and senior security officers of the town, an increase in freedoms, the release of detainees, and political and economic reforms in Syria. With the promises made by the authorities failing to convince the people, demonstrations broke out again as soon as the delegation left Daraa, with security forces again using tear gas and live ammunition, killing one man. Protesters burned down the ruling Baath Party building, as well as the courthouse and the offices of a cell phone company owned by Makhlouf. Police stations were also burned. Official sources said that "subversive elements" had burned down public utilities and shot at police who had not responded in kind. Since the revolutions earlier this year in Egypt and Tunisia, human rights groups say that the Syrian authorities have been intensifying their campaign against the opposition, imprisoning many opposition figures. The security presence in public places has also been increased. The latest round of protests and demonstrations are the first major challenge to the Syrian authorities in years and are also the most threatening to the regime. The town of Daraa is located on the country's Horan Plateau, and it was once considered to be the breadbasket of the Middle East, though in recent decades it has been neglected in development plans and has suffered from a lack of water because of mismanagement and a series of droughts. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have moved to the town to escape more severe water shortages in northeast Syria. Syria suffers from high levels of unemployment and high rates of corruption, as well as economic difficulties that affect large sectors of society. An emergency law that has been in place for nearly 50 years also prohibits the creation of political parties or the setting up of independent media outlets. Political activists are threatened with prison sentences issued by kangaroo courts, and the ruling Baath Party monopolises power and government positions. Sources close to the Syrian authorities say that al-Assad will now ask for the resignation of the governor of Daraa and perhaps also of some security officials, in response to demands by the people. However, many observers believe these steps will not be enough, and the population as a whole has been making demands that the regime has chosen to ignore. These include demands for anti-corruption laws and a new law on political parties that would allow new parties to be created and for these to share in government. Demands have also been circulating for a relaxation of the country's censorship, an end to the emergency law, and an end to the system of military tribunals. Syrian Kurds should be given full citizenship rights, the powers of the security agencies should be curtailed, and there should be equality for all under the law. If they are not met, such demands may well result in growing tensions, and these tensions, fed by the kind of frustrations seen at Daraa, could in time spark revolution.
