AMMAN - The chief of security police in the Syrian city of Banias has been dismissed, a rights group said on Wednesday, after five civilians were killed in a crackdown against pro-democracy protests there last week. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing sources in Damascus, named the officer as Amjad Abbas. Security forces had sealed off the city last weeked after demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad and an attack by irregular forces loyal to Assad on people guarding a Sunni mosque. Demonstrators have taken to the streets for more than a month demanding greater freedoms, undaunted by a security crackdown. Rights groups, which say more than 200 have been killed since the unrest started a month ago, have called for independent investigations into the actions of security forces. The latest move seemed another attempt to mollify protesters, who rejected appeals by authorities to stop demonstrating and ignored a concession by the government which approved legislation on Tuesday to end the state of emergency in force for the last 48 years. The Observatory said Banias residents had identified Abbas, the fired officer, as one of the security officers seen beating a villager in the nearby town of Baida, according to a video. Along with the bill on emergency law, the newly appointed cabinet also approved legislation that requires Syrians to seek permission from the state before they demonstrate.
