NOVANEWS
“This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,” Obama said in a statement.
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In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and acquired by the AP, a Syrian boy carries a banner during an anti-government demonstration in Syria, April 22, 2011. |
| Photo by: AP |
“Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies,” the president said.
Earlier Friday the White House urged the Syrian government to stop its violence against demonstrators and called on Damascus to follow through on promised reforms.
The comments came as Syrian security forces shot to death at least 88 protesters in the bloodiest day in a month of escalating demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
White House spokesman Jay Carney, speaking to reporters said, “we deplore the use of violence.”
He called on the Syrian government to “cease and desist in the use of violence against protesters” and to follow through on promised reforms.
Thousands took to the streets after weekly Friday prayers following President Bashar al-Assad’s move this week to formally lift a 48-year-old state of emergency.
Videos posted online on Friday showed protesters tearing apart posters of al-Assad. Protesters were seen carrying long flags, banners that read “Point your gun to my body as you wish, I will not let go of my demands” and “Syrian media is lying.”
“To all the demonstrators today, please carry signs with slogans that are clear with the just demands advocated by the revolution,” activists urged protesters as they organised rallies using social networking websites.
They also called on protesters to remove images and statues along their way, referring to images of al-Assad and his late father spread across the country. Protesters were also asked to document their moves “with pictures and videos that have an appropriate degree of clarity.”
Christian churches across the country cancelled outdoor Good Friday services and street processions as the country braced for protests that organizers said would be the biggest yet.
The planned protests came one day after al-Assad approved lifting the state of emergency, which had been in effect since 1963. It had widely curbed freedoms and the right to assembly by banning unauthorized protests. It also gave the government sweeping powers to crackdown on dissidents.
