In a time in which many areas of Syria have witnessed popular protests on the streets demanding freedom and dignity and the toppling of the regime, the protesters set out to protest, as has become usual, on the Friday of the Prisoners of Freedom in the Kurdish neighborhood (Rukneddin), starting from the Saeed Basha Mosque. They held signs demanding freedom and dignity, and the people repeated chants “With our souls, with our blood, we serve you, Hama, Deiz Ezzor and all cities and Syrian districts”. Security forces reacted by shooting tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstration, then they started throwing stones to break up the protest.
Some residents tried to prevent the security forces and the Shabiha from entering the neighborhood and to intervene peacefully to stop the violence of the security forces, but the security forces started shooting live ammo into the air to scare the protesters and to disperse them, but with no success. So they shot directly at the protesters, which let to at least 6 protesters being wounded, one of them a woman that was shot in her shoulder. Then, 50 buses with security forces and Shabiha arrived to suppress the demonstration.They put a security ring around the neighborhood and cut off the streets that lead to the area. After that, the sporadic gunfire gained in intensity, which left the entire neighborhood in a state of shock. There are almost certain reports of two martyrs, as well.
We, in the General Coordination of the Movement of the Kurdish Youth in Syria, warn the Syrian authorities from using violence and live ammo in crackdowns of protests that demand freedom and dignity. We hold the Syrian authorities fully responsible of any incidents and developments in the Kurdish neighborhood (Rukneddin) and all other areas of Syria.
Mercy on the martyrs and the Syrian Movement.
The General Coordination of the Movement of the Kurdish Youth in Syria
https://www.facebook.com/m.kurdsyria
shbabalkurd@gmail.com
Damascus, 2011-07-15