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For Immediate Release
March, 28 2011, 03:50pm EDT
Contact:
Tel: +1-212-216-1832,Email:,hrwpress@hrw.org
Syria: Security Forces Fire on Protesters
Death Toll at Least 61 in Daraa Region, 12 in Latakia
LONDON
Syria's security forces used live ammunition against protesters in Daraa and the surrounding villages of Sanmein and Tafas on March 25 and 26, 2011, killing at least 26 and bringing the death toll in the Daraa governorate reported by Syrian human rights activists since March 18 to at least 61, Human Rights Watch said today. Clashes between security forces and protesters in the coastal city of Latakia on March 26 killed another 12, according to Syria's state news agency.
Human Rights Watch called on the government to hold to account those responsible for any unlawful shooting on demonstrators and urged concerned governments to back their condemnations of Syria's violent crackdown with concrete measures, such as ending all transfer of military or security assistance, as long as the abuses continue.
"Syria's authorities promise reform on TV but meet demonstrators with bullets in the streets," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should understand that these demonstrations won't end until it stops shooting at protesters and begins to change its repressive laws and practices."
Confrontations between protesters and security forces also took place in Latakia on March 26, leading the Syrian army to deploy in the city at night. A Syrian official told SANA, the Syrian state news agency, that 12 people were killed, including security forces and protesters. Human Rights Watch spoke to two residents in Latakia, but both were too afraid to provide any details of the events. Anti-government demonstrators in Latakia who spoke to television outlets accused the security forces of opening fire on them, while officials and pro-government protesters accused the anti-government protesters of having guns and shooting at police.
In Daraa on the morning of March 25, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered for a funeral procession for protesters killed the previous day. The protest had been peaceful in the morning, but security forces fired live ammunition at protesters after they tried to destroy a statue of former president Hafez al-Assad in the square facing the governor's residence, two witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Video footage posted by anonymous sources on YouTube showed the protesters attempting to pull down the statue as well as a billboard photo of President Bashar al-Asad in a neighboring square. The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.
A Daraa resident told Human Rights Watch on March 26 that protests on March 25 had first been peaceful. When people in the crowd received information that security forces had shot and killed demonstrators in the nearby village of Sanamein, who were on their way to join the funeral procession in Daraa, they vented their anger by trying to destroy a statue of former president al-Asad, the father of the current president. The witness told Human Rights Watch: "The information about the killing of protesters who were coming to join us angered the crowd. And some people tried to destroy the statue of President Hafez al-Asad. At that point, security forces opened fire, and I ran away."
Another Daraa resident told Human Rights Watch that 14 people had died in the subsequent shootings in Daraa, but Human Rights Watch was able to obtain the names of only two dead protesters: Muhammad Ayshat and Tarek Abu Aysh.
A Sanamein resident told Human Rights Watch what happened in his village: "We were heading to Daraa to join the funeral when we reached security forces who were blocking our way. When we refused to stop, they started shooting at us." He said that the security forces killed 16 people in his village. A Syrian official told Agence France-Presse that 10 people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Sanamein but gave no further details. Human Rights Watch obtained the names of two of those killed, Muhammad Zu`bi and Yaser Sarrouh.
Also on March 26, anti-government protesters set fire to the headquarters of the ruling Baath Party and a police station in Tafas, another village near Daraa, during the funeral of a demonstrator who had been killed on March 25, a Syrian activist told Human Rights Watch. The activist told Human Rights Watch that security forces had killed two protesters in an effort to disperse the crowd. Syria's government did not issue any comment on the events in Tafas.
The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials allow law enforcement agents to use only that degree of force necessary and proportionate to protect people and property and to use intentional lethal force only when strictly unavoidable, to protect life. The Basic Principles require governments to ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force or firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense.
"Attacks on a statue do not justify shooting protesters dead," Whitson said. "It is time for President al-Asad to show leadership by reigning in his security forces, investigating those responsible for unlawful attacks on protesters, and holding them accountable in a court of law."
The government has arrested scores of people since large-scale demonstrations began on March 16. While it now has released some, others remain in detention and their whereabouts are unknown. Authorities immediately should disclose the names, whereabouts, and charges against anyone who may still be in custody in connection with recent events, Human Rights Watch said.
Officials from the United States, European Union, and UN have condemned violence against protesters and called on Syrian authorities to release those detained.
Concerned governments and the UN should back their statements with concrete action to stop the bloodshed, including an embargo on all arms and security equipment to Syria, targeted sanctions and travel bans against Syrian officials responsible for ongoing grave human rights abuses, and support for a comprehensive, independent, and speedy investigation into any crimes committed, Human Rights Watch said.
"It's important to denounce the violence but we need concrete measures that will convince the Syrian leadership to end the bloodshed," Whitson said.
Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.
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Scholars, Lawmakers Outraged Over DeSantis' Rejection of AP African-American Curriculum
"Florida is doing its best to shut down discussions about race, slavery, anything having to do with a challenge to the idea that racism is still a real factor in American life today," said one author and former professor.
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Academics and Democratic lawmakers reacted angrily Thursday after the administration of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected a new high school Advanced Placement African-American studies course—without even seeing its syllabus—claiming it violates the state's ban on "woke" education and "lacks educational value."
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The law was partially blocked last year by a federal judge who rejected the state's "authority to muzzle its professors in the name of 'freedom.'"
Marvin Dunn, a prolific author and former Florida International University professor who has dedicated his career to preserving and sharing Florida's Black history, told the Daily Beast that the state's rejection of the AP African-American studies course "means an insult to me, it means an injury to me."
"Florida is doing its best to shut down discussions about race, slavery, anything having to do with a challenge to the idea that racism is still a real factor in American life today," he added.
\u201cThis political extremism and its attack of Black History and Black people, is going to create an entire generation of Black children who won\u2019t be able to see themselves reflected at all within their own education or in their own State.\n\nhttps://t.co/0IDCzOJZlG via @thedailybeast\u201d— Shevrin \u201cShev\u201d Jones (@Shevrin \u201cShev\u201d Jones) 1674085974
New York University historian Diane Ravitch wrote:
Just in case there was any doubt about what Gov. DeSantis and Florida Legislature banned when they outlawed any discussion of "critical race theory," that doubt has been resolved. They do not want schools and teachers to acknowledge race, racism, or the very existence of people of color in the United States. Sight unseen, the [Florida Department of Education] has banned an AP course on African-American studies. The department claimed that the content of the course is historically inaccurate and violates state law, even though the department has never seen the course syllabus.
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\u201cWhat\u2019s worse, is that for voters who buy white supremacy lock, stock & barrel, their fealty to DeSantis just increased.\n\nThey believe him, his \u201cStop WOKE Act,\u201d and banning things like AP Black History are *protecting* them, their power, and their property.\n\nIt makes him stronger.\u201d— brittany packnett cunningham. (@brittany packnett cunningham.) 1674138829
In its brief letter explaining why it rejected the AP African-American studies course, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) said that "as presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."
The letter was issued on January 12, just days before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and days after the 100th anniversary of the Rosewood Massacre, in which white supremacists destroyed the eponymous Black town in Levy County, Florida in a murderous rampage.
Florida DOE spokesperson Cassie Pelelis told the Daily Beast that "if the course comes into compliance and incorporates historically accurate content, the department will reopen the discussion."
In response to Florida's move, the College Board told the Daily Beast that "we look forward to publicly releasing the updated course framework as soon as it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools."
In a separate statement, the College Board said that "like all new AP courses, AP African-American Studies is undergoing a rigorous, multiyear pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars, and policymakers. The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result."
\u201cClearly every history except Black, is seen as worthy of further development, exploration and understanding in Florida under DeSantis' leadership. Black history is American history. Striking it from curriculum does students a grave disservice, and makes America weaker for it.\u201d— Ameshia Cross (@Ameshia Cross) 1674144497
Reacting to the course's rejection, political analyst Ameshia Cross tweeted: "Black history is American history. Striking it from [the] curriculum does students a grave disservice, and makes America weaker for it."
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