Protest spreads in Syria despite firing of governor of restive southern province

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Protest spreads in Syria despite firing of governor of restive southern province

By Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – Tue, 22 Mar, 2011

2:25 PM EDT

DAMASCUS, Syria - Protests spread in southern Syria Tuesday as hundreds of

people marched to demand reforms in a previously peaceful village, witnesses and

activists said.

In a nearby city, troops and protesters faced off outside a mosque where

demonstrators have taken shelter.

The government sought to contain the first serious intrusion of the Arab world's

political unrest by firing the governor of the southern province of Daraa, where

security forces killed seven protesters in the main city of Daraa over the

weekend.

The governor's dismissal failed to quell popular anger and the protests reached

the village of Nawa, where hundreds of people marched demanding reforms, an

activist told The Associated Press.

The activist said troops were trying to reach the mosque in Daraa's historic

centre where protesters have sought protection. He said protesters placed large

rocks in the streets near the al-i mosque to block the troops.

There was a heavy security presence and most of the shops were closed elsewhere

in the old quarter of Daraa, witnesses said.

A clip posted on YouTube showed several hundred villagers in Sanamein, near

Daraa, chanting " Freedom! " while another showed dozens gathered in the Hajar

Aswad neighbourhood of the capital.

Syrian activists who reported the protests said they took place Monday evening.

The activists spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared government

reprisals. The authenticity of the videos could not be independently verified.

Protests also spread Monday to the towns of Jasim and Inkhil near Daraa,

witnesses said.

Many demonstrators demanded the departure of provincial governor Faisal Kalthoum

after security forces used tear gas, water cannons and later live ammunition to

disperse the crowds, which first gathered on Friday.

Enraged residents then set fire to several government buildings in a startling

outburst of unrest in one of the Middle East's most repressive countries.

Kalthoum was fired on Tuesday, a Syrian official said, speaking on condition of

anonymity in line with regulations barring him from being identified by name.

Daraa residents accused Kalthoum — in office since 2006 — of corruption and

during a demonstration Monday many chanted, " The people want to bring down the

governor! "

The Damascus-based National Organization for Human Rights in Syria said

authorities were continuing " arbitrary and random arrests " in areas that

witnessed protests, adding that families of detainees said none have been freed.

Like most Syrian cities, Daraa is home to ultra-orthodox Sunni Muslims.

In 2006, security agents arrested 16 Syrians during a three-day sweep in Daraa

province, accusing them of membership to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

In Geneva, the U.N.'s human rights office urged Syria to investigate the death

of protesters in Daraa. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the Geneva-based

office, said the government " should carry out an independent, transparent and

effective investigation into the killings. "

Colville said Tuesday that protesters had the right to express their grievances

and be heard by the government.

___

Associated Press writer Diaa Hadid in Cairo contributed to this report.