Syrian security forces killed at least 10 demonstrators as they were calling for Libyan President Bashar al-Assad to give in to international pressure to resign, Bloomberg is reporting. The deaths come as Mahmoud Merhi, the head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, said about 300 people were detained in Deir al-Zour.
Assad has given no indication that he will resign, as he has used tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and helicopters to stop the most serious threats to his family’s 40-year rule. The news of the continued protests comes after rebels were fighting Muammar Qaddafi’s loyalists to consolidate their control over the Libyan capital city of Tripoli after declaring his regime over.
As a result of the demonstrators’ deaths, the United Nations Human Rights Council ordered a probe into Syria’s crackdown on anti-government protesters. The council also condemned what it considers “continued grave and systematic human-rights violations by Syrian authorities.”
The European Union, the U.S. and some Arab countries have sponsored the resolution to “urgently dispatch an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate violations of international human rights law in Syria since July 2011.” However, such countries as China, Russia, Cuba and Ecuador voted against the resolution.
Written by: Karen Benardello
