Syria Live Blog - April 28

By Al Jazeera Staff in on April 27th, 2011.
Protesters holding placards in Douma as seen in a handout photo on Wednesday [Reuters]
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Thousands continue to take to the streets across Syria, despite reform pledges by president Bashar al-Assad. We bring you the latest news from our correspondents and other sources.

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Syria Spotlight

All times given are local (GMT+3)

  • Timestamp: 
    1:47pm

    Early this morning, tanks rolled into Madaya, a mountain town 40km northwest of Damascus, and checkpoints have been set up at all entrances into the town, according to an eyewitness.

    Residents report tens of arrests and some injuries during dawn raids on homes. Madaya has seen only limited anti-government rallies since the nationwide protests began.

    "We are terrified here and don't understand why this is happening," said an eyewitness in Madaya. "There were no plans for protests today and neither had any protests been held in the city in the past two days."

    At 4am, the eyewitness said he saw tanks and armoured personnel carriers surrounding the town and closing off all exits. All mobile, landline and electricity was cut during from 4am until 9am, he said.

    Residents are now being asked to show ID at military checkpoints set up inside the town, according to the eyewitness.

  • Timestamp: 
    1:40pm

    Hundreds of Syrians have fled into northern Lebanon on foot after they said unrest broke out in the Syrian border town of Tall Kalakh, an AFP correspondent reports.

  • Timestamp: 
    1:10pm

    Britain has withdrawn the royal wedding invitation to Syria, with the support of Buckingham Palace, a foreign office spokesman says.

    The invitation of Syria's ambassador to the UK has been criticised by opposition parties and human rights groups and was withdrawn last-minute, on the eve of Friday's wedding between Prince William, the second-in-line to the British throne, and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton.

    In the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the Foreign Secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian Ambassador at the Royal Wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend," the spokesman said in a statement.

    "Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian Ambassador to attend the wedding."

  • Timestamp: 
    12:59pm

    Video has emerged of what's said to be soldiers wounded after refusing to shoot at protesters.

    Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, in Damascus, comments on the footage and the rumours of defected soldiers in this update.

  • Timestamp: 
    12:40am

    There are reports on Twitter that two people have been killed in the Damascus suburb of Madaya but we cannot confirm this at this stage.

    A bit earlier, activist Suhair Atassi posted an update saying scores had been arrested in the same area and five people wounded.

  • Timestamp: 
    12:15pm

    Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, in Damascus, says the Damascus suburb of Douma is still sealed off and it's difficult for residents to get out. She says security is very tight, with security forces in almost every corner. Shops are closed and there are shortages of some supplies as deliveries cannot get through.

  • Timestamp: 
    11:55am

    Russia has called on Syrian to bring to justice those who are responsible for deaths of people at protests, Itar-TASS reports.

    "We are counting on Damascus to hold an effective and transparent investigation into all the incidents leading to the deaths of people, and that the guilty parties will be brought to justice," the state-run news agency cited Foreign Ministry official Alexei Sazonov as saying.

    Yesterday, the UN Security Council failed to to agree on a statement condemning authorities' crackdown on protesters. Envoys said Russia, China and Lebanon opposed the wording of a draft distributed by European nations.

  • Timestamp: 
    11:36am

    Al Jazeera has spoken to a resident of the village Naheyat al-Shajrah, 30km south of the besieged city of Deraa, giving his name as Abu Younis. He says there is a food shortage in Deraa and that people from some local villages organised a march yesterday, but were turned back by security forces when they tried to reach Deraa. 

    "Every woman carried a loaf of bread and a jar of water. This is because when the security forces entered Deraa, they shelled the water tanks and there is no flour, bread, or electricity. 

    "We could not reach Deraa. We could only reach an area that is 600m away from Deraa. This is the last area one can reach before facing the security forces surrounding Deraa. The military gave us a warning that they will fire at us. 

    "They are not military. They belong to military intelligence and military security forces. They stand on the outskirts of the city and cut the road with huge roadblocks. We started chanting "with our soul and blood we sacrifice for you Deraa" and "whoever kills his people is a traitor". 

    "They gave us a warning and fired some tear gas. They gave us a warning on loud speakers that if we don’t leave in 15 minutes they will shell us with tanks.

    "God willing, we will lift the siege imposed on Deraa on Friday. Everyone, all the youth, are looking forward to that, not fearing death. We are ready to be martyrs."

  • Timestamp: 
    11:28am

    The Syrian rights group Sawasiah says the number of people killed since protests began is now 500.

  • Timestamp: 
    11:21am

    In the latest episode of Inside Story, guests discuss the role of the army in Syria's power structure.

     

  • Timestamp: 
    9:43am

    The United Nations Security Council failed yesterday to agree on a statement condemning Syria's crackdown on protestors. Watch our latest report:

  • Timestamp: 
    8:29am

    While Syria is not formally a single-party state, the constitution provides that "the Arab Socialist Baath Party leads society and the state". 

    The opposition is fragmented and operating ouside the law. But amid the ongoing protests, it seems the opposition is getting more organsied. Yesterday, an umbrella group called the National Initiative for Change issued a joint statement.

    The New York Times has spoken to some members of the group.

     Ausama Monajed, a London-based spokesman for the new coalition, said that the opposition needed a serious ally like the army on its side if it was to develop into a credible alternative to the Assad government. He said that its members had seen evidence that large segments of Syria's army today were sympathetic to the demands of the protesters.

    "There are credible reports that there has been fighting between divisions that are loyal to President Assad and those that are with the protests," he said in a phone interview. "We are asking the army to take the side of the revolution, and to protect civilians from the mass killing of these security forces that are completely loyal to Bashar al-Assad."

  • Timestamp: 
    8:03am

    if you're in Syria and have video footage or still images from today, please send it to yourmedia@aljazeera.net with details of where and when it was taken.

  • Timestamp: 
    7:50am

    This gallery on TotallyCoolPix.com gathers some of the best pictures from the protests held this month.

  • Timestamp: 
    06:24am

    File 24956
    The banner reads: "Not Salafism nor Brotherhood, my religion is Freedom" [Reuters]

  • Timestamp: 
    06:01am

    Syrian pro-democracy NGO Tharwa Foundation founder Ammar Abdulhamid told Al Jazeera he welcomed the resignation of abour 200 Baath party members on Wednesday.

  • Timestamp: 
    04:32am

    More than 200 members of Syria's ruling Baath party from Deraa province have quit in protest at the government crackdown on peaceful protesters. President Assad is facing dissent amid signs of discontent within the army. Residents and opposition members have said that some soldiers had refused to fire on civilians.

    An unnamed senior diplomat said:

    The largest funerals in Syria so far have been for soldiers who have refused to obey orders to shoot protesters and were summarily executed on the spot.

    Another diplomat said:

    No one is saying that Assad is about to lose control of the army, but once you start using the army to slaughter your own people, it is a sign of weakness.

  • Timestamp: 
    02:31am

    The UN Security Council failed to agree on a draft statement condemning Syria's deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters. The 15-member council was deeply divided over the wording in the draft.

    There was a breakdown in discussions, with the respective envoys using strong language to make their case or oppose the move.

    Russian envoy Alexander Pankin said "a real threat could arise from outside interference or taking of sides", adding that such a move could lead to civil war in Syria.

    Lebanese envoy Nawaf Salam said the "hearts and minds" of the Lebanese were with the Syrians.

    US envoy Susan Rice accused Syria of "casting blame on outsiders" instead of responding to legitimate calls for reforms from Syrians, adding that Iran was backing the Syrian government's crackdown using "the same brutal tactics" it did against its own people.

    UN political chief B. Lynn Pascoe made the case for the statement by saying reports by the "media, international human rights groups, UN agencies and diplomatic missions confirm that the overwhelming majority of protests have been peaceful and unarmed".

    Syrian envoy Bashar Ja'afari welcomed the council's inaction and questioned the "unprecedented enthusiasm" by some members pushing for the statement. He added:

    Some of the statements we heard today can only be considered an encouragement to extremism and terrorism.

    French envoy Gerard Araud dismissed Ja'afari's allegation, saying:

    Every dictatorship facing opposition usually says there is foreign involvement. So it's not new.

  • Timestamp: 
    12:28am

    UN Security Council members clashed over how to stop the Syrian government crackdown on protests. Russia warned western nations that "outside interference" could spark civil war.

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