Activists claim 14 protesters killed at rallies in Syria

AT LEAST 14 protesters were said by activists to have been killed yesterday in rallies calling on the Arab League to suspend Syria for violating provisions of the Arab peace deal. Syria’s official news agency Sana reported “five terrorists” and two security men slain in Homs, the epicentre of unrest.

League foreign ministers are to convene in emergency session today to decide how to respond to the continuation of the government’s crackdown, despite Damascus’s pledge on November 2nd to halt violence and withdraw troops from urban areas.

In anticipation of the gathering, the government said it would co-operate with league observers dispatched to monitor implementation of the plan.

Pressure on the league to take action was also exerted by Human Rights Watch, which accused Syria of “crimes against humanity” in a 63-page report on the situation in Homs, the country’s third city. The report said security forces had killed 587 civilians in Homs province from mid-April to the end of August, making this the highest toll in the country. Human Rights Watch also reported torture of detainees was widespread.

Acknowledging some protesters and army defectors had taken up arms, giving credence to official accusations that loyalist troops had come under attack, the report said this did not “justify the disproportionate and systematic use of force” against largely unarmed demonstrators.

Ahead of the meeting, league officials met members of rival opposition groups with competing agendas.

The Syrian National Council, which demands the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, is urging Syria’s suspension from the league and the imposition of sanctions.

The National Co-ordination Committee and Building the Syrian State want the league to give time for implementation of its plan and to launch a dialogue between regime and opposition to draft a road map for the transition to democracy.

In Yemen, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in the capital Sanaa for and against president Ali Abdullah Saleh, as his security forces shelled the central city of Taiz, killing 11 civilians, including three women and two children.

The attack, on the 40th Friday of unrest, began as worshippers assembled for morning prayers in Freedom Square.

The fighting in Taiz coincided with a visit to Sanaa by UN envoy Jamal Benomar aimed at promoting “an inclusive transition process that meets the needs and aspirations of all Yemenis”, a UN spokesmen stated.

In Bahrain, al-Wefaq, the largest opposition group, said riot troops had fired rubber bullets and tear gas at anti-government protesters gathered at the house of the group’s leader, Ali Salman, during overnight security sweeps in Shia villages near the capital Manama.