Syrian security forces opened fire on mourners near a mosque in the flashpoint city of Deraa after a mass funeral for pro-democracy protesters, two witnesses said on Saturday. Security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse thousands of people who were chanting freedom slogans after assembling near the old Omari mosque in the old quarter of the southern city near the border with Jordan, they said.
Dozens of people have been killed in a wave of protests across Syria against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Accusing the government of committing a crime against humanity, a Syrian rights group said at least 37 were killed across the country on Friday.
"What is happening in Syria is a flagrant violation of (human rights)," the National Organisation for Human Rights said in a statement. "Syrian security committed (in Deraa) what could be called a crime against humanity. It fired indiscriminately on protesters and killed and wounded tens of them."
After Friday's bloodshed, Syria's interior ministry warned it would not tolerate breaches of the law and would deal with "armed groups", state news agency SANA said on Saturday. Activists were concerned this could herald a harsher crackdown. Inspired by Arab uprisings that began in Tunisia and Egypt, popular demonstrations calling for greater freedom have shaken Syria. Assad has responded with a blend of force against protesters, gestures towards political reform and concessions to conservative Muslims including closing Syria's only casino.
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