HRW Accuses Syrian Authorities Of Hiding Detainees : NPR

HRW Accuses Syrian Authorities Of Hiding Detainees : NPR


clip from article: Human Rights Watch is accusing Syrian authorities of hiding hundreds of detainees from Arab League monitors now in the country.

The New York-based international watchdog says the detainees have been transferred to off-limits military sites and urged the observers to insist on full access to all sites used for detention.

A group of Arab observers kicked off their one month mission in Syria with a visit to the flashpoint central city of Homs on Tuesday. Syrian officials have said the team will have unrestricted access to trouble spots but will not be allowed to visit sensitive military sites.

The Human Rights Watch report issued late Tuesday echoes charges made by Syrian opposition members that thousands of detainees were being transferred to military sites ahead of the observers' visit.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) — Tens of thousands of defiant Syrian protesters thronged the streets of Homs Tuesday, calling for the execution of President Bashar Assad shortly after his army pulled its tanks back and allowed Arab League monitors in for the first time to the city at the heart of the anti-government uprising.

The pullback was the first sign the regime was complying with the League's plan to end the 9-month-old crackdown on mostly unarmed and peaceful protesters.

Yet amateur video released by activists showed forces firing on protesters even while the monitors were inside the city. One of the observers walked with an elderly man who pointed with his cane to a fresh pool of blood on the street that he said had been shed by his son, killed a day earlier.

The man, wearing a red-and-white checkered headdress, then called for the monitor to walk ahead to "see the blood of my second son" also killed in the onslaught.

"Where is justice? Where are the Arabs?" the old man shouted in pain. [ read more at link]