Demonstrators In Syria Stage Sit-In To Protest Killings By Security Forces

Antigovernment activists gather on the streets of Daraa on March 23.

Antigovernment activists gather on the streets of Daraa on March 23.

Residents of the southern Syrian city of Daraa were staging a sit-in protest today over the killing of medical workers and more than a dozen antigovernment demonstrators.

The sit-in protest was taking place in the Al-Mahata neighborhood near the city center.

Human rights activists in Daraa say the situation in Daraa remains tense today, just a day after government security forces shot dead about a dozen protesters and fired on medical staff near the Al-Omari Mosque.

Inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region, Daraa residents have been staging demonstrations since last week.

compiled from agency reports