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Arab League observers are visiting three flashpoint cities in Syria on Wednesday as the government announced the release of hundreds of prisoners.
A day after touring the restive Homs region, mission leader Sudanese General Mohammed Dabi said observers plan to travel to Hama, Idlib and Daraa. The regions have been hotspots for protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad during a continuing crackdown.
Dabi says observers did not see "anything frightening" during their Tuesday visit to Homs. He said the city was "quiet" and there were no clashes.
The comments came despite activists' reports Tuesday that Syrian forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at thousands of demonstrators in Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says six people were killed there and 15 protest-related deaths were reported nationwide.
On Wednesday, activists said that some Homs residents refused to meet with observers because they were accompanied by a Syrian army officer.
Meanwhile, a human rights group accused Syria of transferring prisoners to military facilities in order to hide them from the observers. Syrian state media said Wednesday the government released 755 prisoners.
But Human Rights Watch says hundreds of inmates were transferred shortly before the arrival of the observers, who are monitoring government pledges to halt a violent crackdown and release political dissidents. |
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发表于 2016-7-10 17:37:46