Syrian security forces open fire at funeral

22 May 2011

Funeral was for some of the 44 protesters shot by security forces on Friday

At least five people were killed and at least 12 people were wounded when Syrian security forces opened fire on a funeral crowd in the city of Homs on Saturday 21 May.

The funeral was for some of the 44 protesters killed on Friday 20 May as protests spread throughout Syria.

At least 850 people have now been killed in clashes with Syrian security forces since the protests began in mid-March.

On Wednesday 18 May, the US imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for human rights abuses. The move follows the US sanctions imposed on Al-Assad’s brother, Maher, their cousin and an intelligence chief in April.

This is the first time sanctions have been imposed on Al-Assad directly.

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