The brutal crackdown on protesters continued on Saturday with at least 14 more deaths when security forces fired live ammunition to disperse thousands of mourners attending the funerals of those who died on Friday.
The killings were reported from Daraa and the nearby Houran region.Two Syrian MPs from the protest hub city of Daraa and its top cleric on Saturday told Al Jazeera television they resigned in protest at the bloodshed.
"I announce my resignation from parliament," Khalil Al Rifai, a deputy from the southern city said. The satellite channel said he became the second MP from Daraa to quit after Nasser Al Hariri, who earlier announced his resignation, saying he was frustrated because he could not protect his constituents.
"The authorities must respond to all the demands of the people," the Mufti of Daraa, Shaikh Rizik Abdul Rahim Aba Zeid, said. He said while he was taking part in the funeral of 10 martyrs in the nearby village of Izraa, security forces fired at them without provocation.
Another human rights source stated that 112 people were killed in the Good Friday massacre including 28 from Homs Governorate, 23 from Damascus and the surrounding provinces. Syria's National Organisation for Human Rights said that the death toll from two days of violence in Syria reached 120.
Russia, Germany, Greece and Italy joined the chorus of criticism which includes US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, while France increased its pressure.
Another human rights source stated that 112 people were killed in the Good Friday massacre including 28 from Homs Governorate, 23 from Damascus and the surrounding provinces. Syria's National Organisation for Human Rights said that the death toll from two days of violence in Syria reached 120.
Russia, Germany, Greece and Italy joined the chorus of criticism which includes US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, while France increased its pressure.
Russia, the first of Syria's allies to speak out, urged Damascus to accelerate its political reforms, saying Moscow was "concerned by the heightening of tensions and signs of a confrontation that is leading to the suffering of innocent people."
The United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms the use of force by the Syrian government against demonstrators. This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,
A Foreign Ministry statement said Russia viewed Syria as its ‘friend' but added, "We are firmly convinced that only constructive dialogue and accelerated broad-scale political, social and economic reforms outlined by the Syrian leadership can achieve stable and democratic development."
The United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms the use of force by the Syrian government against demonstrators. This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,
A Foreign Ministry statement said Russia viewed Syria as its ‘friend' but added, "We are firmly convinced that only constructive dialogue and accelerated broad-scale political, social and economic reforms outlined by the Syrian leadership can achieve stable and democratic development."
