Syria releases 100 detainees after wives' protest

Apr 13, 2011, 18:01 GMT

Damascus/Beirut - Syria on Wednesday released around 100 men detained in al Baida after wives and children staged a sit-in on a main highway in the north-east of the country.

Syrian Security forces had arrested more than 200 men in al Baida and Banias on Tuesday, allegedly for taking part in a demonstration last week in which protesters shouted 'the people want the overthrow of the regime,' pro-democracy activists said.

More than 5,000 women and children had gathered since the early hours on the main road linking the towns of Tartus and Banias to demand their release, said the head of the Syrian observatory for Human Rights, Abdel Rahman from London.

A syrian activists later told the German Press Agency dpa that 'in an apparent attempt to calm the women's demonstration, authorities released about 100 of the detainees and brought them to the area where the protesters had gathered.'

'The minute the crowd heard the news of the release they started cheering, but they (also) vowed to continue their protest until all of the men were released,' the activist said.

Also on Wednesday, demonstrations were held at Damascus University in the capital and Aleppo University. But security forces dispersed the crowd amid allegations of beatings and arrests.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city, had been relatively calm since anti-government demonstrations started in Daraa on March 15.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has described the protests as part of a foreign conspiracy to sow sectarian strife in Syria.

On Wednesday, Syrian television aired alleged confessions from the detainees, in which they said they had received money and arms from Lebanon to ignite protests and destabilize the country.

Anas al-Kanj, 29, said on TV he was the head of an 'armed terrorist group' and said he received arms and money from Lebanese parliamentarian Jamal Jarrah, who belongs to the Future Current Movement led by former Lebanese premier Saad Hariri.

Kanj said he was instructed to recruit people to protest outside the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus as well as in the cities of Daraa, Latakia and Banias.

Syrian television also showed footage of weapons which it said had been seized.

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