Arab League monitors gathered accounts about the Syrian government’s crackdown on dissent in the central city of Homs on Wednesday as fresh violence flared dozens of miles away. Activists said troops opened fire on thousands of unarmed protesters, killing at least six.
Although President Bashar Assad’s regime has made concessions to the observers, including the release of 755 prisoners, the military was pressing ahead with a campaign to put down mostly peaceful protests.
In the two days since the Arab monitors arrived, activists said, troops have killed at least 39 people, including the six shot in Hama on Wednesday. The continued bloodshed — and comments by an Arab League official praising Syria’s cooperation — have fueled concerns by the Syrian opposition that the Arab mission is a farce and a distraction from the ongoing killings.
On Wednesday, the government released 755 prisoners after a report by Human Rights Watch accused authorities of hiding hundreds of detainees from the monitors.
