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Syrian military starts to leave Deraa, 1000 arrested

05 May 2011 11:53 (UTC +04:00)

Government troops have been battling pro-reform protesters over the last month and a half. The human rights group Amnesty International says more than 500 people were killed during the clashes. The announcement of the pullout comes a day after Syrian security forces arrested two people outside of the University of Damascus as student demonstrators rallied for the release of political detainees. Army convoys and tanks rolled into the capital city, setting up what eyewitnesses described as a base in the central square. Amnesty International said it has received first-hand reports of torture and other ill treatment from detainees held in Syria, as a wave of arrests of anti-government protesters intensified over the weekend. Amnesty International said â€œwidespread, arbitrary arrestsâ€ had taken place in towns across the country in recent days. The rights group also said it had the names of 54 people killed last Friday, which brought to 542 the number of people killed during a month and a half of protests in Syria, and 1000 people were arrested. Amnesty International stated in a report that the high number of deaths can be attributed to tactics by Syrian security forces.