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Syrian forces kill 32, opposition cancels meeting

16 July 2011 00:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Syrian security forces killed 32 civilians, including 23 in the capital Damascus, in a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations on Friday, the Local Coordination Committees grassroots activists’ group said, APA reports siting Reuters.

It was the highest death toll in central neighborhoods of Damascus since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s autocratic rule erupted four months ago in the southern Hauran Plain near Syria’s border with Jordan.

The killings prompted the opposition to cancel a "National Salvation" conference that was due in Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus on Saturday after security forces killed 14 protesters in front of the wedding hall where the conference was scheduled to take place, opposition leader Walid al-Bunni told Reuters.