Syrian Revolution                                                                الثورة السورية

Day 191: Wednesday, 21 Sep 2011           اليوم ١۹١: الاربعاء، ٢١ أيلول/سبتمبر ٢٠١١

Iraqi Government Calls On Assad to Step Down and EU Imposes More Sanctions

Banner at a demo in the Damascus suburb of Douma: "My chair is stained with the blood of my brothers, on my school book I find a picture of their murderer; would I study in this schools after that?"
 

Today’s Top Developments

 • The Arab Parliament suspended Syria’s membership amidst mounting international pressure on Assad.
• The EU issued its 8th round of sanctions banning investments in the Syrian oil sector and any transactions with the central bank of Syria.
• US president urged the UN to sanction Syria.

Top Videos

 •Parents of a pro-revolution Syrian-American musician attacked in retaliation for performing "Watani Ana" at a "freedom for Syria" rally in Washington, D.C.
•Opening fire at student protesters in the city of Homs.
•Torture, harassment and humiliation of Syrian detainees by Assad loyal forces.
Today’s Summary of Events

International pressure mounted on Assad with the escalation of his military and security repression of demonstrations. Assad’s crimes now comprise mass rape, torture, and systematic body organs theft. The Arab Parliament agreed to suspend Syria’s membership and relocate its headquarters from Damascus to a different Arab capital until Assad stops his violence against the people. The Syrian Chairman of the Committee Abdul Aziz Hasan resigned from his post for the deliberations on this matter not to be biased.

The European Union issued its eighth round of sanctions on the Assad regime, banning investments in the Syrian oil sector and any transactions with the central bank of Syria. At the same time, US President Obama called on the UNSC to sanction the regime. Furthermore, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan announced that Turkey has suspended all talks with the Assad regime and is considering sanctions. Erdogan added that Turkey will officially declare its stance on Syria soon.

Violence continued throughout Syria today, as six civilians were killed, including one woman. A heavy military operation took place today in the suburbs of Damascus as the regime used tanks and artillery to invade Kesweh aided with air cover, while Harasta was undergoing an extensive house-to-house search and arrest campaign along with heavy machinegun fire.

Idlib was not so different, as the city was under constant shelling and gunfire by tanks and artillery aided by air cover. Jabal al-Zawiya, Bansh and Maarat al-Noman were the main targets for the military operations and random arrests today. In Deraa, security forces invaded Kherbet Ghazal and Jasem arresting and wounding many civilians. The target of those campaigns has been to arrest students who demonstrated yesterday.

In Homs, which had been the heart of Assad’s military operations for so long, the neighborhoods of Bab Amr, Jorat Arayes, Sultaniya, and Jobar are still under siege for the fourth day. Electricity, water and all means of communications were cut off, while houses are raided one by one, searched, robbed, and sometimes individuals are kidnapped or raped. There aren’t many new detainees because there is no more room to house them as most warehouses, sport arenas and schools in Homs have been completely filled with detainees. Security forces still open fire randomly at any passersby in the areas of Waar, Nazhin, and Karm al-Zaytoun. Those injured are arrested immediately and sent to the Military Hospital, where according to many reports, organs are cut out to be sold, then the injured are executed.

Many army units defected in Bab Sbaa and the cities of Rastan and Qasir. Many of the defected soldiers joined the Free Syrian Army (FSA) which is now over 10,000 units strong and is spread over the mountainous and border areas of Homs, Idlib, Deir Azzour, and Damascus suburbs. The FSA is preparing for a massive offensive against the regime, but it is waiting for the Syrian demonstrations to call for armed resistance first.

Demonstrations still broke out all over Homs as well as all over Syria, in the areas of Hamra, Ghouta, Inshaat, Qosur, Qarabis, Deir Baalba, Bayada, Khaldiya, Shammas, and Bab Hood; and the cities of Talbisa, Houle, Qasir, Rastan and Palmyra. Security forces started a new media coverage tactic in cooperation with Addounia and Syrian TV stations to claim the presence of armed groups. Security officers would plant weapons and ammo in the trunks of vehicles they search at checkpoints then have Addounia and Syrian TV crews waiting at the next checkpoint to search them. It is noted that Imad Sara the general manager of Addounia TV has been drafting many media strategies for the regime, in collaboration with the Lebanese journalist Rafeeq Nasrallah and with Khadr Eqarki.