Tens of thousands come out in new wave of Syria protest

Fresh violence has erupted in Syria with soldiers reportedly firing on a mosque in Homs, hitting one worshiper and causing panic. There was also live firing and tear gas on the streets of the capital Damascus. Protesters turned out in more than 10 cities chanting “God is with us, even if no-one else is”.

UN human rights experts have called on the government of President Bashar al-Assad to halt its violent crackdown, including the “indiscriminate use of heavy artillery”.

“We continue to receive reports on systematic use of excessive force resulting in killings and injuries; allegations of torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention of protesters; targeting of human rights defenders; and unjustified limitations on freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression,” the UN said.

Heavy force has been used in Hama where some 250 people have been killed after six days of rage.

One resident who has fled Hama told Channel 4 News of indiscriminate shelling in the city.

He said: “There is heavy shelling and bombing in the street, The sound of bullets didn’t stop. It was like 1982.

“The shelling and bombing was all around. It was arbitrary, it lasted six hours and nobody could go out.”

Channel 4 News has obtained pictures from a Swiss journalist smuggled into Hama at the start of the siege. They show a city with no water, no power, no phone lines, and no internet. State television showing pictures of empty streets in several cities.

The protests have been country-wide in recent days; from the capital to Homs, al- Rastan, through Hama to Latakia on the Mediterranean, Idlib in the north, Aleppo, Hasakah, Qamishli and in the east, Deir Azzor, Mayadin, al Bukamal.

While the unrest continues, Syrians are fasting for Ramadan and coping with temperatures of 40 degrees.