Demonstrators In Syria Stage Sit-In To Protest Killings By Security Forces

Antigovernment activists gather on the streets of Daraa on March 23.

Residents of the southern Syrian city of Daraa were staging a sit-in protest today over the killing of medical workers and more than a dozen antigovernment demonstrators.

The sit-in protest was taking place in the Al-Mahata neighborhood near the city center.

Human rights activists in Daraa say the situation in Daraa remains tense today, just a day after government security forces shot dead about a dozen protesters and fired on medical staff near the Al-Omari Mosque.

Inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region, Daraa residents have been staging demonstrations since last week.

compiled from agency reports