Thousands demonstrate in Syrian cities

Witnesses say security forces fired tear gas at protesters marching towards central Damascus from the suburb of Douma.

Syrian security forces have dispersed thousands of protesters marching towards central Damascus from the suburb of Douma, witnesses say. Haitham al-Maleh, an activist and lawyer, told Al Jazeera on Friday that protesters were close to Abasyeen Square when the intelligence services brought several buses carrying men with "pistols and sticks" who attacked protesters. He said those injured were taken away by medics. Other sources said security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowds. "I counted 15 mukhabarat [secret police] busloads. They went into the alleyways just north of the square chasing protesters and yelling 'you pimps, you infiltrators, you want freedom? we will give it to you'," a witness told Reuters news agency. Elsewhere in the capital, violence reportedly erupted when dozens of armed men in plain clothes surrounded about 250 protesters rallying in front of the Salam mosque in Barzeh district. Thousands were also demonstrating in the southern city of Daraa. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reported earlier in the day that security forces were not visible in the city, and that the protesters were being allowed to hold their demonstration. "It's a completely different scene from last Friday when more than 26 people were killed during protests and clashes with the security forces and protesters here. Today, no security forces are visible at all. People went out after Friday prayers ... in thousands. They were marching carrying olive branches saying 'peaceful, freedom'. Some were demanding the toppling of the regime, others were saying they just want reforms," she reported. "It comes one day after a delegation from Daraa met with President Assad in an attempt by the government to calm the situation. Now here in Daraa, these measures seem to have calmed the situation a little bit. People say the president promised them very specific reforms that will be announced very soon, maybe as early as next week." Protests were also held in Baniyas, Latakia, Baida and Homs, but no clashes were reported there. Rallies were also reported in the city of Deir ez-Zor, on the Euphrates river, and in Qamishli in the mainly Kurdish northeast. In the coastal city of Baniyas about 1,500 people chanted "freedom" after Friday prayers, despite the deployment of the army to contain protests, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Prisoner amnesty On Thursday, the Syrian government announced an amnesty for scores of prisoners detained since protests began. President Assad has also unveiled a new cabinet, in a move to placate those calling for political changes. Last Friday, Syrian security forces shot dead more than 26 people in Daraa after thousands of people staged pro-democracy rallies after midday prayers. The protesters were killed when security forces opened fire with rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse stone-throwing protesters. One of the key demands of the protesters has been the lifting of emergency law in the country, which has been in place since 1963. Al Jazeera's Amin reported that the delegation from Daraa which met with the president was satisfied with his promises that the law would lifted in the coming weeks. "According to the delegation that met with the president, he told them that [the emergency law] will be lifted.  They said it is going to be lifted by April 25, the deadline that the government had announced, and they are happy with that. "They feel this is one of the major issues and the source of many of the problems. They are tired and have had enough of the security forces having a free hand in arresting people, putting them in prison without trial for years," she reported. US-based rights group Human Rights Watch said Syrian security forces have been torturing political prisoners since March. The group is calling on the government to begin an independent investigation into the arrest and alleged abuse of hundreds of protesters.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies