الرئيسية
Two members of Syria's parliament have left the country, saying they
are joining the opposition movement against President Bashar al-Assad,
as the crackdown on anti-government protests continues.
Nawaf al-Bashir, a tribal leader and MP from Deir Ezzor, told
Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV on Monday that he had "come to Turkey to
activate the opposition". He said he was a member of the Syrian National
Council (SNC), the most prominent opposition bloc.
Bashir's announcement came a day after MP Imad Ghalioun, who
represented the central city of Homs, also told Al-Arabiya that he had
fled to Cairo.
He called Homs "disaster stricken" and said the city has been
subjected to sweeping human-rights violations. Homs has been one of the
most volatile regions in Syria since the uprising against Assad began in
March.
Ghalioun said he was able to leave Syria before a travel ban was
imposed on officials and that there are many legislators who support the
uprising but have not said so publicly.
Bashir, speaking on Monday, said he had previously been coerced into
appearing on Syrian state television to praise Assad's reforms and that
he had been interrogated by security forces 75 times. He said he would
be based in Istanbul but would undertake a tour of the Middle East to
discuss the Syrian revolution.
The UN has said that more than 5,000 people have been killed since
March, not including an estimated 400 people the organisation thinks
have been killed in the past three weeks, despite the presence of
observers dispatched by the Arab League.
Mounting toll
Activists said Syrian security forces fired on a town that observers
were visiting on Monday. The team was in Ariha, in Idlib province, as
part of the Arab League mission to monitor an end to the violence, the
activists said.
are joining the opposition movement against President Bashar al-Assad,
as the crackdown on anti-government protests continues.
Nawaf al-Bashir, a tribal leader and MP from Deir Ezzor, told
Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV on Monday that he had "come to Turkey to
activate the opposition". He said he was a member of the Syrian National
Council (SNC), the most prominent opposition bloc.
Bashir's announcement came a day after MP Imad Ghalioun, who
represented the central city of Homs, also told Al-Arabiya that he had
fled to Cairo.
He called Homs "disaster stricken" and said the city has been
subjected to sweeping human-rights violations. Homs has been one of the
most volatile regions in Syria since the uprising against Assad began in
March.
Ghalioun said he was able to leave Syria before a travel ban was
imposed on officials and that there are many legislators who support the
uprising but have not said so publicly.
Bashir, speaking on Monday, said he had previously been coerced into
appearing on Syrian state television to praise Assad's reforms and that
he had been interrogated by security forces 75 times. He said he would
be based in Istanbul but would undertake a tour of the Middle East to
discuss the Syrian revolution.
The UN has said that more than 5,000 people have been killed since
March, not including an estimated 400 people the organisation thinks
have been killed in the past three weeks, despite the presence of
observers dispatched by the Arab League.
Mounting toll
Activists said Syrian security forces fired on a town that observers
were visiting on Monday. The team was in Ariha, in Idlib province, as
part of the Arab League mission to monitor an end to the violence, the
activists said.