Activist: 6 killed in Syria by security forces
A human rights activist says Syrian security forces have killed six people during widespread protests on Friday.
Thousands of protesters held rallies in major areas across the country, including the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs. The activist said five people were killed Friday in the central city of Homs and one in Hama. He asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals by the government. He is a senior member of a human rights group that compiles death toll figures in Syria. The protesters turned out despite a bloody crackdown on the seven-week-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. More than 565 civilians and 100 soldiers have been killed since thee uprising began in March, according to rights groups.