Syrian authorities nab 1 000

Syrian protesters carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad as they shout pro-government slogans in front of the UN house in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.

Syrian protesters carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad as they shout pro-government slogans in front of the UN house in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.

Published May 3, 2011

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Beirut - A leading human rights activist says Syrian authorities have arrested more than 1 000 people in their latest security sweep.

Ammar Qurabi is the head of the National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria.

He says his group has documented around 1 000 names of people who were detained across Syrian provinces in door-to-door raids since Saturday. Qurabi said on Tuesday that many other people have been reported missing.

President Bashar Assad is determined to crush the six-week-old revolt against his authoritarian regime.

Over the past week, he has intensified a campaign of intimidation to quell the unrest. He also has sent soldiers and tanks to trouble spots. - Sapa-AP

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