Syria’s Alevi citizens took to the streets on 28 December to protest against government violence and sectarian persecution, in line with a call made by the community’s religious leader a day earlier.

The protesters also expressed anger over the killing of eight  civilians and the injury of over a dozen others in a terror blast at a mosque a few days earlier. According to local media reports, government forces have attacked protesters in several areas, firing live ammunition to disperse crowds and making arrests at random.

“A widespread arrest campaign by the General Security forces is targeting citizens at random, and commercial shops in the Wadi al-Zahab neighborhood have been closed,” said a correspondent for Sham TV.

A correspondent for Kurdish outlet Hawar News Agency (ANHA) said “women were physically assaulted in the Zahraa neighborhood of Homs, to prevent them from participating.”

“Government forces attempted to forcibly disperse the gathering and imposed a siege on the area, preventing protesters from entering or leaving the square. Several surrounding roads were also blocked. They also assaulted protesters with beatings and gunfire in the coastal cities of Jableh and Baniyas,” the outlet said.There are also reports of casualties among demonstrators. According to the Syrian Justice Archive (SJA), at least three have been killed.

The Cradle Media full report