Syrian activists vow daily Ramadan protests

Syrian activists have called for daily protests during the Muslim holy month, expected to begin on Monday, as Syrians braced Friday for more anti-government demonstrations, dpa reported.

In a statement posted on Facebook, activists from the restive central city of Homs said that pro-democracy protests would be held every night in Ramadan and continue until dawn.

Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar during which Muslims have to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset.

Syrians have recently intensified their protests against the 11-year-old rule of President Bashar al-Assad despite a draconian clampdown by the security and army troops.

Syrian security forces fired at pro-democracy protesters late Thursday in the Deir az-zour region, killing at least two people, activists told the German Press Agency dpa.

A video posted on YouTube and purportedly filmed Thursday in Deir az-Zour showed dozens of people protesting the regime in front of al-Fourat University. The video could not be independently verified.

Omar Idlibi, a Syrian activist based in Lebanon, told dpa that at least two protesters were killed and 10 wounded.

The government crackdown came after Syrian activists called for mass protests on Friday to denounce what they say is Arab silence over the harsh government actions against pro-democracy rallies.

The online activists have dubbed the planned Friday protests "Your Silence Kills Us," which will be the latest in a series of demonstrations against the regime of al-Assad.

More than 1,400 people have been killed since anti-government protests began in mid-March in Syria, local human rights advocates say.

These reports are hard to verify, as Syrian authorities have barred most foreign media and international human rights groups from the country.