Syrian security forces have deployed heavily in a tense Damascus neighborhood, preventing a repeat of one of the largest anti-government rallies seen in the capital, as violence continued in protest hubs elsewhere in the country.
Activists said Sunday that police forced the family of a young protester killed the day before during a mass protest to bury him earlier than planned in an apparent bid to head off more demonstrations.
They said security forces and pro-government militiamen known as 'shabbiha' surrounded Samer al-Khatib's funeral as he was buried quietly Sunday, unlike Saturday funerals when thousands of protesters took part in a procession for several people killed the previous day by government forces.
Rights groups said security forces continued to shell rebel-held areas in the besieged city of Homs, which has been under government attack since February 4. The activist Local Coordination Committees said the latest attacks killed six people in Homs and nine in Idlib province, which borders Turkey.
Also Sunday, Syrian state media said gunmen fired on a car carrying state prosecutor Nidal Ghazal and Judge Mohammed Ziadeh, killing both of them and their driver in Idlib. Their deaths follow the Saturday assassination of an Aleppo city council member. Syria's state news agency blamed “terrorist groups” for the killings.
Meanwhile, Egypt recalled its ambassador, the latest in a series of Arab diplomatic moves aimed at pressing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end his bloody crackdown on dissent.
Saturday's unrest in Damascus and Syria's second city of Aleppo took place as visiting Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun called on all sides to end the violence and expressed support for an upcoming Syrian referendum on a new constitution.
After meeting President Bashar al-Assad, Zhai said he hoped the February 26 referendum would go smoothly and that political reforms announced by Syria's government would help pave the way to a peaceful resolution of the 11-month-old uprising.
But opposition leaders have refused to talk to the government, insisting Mr. Assad step down. An Arab League plan calls for the Syrian leader to cede power to his vice president, form a unity government and hold a presidential election. Syria has rejected the proposal.
China and Russia have both refused to condemn Syria over its crackdown on dissent, which has killed more than 6,000 people since last March.
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution, approved by 137 of the assembly's 193 member states, calling on Mr. Assad's government to “immediately put an end to attacks against civilians.”
