POLICE STATE

At Least 2,000 Arrested in Syria

Leading activist detained Monday.

Syrian forces have arrested an estimated 2,434 people in the crackdowns on protesters in towns from the besieged coastal city of Daraa to the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, and security forces say there are another 5,000 missing. “They’ve arrested people left and right, random arrests… Anyone between the ages of 18 and 45 they could put their hands on was arrested,” said Daraa resident Ayham al-Zoghbi. On Monday, Syrian police arrested leading activist Dina Jawabra in her hometown of Daraa—with witnesses saying she resisted arrest and eventually was forced into a car at gunpoint. Since Syrian tanks stormed Daraa in late April, electricity and phone lines have been cut and residents have been afraid to leave due to fear of sniper attacks.