At least 63 people have been killed in the latest round of protests in Syria, according to a human rights group. The demonstrations were sparked by a disturbing trend of child killings at the hands of government forces, especially the case of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khatib, who was allegedly tortured and castrated by security forces before being shot in the head. Unconfirmed reports suggested that hundreds of thousands of people turned out in the streets Friday, even after the government shut off Internet and cellphone connections to discourage gatherings.
