DEADLY

Syria Protests Kill 32

Unrest reaches dangerous new heights.

At least 32 people were killed in Syria’s worst protests yet Friday, as demonstrations spread throughout the country in calls for President Bashar al-Assad to resign. The most violent clashes took place in the city of Daraa, where at least 17 people were killed. Protests started in Daraa but moved steadily closer to the capital Damascus as the night wore on; one witness reported that he saw at least 4,000 protesting in Harasta. Demonstrators called for Assad to resign, despite the reforms he has made in the past few weeks, which include a cabinet reshuffle and the firing of two governors. Protesters said the reforms do not go far enough, as they are still not allowed to form political parties, political prisoners have not been released, and the 48-year-old emergency law is still in place.