U.N.: ‘Brutal Repression’ in Syria

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned the “brutal repression” in Syria in the year-long crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The U.N. humanitarian chief said on Thursday that technical experts will be joining a Syrian “government-led” mission to hot-bed cities including Homs, Damascus, Daraa, and Hama. Marking the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the uprising, Ban expressed “solidarity” with the Syrian people and he “appealed to the international community to offer its determined and unified support to stop the bloodshed.” Meanwhile, Assad’s supporters held rallies across the country, including one in Damascus, where Assad call the uprising a “conspiracy.”