Reports: Total blackout in Syria as protests erupt

Syrian protesters All Internet service to Syria has been cut as protesters again pour into the streets of several cities in anti-government demonstrations, Al Jazeera reports

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Al-Jazeera quotes a government-sponsored website as confirming the communications shutdown: "The Syrian government has cut off internet service (3G, DSL, Dial-up) all across Syria, including in government institutions."

Demonstrators are turning out in anger over the death of seven children who have been killed in anti-government protests this week.

One video posted on YouTube by one activist group purportedly shows hundreds of demonstrators turning out on the streets of Hama Thursday evening.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, which has reported the names of the children, say they range in age from 4 years to 12 years and died from a variety of causes, such as being him by a shell while riding a school bus in Hom's or being shot at home during demonstrations.

The activist group says 74 children have died in protests that have taken the lives of more than 1,100 Syrians since mid-March.

The committee has also posted a map showing the site of today's demonstrations.
One major rallying point has been the video of a 13-year-old, Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, who was allegedly tortured while in custody. A gruesome video of his mutilated body has been posted on YouTube.
 

From USA Today