More than 22 shot dead in Hama by Syrian forces

The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria confirmed on Wednesday that more than 22 civilians were shot dead by Syrian security forces in the centre of the city of Hama, which is currently surrounded by the army according to the agency "France-Presse". On Friday Hama witnessed the biggest demonstration since the beginning of the protest movement against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The head of the Human Rights organization, Ammar Kurbi said in a statement that: "the number of people wounded exceeded 80". Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Syrian forces may have committed crimes against humanity during the violent protests in the town of Talkalakh in May, to quote a Reuters report. The organization urged the United Nations' human rights department to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court. It also stated that 9 people had died while in detention after being arrested during the operation, which was carried out by Syrian forces in the town near the Lebanese border. Amnesty International considers that the crimes committed in Talkalakh are crimes against humanity, as it appears that they form part of the widespread and organized attacks against the civilian population. Amnesty International has announced that during the brutal security operation dozens of men were arrested arbitrarily and subjected to torture. Those arrested included people who had already sustained injuries. The arrests were made in response to peaceful demonstrations, most of which were staged against President Bashar al-Assad. The organization added, in a report based on testimonies from witnesses gathered in Lebanon and from phone calls with people in Syria that the military operation in Talkalakh, which was completed in a few days in mid-May, forced thousands of people to flee from the town for protection in Lebanon. Philip Luther, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa in Amnesty International, said: "The stories that we have heard from witnesses about the events in Talkalakh paint a seriously disturbing picture of the violent assaults organized and directed in order to crush the opposition." Most of the crimes described in this report fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. However, the Security Council to the UN must first refer the situation in Syria to the representative of the court prosecution for investigation. Talkalakh was one of the few towns and cities across Syria to which Assad sent the army and security forces in order to crush the protests against his rule, which broke out 14 weeks ago. Syrian activists say that the security forces killed more than 1,3000 civilians during the protests, while Syrian authorities claim that 500 soldiers from the army and the security forces were killed during the events.