Syria to Probe 'Torture, Murder' of 13-Years-Old Boy as 3 Dead in Crackdown
Three civilians were shot dead on Tuesday by Syrian security forces at Rastan in the center of the country and in the southern region of Daraa, a rights activist said on condition of anonymity.
"Ibrahim Salhum was killed today at Rastan" near the city of Homs, as the military attempted to quell anti-regime protest there for the third straight day, the activist said.
He added that at Hirak, a town in the flashpoint southern province of Daraa, two people were shot dead overnight and at dawn as "security forces entered Hirak and carried out search operations."
Meanwhile, state television reported that an investigation will be launched into the death of a 13-year-old Syrian boy who was allegedly tortured and killed by security forces in Daraa.
"The interior ministry has decided to establish a commission of inquiry to determine the circumstances of the (death of) boy martyr Hamza al-Khatib," the channel reported.
Pro-democracy activists charged on Saturday that the boy, for whom they set up a Facebook page, had been tortured and murdered in Daraa.
They called for fresh protests to be held in the boy's memory.
The activists' Facebook site, Syrian Revolution 2011, a driving force behind the anti-government protests, said Hamza's body was returned to his family on Wednesday following his disappearance after a demonstration on April 29.
"There were a few bullets in his body used as a way of torture rather than to kill him with. Clear signs of severe physical abuse appeared on the body such as marks done with hands, sticks, and shoes. Hamza’s penis was also cut off," the Facebook site said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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