WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has criticized what she called the Syrian government's harsh repression of peaceful protests and torture of arbitrarily arrested people.
Clinton also decried violence from some of the protesters and said a political process must begin to address the demand of Syrians for "substantial and lasting reform."
Clinton said she was particularly concerned about the city of Homs. Protesters and security forces clashed there over the weekend and on Tuesday security forces opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas during a pre-dawn raid on hundreds of anti-government protesters, killing several people.
She said it was tough to confirm reports about Homs because Syria is blocking the access of journalists to many areas.
Clinton said President Bashar Assad’s government must halt arbitrary arrests and torture of prisoners.
