Cairo/Damascus - Syrians were preparing on Friday to hold anti-government protests amid continued crackdowns by security and army forces, activists said.
Dubbed the “Friday of Patience and Steadfastness”, according to online activists, the protests mark the last Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Pro-democracy protesters in Syria have intensified their demonstrations against the government of President Bashar al-Assad since Ramadaan started on August 1.
At least six civilians were killed on Wednesday by security forces in several areas of the country, the Federation of the Local Coordination of the Syrian Revolution, an opposition group, said.
It added that the deaths occurred in Idlib near the border of Turkey, the central city of Hama and in al-Rastan near the region of Homs.
Footage posted by activists on the internet showed Syrians in the suburban Damascus area of Duma in an overnight protest. They shouted: “Now Gaddafi has gone, your turn has come, Bashar!”
Other protesters called for the president to be executed.
An estimated 2 200 people have been killed since March, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said this week, adding that 350 of them had died since the onset of the month of Ramadan. - Sapa-dpa