Syria tense ahead of expected protests against Assad

 Security has been stepped up in Syria ahead of what protesters say will be the biggest rallies so far against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Troops have reportedly been deployed in the flashpoint city of Homs ahead of Friday prayers, which have become the trigger for intensifying protests.

Protests, like this one in Baniyas, have brought thousands on to the streets

In concessions to protesters on Thursday, President Assad formally ended five decades of emergency rule.
Human rights groups say more than 200 people have died in weeks of protests.
A spokesman for Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Mr Assad "has the opportunity to prove his intentions by allowing (Friday's) protests to proceed without violent repression".
"The reforms will only be meaningful if Syria's security services stop shooting, detaining, and torturing protesters," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East director.
The Syrian government says it is listening to protesters' demands and President Assad is pushing through a programme of reforms. Thursday's concessions included abolishing state security courts and allowing peaceful protests.

President Bashar al-Assad says protesters' demands for reform have been heard

  However, other laws give the government wide-ranging powers to detain activists and suppress dissent.

The new law requires Syrians to seek permission from the interior ministry for demonstrations. Some lawyers have said this continues to restrict the freedom of assembly in the same way as the emergency law.
President Assad said last week there would be no more "excuse" for demonstrations once the state of emergency had been lifted.
But analysts say increasing numbers of opposition activists are calling for the downfall of the regime.
"The state of emergency was brought down, not lifted," prominent Syrian activist Suhair Atassi wrote on her Twitter page.
"It is a victory as a result of demonstrations, protests and the blood of martyrs who called for Syria's freedom."
Syria's unprecedented wave of unrest has been inspired by uprisings against authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.
However, Damascus has said an "armed insurrection" by Salafist groups is taking place in Homs and further north in Baniyas.
Salafism is a strict form of Sunni Islam which many Arab governments equate with militant groups like al-Qaeda.
Demonstrations against Mr Assad's ruling Baath Party began in the southern city of Deraa in mid-March and quickly spread to other towns and cities.
The unrest poses the gravest threat to his rule since he succeeded his father Hafez al-Assad 11 years ago.

Source BBC

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