05/06/2020

SYRIA Tensions between Internal Security Forces and local Arabs in Al-Shaddadi boil over during protest

HASAKAH, Syria – On Thursday, the predominantly Arab town of Al-Shaddadi, located some 60 km from Hasakah city, witnessed demonstrations in which dozens of the town’s residents participated. Demonstrators were chanting slogans calling for improved living conditions and decrying the rapid increase of prices due to the collapsing Syrian Pound.

Demonstrators blockaded roads and set tires on fire during the protest. The Internal Security Forces, in an effort to disperse the protesters, fired live rounds into the air. Local sources reported to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that several of the protesters were injured with reports of at least one fatality.