THE QUICKENING:

Syrian authorities break up rare human rights protest, several arrested (ZEINA KARAM, March 8, 2004, Associated Press)

In a capital awash with Syrian flags, posters supporting President Bashar Assad and pamphlets declaring his party's achievements on its 41st anniversary, a paper banner raised Monday urging freedom for political prisoners did not fit in.

Syrian authorities quickly tore it up, broke up the rare demonstration and arrested the small group of activists -- who knew that was the most likely outcome of their call for change.

A U.S. diplomat observing the demonstration was also briefly detained, prompting a protest from the U.S. government and an apology from the Syrians, according to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

The activists were released after a few hours of interrogation, but their detentions highlighted tensions between the Syrian government and pro-democracy reformists.

"Breaking up a peaceful protest and arresting people for expressing their opinion is a mistake that the authorities bear responsibility for," said Hassan Abdul-Azim, who heads the independent Syrian National Democratic Gathering, a pro-democracy group.

Had it been allowed to continue, the protest outside Parliament -- organized by the Committees for the Defense of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria -- would have been the first of its kind in a country where political activity is tightly controlled.

The Taliban, the PA, Saddam, Qaddafi...

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 9, 2004 2:44 PM