WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the violence in Syria:
“I strongly condemn the recent violence in Syria, where government security forces have reportedly killed dozens of citizens demonstrating for a more open society. Syrian authorities have detained journalists and bloggers and two Reuters journalists are reportedly missing.
“Like their counterparts across the region, Syrian democrats are advocating for basic dignity and the opportunity to determine their political leadership. I call upon the government in Syria to stop killing its own people, respect basic human rights including the freedoms of assembly and speech, lift the decades long state of emergency and rededicate itself to the political reform process.”
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