UN: Syria's crackdown has killed more than 3,500

Human Rights Office says over 60 reportedly killed since Syria accepted Arab League deal, 19 of them on Sunday.

By REUTERS, OREN KESSLER
Syrian protesters (photo credit: Reuters)
Syrian protesters
(photo credit: Reuters)
GENEVA - The United Nations Human Rights Office said on Tuesday Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters had killed more than 3,500 people, and 19 had died on Sunday alone.
"The brutal government crackdown on dissent in Syria has so far claimed the lives of more than 3,500 Syrians," spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
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"Since Syria signed the peace plan sponsored by the League of Arab States last week, more than 60 people are reported to have been killed by military and security forces, including at least 19 on the Sunday that marked Eid al-Adha," she said.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad reentered the central city of Homs on Monday, killing at least two people, activists said. The city – a hotbed of anti-regime activity – has been under a six-day tank bombardment that has killed more than 100 people over the past week.
Anti-government protesters in Homs’ Bab Amro neighborhood have been bolstered by army defectors, a steadily growing number of whom are joining the nearly eight-month- old uprising.