Syria bans opposition members from leaving the country.
Three activists were going to a debate on TV in Lebanon.
Syrian authorities today banned three opponents of President Bashar Assad's government from leaving the country. Michel Kilo, Loay Hussein, and Fayez Sara were on their way to Lebanon to participate in a debate when they were informed by the Syrian immigration service at the border that they could not leave the country due to concerns for their safety in Lebanon.
Hussein denounced what he called an attempt to prevent them from speaking on television. The debate was to be broadcast by Al-Hurra, a channel founded by the United States. "This decision negates everything that has been said about transparency and reforms," said Sara. "It is unjustified and illegal."
Today in northern Syria, security forces killed two people and arrested several others during operations in the village of Khan Sheikhoun. The activist network Local Coordination Committee and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the deaths. They said similar arrests were made in Deir el-Zour and reported intermittent gunfire in various regions of the country. Yesterday, government security forces occupied several cities to suppress protests against Bashar al-Assad.