SYRIA’S PRESIDENT Bashar Assad has called for dialogue between the opposing sides in the country’s lengthy uprising – while insisting that violent ‘saboteurs’ are piggybacking on the legitimate demands of many.
The conflict is a complicated one, and is difficult to separate from the overall picture of the Arab Spring, so here we’ve tried to provide a running timeline of events in the troubled Middle Eastern country.
The general background to the protests is that Syria has been under Emergency Law since 1962 (officially because it is at war with Israel) – a condition which strips most citizens of their constitutional rights – while the country has only one viable political party, the Ba’ath.
Syrian Kurds carry a Syrian flag bearing a picture of President Bashar Assad and Arabic writing that reads "God protects Syria's Assad" as they celebrate the Nowruz spring festival with a traditional dance in Damascus, Syria. Sunday, March 20, 2011. Bassem Tellawi/AP
March 15: The ongoing turmoil, which has been continuing since January when similar protests emerged in Tunisia and Egypt, is officially declared an 'uprising' as simultaneous demonstrations take place in major cities. The day is known as the 'Day of Rage'.
March 23: Police kill 15 people in pre-dawn raids on protesters, bringing the running death toll to 22. The spate of killings acts as a catalyst for further dissent, as their funerals inspire calls for more mass demonstrations.
March 25: As further Friday demonstrations take place, with thousands taking to the streets after Friday prayers, security forces shoot at protesters setting fire to a bronze status of president Bashar Assad's father Hafez. Assad later withdraws some of his security forces and releases some political prisoners in an attempt to placate the demonstrators.
A Syrian soldier checks his AK-47 as he stands in front of a burnt-out court building, in the southern city of Daraa. March 21, 2011. Hussein Malla/AP
March 28: Further international attention is drawn to Syria when two Reuters journalists - whose whereabouts were previously unknown - are released by authorities. The country said the two were detained because they were filming in an unauthorised area. Both had been filming in Damascus.
March 29: The entire cabinet resigns as part of a bid to forge peace. Assad addresses the nation the following day (his first address since tensions erupted) and claims "conspirators" are behind the violence. His speech, which had been expected to announce symbolic reforms, is light on detail.
Syrian citizens and hotel guests watch tv in a hotel lobby as Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses Parliament in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Hussein Malla/AP
April 6: Assad attempts to reach out to conservative Muslims by reversing a ban on teachers wearing the Islamic veil, and announcing the closure of the country's only casino. Mass protests continue, with dozens killed two days later. Protesters maintain police opened fire on them, while state TV says 19 security men were killed when they themselves were attacked by gunfire.
April 18: The funeral of a demonstrator sparks more protests, with human rights groups saying 12 more people are killed. It is around this time that the first reports emerge of potential US involvement, when WikiLeaks cables report how the US State Department is financing the opponents.
April 19: Authorities deploy tear gas and live ammunition on further demonstrations, indicating a newly reinforced clampdown on the protests.
April 22: In the bloodiest day of the protests so far, at least 112 people are killed by security forces. The protesters are killed after gathering on the conclusion of Friday prayers. At least six of those are killed while attending the funerals of other demonstrators.
A Syrian anti-government protester holds up an Arabic sign reading "Who killed our martyrs?" during the funeral of activists killed on Friday April 22. Photo: Unknown/AP
April 25: Syria blocks its border with Jordan, in an attempt to stop refugees from leaving the country and also to stop Jordan, a US ally, from intervening in its affairs.
April 26: At least 500 pro-democracy activists are arrested as part of the largest crackdown to date. 20 people are killed in Deraa following a raid by troops loyal to Assad.
April 27: United Nations' secretary-general Ban Ki-moon condemns the use of violence against protesters, insisting that only dialogue can restore order to the country. Britain revokes the invitation of the Syrian ambassador to the wedding of William and Kate.
April 28: Despite Ban's urging, the United Nations fails to agree on a statement condemning the government for its actions. Russia exercises its veto on the Security Council. The southern city of Daraa becomes a flashpoint for demonstrations, as witnesses report disputes between army factions over how to handle the protests.
April 29: On another Friday 'Day of Rage', at least 65 are killed, including 15 in Daraa. Army reinforcements are sent into the city the following day.
Syrians gather after Friday prayers during an anti-government protest in the coastal city of Banias, Syria. April 29, 2011. Photo: Unknown/AP
May 1: Army tanks shell Daraa's old quarter in a bid to quell any insurgency, but the public remain defiant. Troops begin to withdraw on May 5.
May 6: Another national day of defiance sees 30 killed. The following day, tanks enter the coastal down of Baniyas to quell a local uprising.
May 9: The European Union imposes an arms embargo.
May 11: Syria abandons plans to apply for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, as tanks begin to shell the city of Homs.
May 17: A mass grave is discovered near Deraa, containing the bodies of around 40 people including women and children. Five male bodies are identified as relatives of a leader of the uprising, sparking fears that the government may have silently begun slaughtering any opponents. Syria denies the discovery, calling it "completely untrue".
Israeli soldiers from the Combat Engineer Corps work at the border near the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, on the Israel-Syria border. Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Yaron Kaminsky/AP
May 18: In his second public remarks since the uprising began, Ashad tells a newspaper that the death toll - now at 850 - is largely the result of poor police training.
May 19: In a wide-ranging speech on the Middle East, Barack Obama warns Assad that he must either "lead the transition [to democracy], or get out of the way".
May 23: The European Union imposes sanctions on Assad, freezing his assets and banning him from entering the bloc.
May 24: The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says one site bombed in the country may have been a previously unknown nuclear reactor.
May 26: The country's meagre political opposition - most of whom have been put out of action by the Ba'ath party during its decades of power - call on the army to side with the protesters and dump Assad.
May 29: The unofficial death toll from the protests passes 1,000 as more tanks are deployed to quell protests.
June 1: Assad offers an amnesty to the country's political prisoners. It is dismissed by the opposition as a stunt.
June 5: Israel opens fire on protesters along its Golan Heights border with Syria. The pro-Palestinian demonstrators had been marking the anniversary of the Arab defeat in the 1967 Middle East war. The death toll exceeds 20.
The armed militia in Syria suffers heavy losses, meanwhile, as state TV reports the death of 120 pro-Assad soldiers in clashes in the north. Assad promises a "decisive" response.
A refugee holds a baby inside a Syrian refugee camp at the Turkish village of Boynuyogun, just inside the Syrian border. Friday, June 18, 2011. Burhan Ozbilici/AP
June 9: As over 1,000 Syrians flee for Turkey, European countries dither over a statement to be proposed to the UN Security Council. Eventually the IAEA refers Syria to the Security Council over its undeclared nuclear reactors, but Russia and China veto any sanction.
June 10: 32 are killed in further crackdowns in the north of the country, as thousands more flee for Turkey.
June 13: Reports emerge of how army forces 'dragged families from their homes' in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. Those who resist, the reports say, are simply killed.
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