Syrian protesters, Courtesy Creative Commons

The killing of at least 27 Syrian protesters Friday in the city of Daraa drew international condemnation for a leader whose country has been demanding freedom through demonstrations for the last three weeks.

Within three weeks of protests across Syria, a Middle Eastern country with about 22 million people, security forces have killed at least 171 civilians, according to Amnesty International.  

Since 1963, the country has been ruled under “emergency law,” which limits personal freedoms such as gathering in public and allows officials to arrest anyone considered suspicious.

Although Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad said in March that he would lift the emergency law, he did not say when he would take action, according to a report from Al Jazeera.

“The Syrian government needs to take urgent action to rein in its security forces and prevent the loss of further lives,” said Phillip Luther of Amnesty International in an online statement.

However, people in Syria said to Reuters that Friday’s protests brought bloodshed and violence from Assad’s forces.

“I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence committed against peaceful protesters by the Syrian government today and over the past few weeks,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “I also condemn any use of violence by protesters.”  

Amid the protests and international criticism, Assad has made some motions toward reforming policies. He said Thursday that he would grant citizenship to Kurds who are considered foreigners in their own country, according to Reuters.

But the Syrian people demand democracy. Assad has been in power since 2000 after his father ended a 30-year presidency, and the country currently has an authoritarian regime.

Although political protests in Syria are not new, the protests within the past three weeks follow months of intensified political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Syrians have called for the freedoms that individuals around the world should enjoy…Until now, the Syrian government has not addressed the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people,” Obama said.  

Reach reporter Raquel Estupinan here.