Activists say the death toll in the Syrian crackdown on "Great Friday" protests has reached 70, Al-Jazeera English reports. Syrian forces opened fire on peaceful protesters, slaughtering civilians in several cities, including Izraa, Douma and Homs. The protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

From AJE:

A witness in Homs told Al Jazeera by phone that one of those killed in the city by government officers was a 25-year-old protester named Mohammed Bassam al-Kahil.

Speaking under condition of anonymity, the activist described how about 200 protesters, moving ahead of a 3,000-strong group, came under fire as they marched down Cairo Street, close to the Clock Square that has been the city's focus for protests.

"Suddenly the security opened fire on us randomly," the man said.

Meanwhile, a witness in Hasakah, in Syria's mainly Kurdish northeast, told Al Jazeera that demonstrators gathering at a mosque after prayers were attacked by pro-government protesters.

Syrian activists co-ordinating the protests against al-Assad's rule have demanded the abolition of his Baath Party's monopoly on power and the establishment of a democratic political system.

Follow by-the-minute updates at the AJE live blog.

This video is reportedly from today's events in Homs: