According to a human rights lawyer familiar with the situation, a pro-democracy protest in the Syrian town of Rastan on Tuesday was attacked by the military, with tank shells raining down on protesters in the town’s center.

 

By the end of the day, at least 41 protesters were killed and an unknown number of others wounded. A human rights campaigner reported that crackdowns were seen in a number of towns, and it is estimated that the overall toll is around 1,000 protesters slain since the rallies began in March.