Syria in total internet blackout - provider

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Syria remains completely offline since Friday morning, the country's state telephone and internet service said.

"We have a problem. We are now striving to tackle it," a spokeswoman for the internet service said without giving further details.

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http://en.rian.ru/world/20110603/164417158.html

Syria faces total internet blackout
http://www.inewsone.com/2011/06/03/s...blackout/55109

Internet blackout in Syria

Syria has gone offline after the government cut access to the Web all over the country, the Guardian newspaper writes.

This preventive measure was taken in the run-up to protests commemorating a 13-year old boy killed in clashes near the city of Deraa.

This was done to prevent anti-government demonstrations and protests usually organized through social networks and blogs.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/03/51245410.html

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Re: Syria in total internet blackout - provider

Syrian Protesters Mass Again Despite Harsh Crackdown

Syrians poured into the streets Friday in some of the largest antigovernment protests yet despite the shutdown of much of the country’s Internet network, which has been crucial to demonstrators’ ability to mobilize and a major source of information for those outside the country.

The worst violence Friday appeared to be in the restive city of Hama, where at least 40 protesters were killed in a continuation of a brutal nationwide government crackdown that has lasted for months, according to local activists. That report could not be immediately confirmed.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

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Re: Syria in total internet blackout - provider

Massive anti-government demos in Syria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIVTw...layer_embedded

Analysis: Syria bloodshed undermines Assad's gestures
President Bashar al-Assad has tried brute force and political concession, often simultaneously, to quell protests in Syria but neither has halted the uprising and his double-edged tactic may alienate a vital support base.

Whether the mixed messages are a deliberate strategy or a rushed reaction to Syria's turmoil, analysts say they risk undermining the argument made by Assad supporters that the only alternative to his rule is civil strife.

A meeting of Syrian opposition figures in Turkey this week called for Assad to step down to pave the way for democracy, but gave little indication of how it might govern in his place.

"Although the regime may be losing ground with the silent majority, the opposition are not gaining anything because they are not answering any of the key questions that the crisis raises," the Damascus-based analyst said.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7524N120110603

Assad must be prosecuted

GIVEN the unutterable horror of the details emerging about the torture and murder of 13-year-old Syrian boy Hamza al-Khateeb, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's call to initiate International Criminal Court action against President Bashar al-Assad is timely and appropriate.

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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226068209085