Syrian opposition representatives on Sunday held a protest rally near the Russian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
On Saturday, the Syrian National Council, one of the leading opposition organizations in Syria, called on Syrians living in all countries to organize protest rallies near Russian embassies and consulates.
About 100 young Syrian community members gathered in front of the Russian diplomatic mission to protest against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s support for it.
A few protesters glued up their mouths with adhesive tape, apparently showing that the Syrian regime wants to deprive them of their voice. They carried posters in three languages urging Russia to stop supporting “the regime that kills children and women.”
The protest was peaceful.
At least 5,000 people have been killed in ten-month-long clashes between the government and the protesters in Syria, according to UN estimates. Syrian authorities blame the violence on armed gangs affiliated with al-Qaeda and say more than 2,000 soldiers and police have been killed.
Dozens were killed on Sunday after the Syrian government troops shelled a Damascus suburb under rebel control.
Russia, a longtime ally of Syria, has been vehemently opposing any kind of a crackdown on Assad’s regime, which has been struggling since last March to quell the wave of political protests that engulfed the country.
Russia has repeatedly insisted that the Western drive for a stronger crackdown on Syria is preparation for a “Libyan scenario.”
Rebels ousted and killed long-standing Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in October after a months-long military standoff in which they received assistance from NATO forces.
