Government crackdown in Syria

Story from The Takeaway. Use audio player above to listen to full report.

This Fourth of July, as Americans across the country celebrate the country’s freedoms, Syria’s government is cracking down on its citizens’ democratic rights. Syria’s government has sent tanks into the city of Hama, two days after tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated there to call for an end to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The government has cut off power and telephone lines, and arrested scores of people, in an attempt to suppress a movement that mirrors the upheaval in Tunisia and Egypt.

Yaser Tabbara, a Syrian-American lawyer and executive director of the Syrian American Council, is fighting the regime from Chicago. Tabbara joined The Takeaway to speak about his campaign to highlight the Syrian regime’s brutality and help depose President Bashar al-Assad.

“Since the very beginning, the Syrian regime has shown so much inhumanity and so much brutality against these protesters across the entire country,” said Tabbara.

More on Syria unrest from the BBC:
> ‘Dozens killed’ as thousands protest in Hama
> Syria: ‘Hundreds of thousands’ join anti-Assad protests
> Guide to Syria crisis

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“The Takeaway” is a national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.