A/HRC/18/53 near the post office, for the funeral of Basel Al Masri, a protestor killed the previous evening. Al Masri was found dead with three bullet wounds, and a friend with him at the time was injured. After the funeral, one of the participants, Hassan Malesh, was killed while making a speech from a platform in the middle of the crowd. According to witnesses, he was shot dead by snipers positioned on the roof of the nearby post office.52 This was quickly followed by more shooting with live ammunition from the direction of the post office and adjacent security buildings. Witnesses claimed that helicopters were also used in the operation to fire on the crowds. The mission obtained the names of 14 people killed on that day. One witness stated that he took seven bodies in his car to his home village and placed them in the refrigerator of a vegetable shop, as the hospitals were controlled by security forces. According to a witness, 17 soldiers who refused orders were killed by a senior security official. Some witnesses told the mission that the official was later killed, together with several other Alawite security personnel, following their capture by protestors, while others said he had been killed by a soldier. The mission was not able to investigate these accounts further. There were more killings the following day, when security and military personnel fired on demonstrators heading for Jisr Al Shughour in an area called Sahl Al Ghab.53 55. On 6 June, the Minister of Interior, Muhammad Ibrahim Al Sha’ar, announced on national television that the authorities intended to act decisively against “any armed attack” in Jisr Al Shughour. Shortly thereafter, many of the town’s residents headed towards the border with Turkey, fearing reprisals and further violence by the security forces.54 A witness reported that two army brigades advanced towards Jisr Al Shughour on 8 June to lay siege, and were stationed at the town’s sugar factory.55 Jisr Al Shughour was virtually deserted when the army entered it on 13 June, together with selected media and invited guests to witness what the authorities described as an operation to liberate the town from armed gangs.56 56. The town of Ma’arrat Al Nu’man, located on the highway connecting Aleppo and Hama, witnessed a number of protests during which security forces used live ammunition against unarmed civilians. Regular demonstrations were held by residents of the town and nearby villages, initially in support of the people of Dar’a. Witnesses stated that, initially, the demonstrations were held without any killings, despite the presence of security forces. In one instance, water cannon were used to disperse demonstrators, and Shabbiha members dressed in civilian clothes beat up some of the participants. On 13 May, security forces attempted to disperse demonstrators gathered on the highway outside the town, using tear gas. According to witnesses, when this failed to halt the advance, security forces fired live 52 53 54 55 56 16 Some witnesses stated that the basement of the post office had been used by security personnel for the interrogation of suspects. Other witnesses claimed that, at that stage, armed clashes broke out between the group of soldiers, who attempted to flee, and the security forces. The witnesses added that two helicopters providing backup began firing at both the civilians and the fleeing soldiers. Some of the civilians managed to flee to Jisr Al Shughour safely. The mission interviewed one of the civilians wounded after the helicopters began shooting at the crowd, and another civilian who was injured as he made his way to Jisr Al Shughour. Military and security forces had reportedly gathered some 20 kilometres outside the town. According to other witnesses, the sugar factory was used in that period as the headquarters for armed forces deployed from other areas, as well as for the interrogation, detention and torture of suspects. Several sources also reported that four girls were raped at that location, although the mission was unable to corroborate these accounts. On 6 June, Syrian television reported that members of security forces had been killed in several attacks, including during an ambush by “armed gangs” operating in Jisr Al Shughour, where clashes took place at a security centre and other Government buildings were set alight.