Death toll rises to 21 in Syria today, update 3

Al-Arabiya TV reported that 21 protesters were killed until now across Syria on Friday, the Day of freedom.

Update 3

Syrian security forces on Friday killed at least 34 people Human rights groups told AFP on Friday . At least 880 protesters have been killed so far since the uprising began

Update2

Syrian security forces on Friday killed at least 27 people, including a child, as pro-democracy protests swept the country, with demonstrators pressing on with calls for more freedom in defiance of a fierce crackdown, activists said.

The child was among 11 people killed in the central city of Homs while another 10 died in the town of Maaret al-Naaman, located near the western city of Idlib, the activists said.

They said security forces also killed two people in the southern region of Daraa, flashpoint of protests that have gripped Syria since March 15, one in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus, another in the port city of Latakia and two in the eastern town of Deir al-Zour.

“The victims in Maaret al-Naaman were gunned down at the entrance of the city where many people were converging from other nearby towns to join the protest,” an activist said.

Protests were also reported in several other towns across Syria.

More than 880 people have been killed and thousands arrested since the protests began in mid-March, according to human rights groups and the United Nations.