Sit-in in Damascus deploring emergency law and special courts

More than 200 Syrians including several Kurds on Sunday observed a sit-in in Damascus at the invitation of the freedom defense committees and human rights in Syria.

The demonstrators raised banners deploring special courts and the emergency law and chanted slogans demanded freedom for the detainees who were tried inside the said court.

Witnesses said that scores of the security men and the riot fighting forces cordoned the place. However, chief editor of the state owned al-Thawra daily Fayez al-Sayegh denied in a statement to al-Jazeera that the number of the observers in the sit-in is so big, noting their number does nor exceed 25 persons with most of them are relatives of the convicted persons.

The gathering of the demonstrators came at a time when the court is considering several cases including that of the chairman of the freedom defense democratic freedom and human rights in Syria lawyer Aktham Naisseh who was accused of "standing against the objectives of the revolution."