Thousands of members of Syria's Alawite minority demonstrated today in the central and coastal parts of the country against what they see as acts of discrimination by the new Syrian government.
An opposition NGO said security forces opened fire and wounded one person, while authorities said they were protecting protesters, state media reported.
The protests followed several waves of conflict in the country since President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December last year by rebels led by the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and current President Ahmad al-Shara.
Assad, who himself belongs to the Alawite sect, fled the country to Russia. Members of his sect have been targeted. In March, an ambush by Assad supporters on security forces sparked days of attacks on the group, killing hundreds, mostly Alawites.
Today's protests in cities such as Latakia, Tartus and Homs in the center of the country came two days after the killing of a Bedouin couple sparked fresh clashes when some Bedouins attacked a majority Alawite neighborhood in the city of Homs, Syria's third largest.
The spiritual leader of the Syrian Alawites, Ghazal Ghazal, called on supporters in a video yesterday to hold peaceful protests.
The Britain-based non-governmental organization Human Rights Observatory reported that it was a "peaceful Alawite uprising" that took place in 42 locations in the west of the country.
The Observatory said the protesters had several demands, including the right to self-determination, the release of Alawites detained after the fall of Assad, and an end to all acts of violence against members of their sect.
The Observatory also reported that one protester was injured in the coastal city of Latakia.
A spokesman for the interior ministry said security forces were protecting the protesters. He urged residents of the coastal area to avoid getting involved in various schemes and the people behind them aimed at introducing instability in the region.
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