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QAMESHLI, Syria, Syrian police have broken up a
large protest by Kurdish demonstrators in the town
of Qameshli, residents said.
Tension has been rising since the burial of a
prominent Kurdish cleric last week who locals
believe was killed by members of the intelligence
service.
Police opened fire in the air on Sunday to disperse
crowds who threw stones and tried to attack them
with sticks, witnesses are quoted as saying.
A policemen is reported to have died in the clash,
but the cause is not clear.
Correspondents say it is not clear whether the
policeman was inadvertently killed by friendly fire
or by protesters.
There has been no word from the government on
casualties.
Last year, five days of riots in Kurdish areas left
25 people dead and hundreds injured. They were
sparked by a brawl at a football match in Qameshli
between rival Arab and Kurdish fans.
'Criminal act'
Correspondents say Qameshli had been tense since the
death of Sheikh Muhammad Mashuq al-Khaznawi, whose
body was found in a mortuary in Deir al-Zour last
week.
Sunday's protest was called by two banned Kurdish
parties to demand an investigation into the murder
of Sheikh Khaznawi.
The government says his murder was purely criminal
and denies the sheikh had been arrested by any state
security body.
In a further twist to the violence, Kurdish
residents are quoted as saying that police stood by
as looters from local Arab tribes pillaged at least
80 Kurdish shops in Qameshli during Sunday's
confrontations.
Amnesty International has called for an
investigation into the death of a Sheikh Khaznawi,
alleging that he was tortured to death.
Syrian Kurds - who make up about 10% of the
country's 17 million people - complain of
discrimination and demand the right to speak their
language.
Amnesty said the 48-year-old sheikh is at least the
sixth Syrian Kurd to have died as a result of
torture and ill-treatment in custody since March
2004.
www.bbc.co.uk
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