Crackdown on Syrian protests continues

At least three people are believed to have been killed by security forces in the Syrian city of Latakia.

The protesters on Saturday were calling for reform, but Buthaina Shabaan, an adviser to president Bashar Al-Assad, said the protests are a plan to exploit sectarian divides. She did not say who was behind the alleged plot.

The government reportedly freed over 200 political prisoners on Saturday.

Protests in Daraa have been going on for over a week and have spread to other parts of the country. In Latakia, snipers were said to be targeting protesters.

In Tafas, people set fire to the office of the ruling Baath party and in Sanamin, security cracked down on protesters on Friday's Day of Dignity.

Please be aware that some of the images in this report may be disturbing. Al Jazeera's Gerald Tan reports.