KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2011 / NEWS
3A
INTERNATIONAL
Syrian protesters vow to oust president
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIRUT — More than 5,000 anti-government protesters in Syria took over the main square of the country's third-largest city Monday, vowing to occupy the site until President Bashar Assad is ousted and defying authorities who warn they will not be forced into reforms.
The Egypt-style standoff in the central city of Homs followed funeral processions by more than 10,000 mourners for some of those killed in clashes Sunday that a rights group said left at least 12 people dead. It also brought a high-stakes challenge to security forces over whether to risk more bloodshed — and international backlash — by trying to clear the square.
The government, however, blamed the weeks of anti-government unrest in the country on ultraconservative Muslims seeking to establish a fundamentalist state and terrorize the people, in the latest official effort to portray the reform movement as populated by extremists.
In the past month, Syrian security forces in uniforms and plainclothes have launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrations, killing at least 200 people, according to human rights groups. Many Syrians also say pro-government thugs — known as Shabiba — have terrorized neighborhoods with tactics such as opening fire into the air.
The government has in the
past blamed "armed gangs" seeking to stir up unrest for many of the killings, such as the ones who fatally shot seven people, including three army officers, on Sunday in Homs.
On Monday, the Interior Ministry identified the gangs as "armed Salafi groups," referring to an ultraconservative form of Islam that has its roots in Saudi Arabia and can be found all over the region.
The statement carried by the state news agency said they were seeking to establish "emirates" and were "abusing the freedoms and reforms launched in the comprehensive program with a timetable by President Bashar Assad."
Assad has been playing on fears of sectarian warfare as he works to quell any popular support for the uprising and has blamed the unrest on a foreign plot to sow sectarian strife — echoing pronouncements from almost every other besieged leader in the region.
Earlier in the day, at least six coffins were carried by the massive funeral procession in Homs, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Damascus, said two witnesses. Security forces stayed away from the mourners in an apparent move to avoid confrontation, said the witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
The witnesses' accounts could not be independently confirmed because Syria has placed tight
restrictions on media outlets and expelled foreign journalists.
After the funeral, thousands or people marched to Homs' main Saa Jadida Square, or the New Clock Square, where they chanted "people want to bring down the regime" and "peaceful, peaceful," the witnesses said.
As protesters gathered, security personnel arrived in the area. Three tanker trucks, usually used by authorities to spray protesters with water, were also parked nearby.
Witnesses said the protesters are planning to set up tents and some residents donated water and food.
"A sit-in until the regime is brought down," the protesters chanted.
Also Monday, a group of Syrian students said in a statement posted on Facebook they will not attend classes for three days starting Tuesday to protests the recent deaths and last week's attack by security forces at Damascus University, where one student was killed
In the northern city of Banias, about 300 children released balloons with slogans calling on Assad to leave power, witnesses said.
"Leave, uncle criminal," read one balloon. "Leave so that I can enjoy freedom," read another, witnesses added.
Ammar Qurabi, head of Syria's National Organization for Human Rights, said the death toll had risen to 12 from the Sunday
shootings during protests and a funeral for an anti-government activist.
He said eight people died in Homs and a nearby village. He added that four protesters were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the northern cities of Latakia and Idlib.
Syria's state-run news agency, however, said one policeman was killed and 11 other policemen and security personnel were wounded when an "armed criminal gang" opened fire on them in Talbiseh on Sunday.
The latest killings were bouno to increase pressure on Assad, who has tried to quell the popular uprising with a mixture of brute force and concessions. On Saturday, he promised to end nearly 50 years of emergency rule this week, a key demand of the protesters.
Syria's widely despised emergency laws have been in place since the ruling Baath Party came to power in 1963, giving the regime a free hand to arrest people without charge and extending state authority into virtually every aspect of life.
But he warned there will no longer be "an excuse" for organizing protests once Syria lifts emergency rule and implements reforms.
Accuser in Duke rape case charged with murder
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH, N.C. — The woman who falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her in 2006 was charged Monday with murder in the death of her boyfriend. Crystal Mangum, 32, was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder and two counts of larceny. She has been in jail since April 3, when police charged her with assault in the stabbing of 46-year-old Reginald Daye. He died after nearly two weeks at a hospital.
An attorney for Mangum and officials in the district attorney's office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Mangum falsely accused the lacrosse players of raping her at a 2006 party for which she was hired to perform as a stripper. The case heightened long-standing tensions in Durham about race, class and the privileged status of college athletes.
The district attorney who championed Mangium's claims was later disbarred. North Carolina's attorney general eventually declared the players innocent of a "tragic rush to accuse."
Prosecutors declined to press charges for the false accusations, but
Mangum's bizarre legal troubles have continued.
Last year, she was convicted on misdeaneman charges after setting a fire that nearly torched her home with her three children inside.
Friends said Mangum has never recovered from the stigma brought by the lacrosse case and has been involved in a string of questionable relationships in an attempt to provide stability for her children. Vincent Clark, a friend who co-authored Mangum's self-published memoir, said he hopes people don't rush to judgment — echoing one of the off-cited lessons of the lacrosse case itself.
FRAT (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Clark said Mangum realizes she has mental health problems.
"I'm sad for her. I hope people realize how difficult it is being her," Clark said.
When Daye's nephew talked to a 911 dispatcher after the stabbing, he referenced the notoriety Mangum still carries.
"It's Crystal Mangum. THE Crystal Mangum," said the nephew, whose name was removed from a publicy-released version of the emergency call. "I told him she was trouble from the damn beginning."
DLP's role (subhead)
"At KU, most of the fraternities are surprisingly open," he said. DI's role (cubbies)
Riddle said DLP has an important role in Lawrence's homosexual community.
and developed leadership skills. Earles said he could not imagine what his life would be like without DLP.
Edited by Becca Harsch
"One thing that is kind of a problem in the gay community is you see all these people who happen to be homosexual all the time, but you never get to know them beyond a superficial level," he said.
"I wouldn't have that great bond of friendship with people," Earles said. "It's crazy to think that one small decision caused such a ripple of effect."
He said since people often meet at bars and clubs, the loud and sometimes intoxicating nature of these situations was not conducive to meaningful conversations. He said DLP gives homosexuals the opportunity to know each other on a deeper level and form a brotherhood.
Woodard said DLP has helped him get more involved at the University. Riddle said being involved in the fraternity has fostered personal growth
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