Syrian city sealed after protests

Police have sealed a southern city where security forces killed five protesters, a prominent Syrian rights activist said today.

Mazen Darwish says people are being allowed out of Daraa but they cannot come in. He cited residents who did not want their names published for fear of reprisals.

Funerals were planned today in Daraa after Syrian security forces launched a harsh crackdown on Friday on protesters calling for political freedoms.

Accounts from activists and social media say at least five people died in the gravest unrest in years in one of the most repressive states in the Mideast.

Sealing the city appeared to be a way to isolate any further unrest in Daraa.