Syrian security forces stage arrest raids

Syrian security forces detained dozens of opposition activists and others in raids today launched less than a week after President Bashar Assad’s regime abolished emergency laws used for decades to crush dissent, a human rights activist said.

The police sweeps, which began late on Saturday, reinforce opposition claims that the repeal of the nearly 50-year-old state of emergency codes offers no protection against blitz-style detentions by Assad’s forces.