Authors: Jeanette Torres

Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) -- An activist group has charged forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad with showing no mercy against pro-democratic advocates during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The Local Coordinating Committees alleges that during the first 11 days of Ramadan, Assad's soldiers and security have killed at least one person an hour.
That would amount to 257 Syrians killed during that time.  Furthermore, the group says it's probably undercounted the number of dead since the figure doesn't include the recent massacres in the cities of Hama and Deir Alzour because of media blackouts imposed there.
Despite the continued onslaught -- now in its fifth month -- anti-government forces haven't given up holding rallies throughout Syria in hopes that Assad will finally relent and accept democratic reforms.
The Obama administration, which has condemned the violence, still hasn't called for Assad to step down, fearing a breakout of sectarian warfare that could be far bloodier than the current situation and one that might spread to other parts of the Middle East.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

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