AMMAN — The leader of Syria's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood declared his support for pro-democracy protesters challenging President Bashar al-Assad and said a harsh crackdown had further fueled the unrest. In an interview with Reuters, Mohammad Riad Shaqfa said from exile in Saudi Arabia the Brotherhood was not behind the weeks of protests in Syria but supported the demands of demonstrators for greater freedom. Shaqfa's movement was crushed in Syria after challenging Assad's father Hafez al-Assad, who put down an armed Brotherhood uprising in Hama in 1982, kiling thousands. Membership remains punishable by death under a 1980 law. 'We are with the demands of the people. We do not have an organization in Syria because of the 1980 law, but we do have a large popular presence,' said Shaqfa, whose movement ended an 18-month truce with Assad last year.
The 2009 decision by the Syrian Brotherhood to suspend its activities against the government was discussed in an earlier post.