At least 20 people have reportedly been killed in Syria, as mass protests are being held across the country.

Deaths were reported in the central city of Homs, Douma and the southern city of Azraa.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Damascus calling for the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, according to reports received by Al Jazeera.

An eyewitness in Homs told Al Jazeera that one of those killed by government officers was a 25-year-old protester named Mohammed Bassam al-Kahil.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets for rallies on what activists have dubbed “Great Friday”, in what they say could become the biggest protests against the government to date.

A government spokesperson told Al Jazeera on Friday that security forces would only fire upon protesters if they were fired upon first.

Syrian activists co-ordinating mass protests against al-Assad’s rule have demanded the abolition of Baath Party monopoly on power and the establishment of a democratic political system.

A decree Assad signed on Thursday that lifted emergency law is seen by the opposition as little more than symbolic, since other laws still give entrenched security forces wide powers.

Human Right Watch said Assad “has the opportunity to prove his intentions by allowing [Friday’s] protests to proceed without violent repression.

The authorities have blamed armed groups, infiltrators and Sunni Muslim armed groups for provoking violence at demonstrations by firing on civilians and security forces.

Western and other Arab countries have mostly muted their criticism of the killings in Syria for fear of destabilising the country, which plays a strategic role in many of the conflicts in the Middle East.

(Source: Al Jazeera)