A Syrian official inquiry into deaths among anti-government protesters has barred two top officials from going abroad, one of them a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, state media said on Monday.
Ateb Najib, a cousin of the president and head of security in Daraa, where protests against the government erupted in mid-March and Faisal Kulthum, the town's former governor, were both banned from foreign travel.
"Immunity is not accorded to those who commit crimes and... The law must be applied," state media quoted the commission of inquiry as saying.
Hundreds held
Syrian troops rounded up hundreds of people in a sweep through villages near Jisr al-Shughour on Monday, fleeing residents said, after Assad's army retook the rebellious town.
Nearly 7,000 Syrians have already fled the region around Jisr al-Shughour, seeking sanctuary in neighbouring Turkey, while thousands more are sheltering close to the frontier in rural areas just inside Syria, activists say.
Fleeing resident says they saw at least 16 bodies in town and outskirts.
Monday's wave of arrests followed an army assault on the northwestern town, with troops backed by helicopters and tanks, regaining control one week after authorities said 120 security personnel were killed in fighting they blamed on "armed groups".
{{/usCountry}}Monday's wave of arrests followed an army assault on the northwestern town, with troops backed by helicopters and tanks, regaining control one week after authorities said 120 security personnel were killed in fighting they blamed on "armed groups".
{{/usCountry}}