Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman, Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement condemning the violence being used against peaceful protestors in Syria.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the Syrian regime’s brutal attacks against its own people. Tens of thousands of Syrians have gathered peacefully to protest for greater freedoms, only to be fired on with deadly force by Syrian security forces. It has now become abundantly clear that Syria is a state sponsor of terrorism both outside and within its own borders. The Assad regime’s oppression and abuse of its people must end immediately.”