At least seven of a small group staging a peaceful sit-in in front of the parliament in Damascus were arrested yesterday.

The protest was organised to mark the anniversary of the Baath party's rise to power in 1963.

Organisers have also been circulating a petition urging President Bashar al-Assad to release political prisoners and lift the state of emergency.

The protest against the emergency laws in place for 41 years was organised by the Committees for the Defence of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria.

Organisers had been summoned by state security for questioning several times in recent days.

However they said on Sunday they would not be intimidated.

Monday saw riot police standing guard and the demonstrators were outnumbered intelligence officers in civilian clothes and black leather jackets.

One man raised a banner reading "Freedom for Prisoners of Opinion and Conscience" - but it was quickly torn up by agents, the Associated Press reported.

About 20 minutes into the protest, the main organiser, Aktham Naisse, was detained along with several others.