(CNN) June 2, 2011-- Dozens of people have died in clashes with troops in western Syria, where government forces reportedly shelled homes in one town, protest organizers and a human rights official said Thursday. The reports come a day after a leading human rights group accused Syria of committing abuses against anti-government protesters, who have been calling for a regime change. Syria has denied the allegations. At least 43 people have been killed since Sunday when government forces entered Homs province to end protests against government rule, said Rami Abdel Rahman, president of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…

Human Rights Watch accused Syria on Wednesday of carrying out a "systematic" series of abuses against protesters. It called on the United Nations to investigate. The United States has imposed new sanctions on al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials, freezing any assets held in the country over human rights abuses. Security forces have killed more than 887 across the country since the protests started in mid-March, Human Rights Watch said in a report. That number does not include security personnel the government claims died in attacks from "armed groups." Precise "numbers are impossible to verify given the information blockade imposed by the Syrian government," the rights group said.

Please pray for the peaceful transformation of Syria and other Arab nations in the Middle East that they will become just and free societies with leaders who serve their people rather than themselves.