Not content with his campaign to bomb civilian neighborhoods into submission, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has now launched a new purge of the peaceful activists supporting the country's 11-month uprising.

On Thursday, regime forces raided the offices of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression. They arrested Mazen Darwish, a prominent activist and citizen journalist, the blogger Razan Ghazzawi, and at least 10 others.

Razan, one of the brave truth-tellers inside Syria, was previously arrested and released late last year. During the uprising she has taken on enormous personal risk by refusing to blog under a pseudonym.

Assad has repeatedly, and to the fury of his victimised population, claimed that his brutal crackdown is aimed at terrorist elements. It's hard to see how arresting peaceful democracy advocates (ahead of 26 February's sham "democratic" referendum, no less) fits with his deceitful rhetoric.

And the bombing continues

While security forces staged arrests in Damascus, they continued their bombardment of Homs and renewed onslaughts against Deraa and Hama, where 14 were reported killed:

Last night, the UN general assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to condemn the murderous actions of Assad's forces. China and Russia, once again, voted against the resolution. It's hard to imagine what more proof they need.

Take action: The last time Razan was arrested we launched a campaign to free her. Now she and her friends need our help again. Support the call for their freedom.