Syrian forces use soccer stadiums as prisons, human rights groups say

Syrian security forces were using soccer stadiums as makeshift prisons Monday in at least two cities -- Banias and Daraa -- after raiding homes and arresting hundreds of residents, the directors of two human rights organizations said.

In addition, security forces burst into homes and took residents into custody in the Damascus suburb of Modemiyah, where there were reports of gunfire Monday, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.