Dissidents meet unmolested in Damascus hotel amid clampdown . `` We must change this tyrannical regime , '' a former political prisoner says . Other activists say the Syrian street was n't represented . The government has been cracking down on peaceful protests since mid-March and is now detaining more than 100 people at a time.
Dissidents meet unmolested in Damascus hotel amid clampdown . `` We must change this tyrannical regime , '' a former political prisoner says . Other activists say the Syrian street was n't represented . White House calls event `` a worthwhile step '' but says violence has to stop .