The continuation of brutal crackdowns on antigovernment protesters in Syria has pushed the Arab League to take action.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an online group that organizes and documents demonstrations against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, said government forces shot and killed 12 antigovernment protesters in the central province of Hama on Sunday, local time. It also said that ten antigovernment protesters were killed by government forces in other provinces including Homs and Daraa.

The Arab League decided on Sunday to suspend the membership of Syria for its failure to end its bloody crackdown. The suspension is scheduled to take effect on Wednesday.

The Syrian government followed up by calling for an emergency Arab summit in the wake of the league’s decision.

An Algerian Foreign Ministry official said that foreign ministers of Arab League member countries will hold a meeting in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Wednesday to discuss the Syrian problem.