You are in the the 177th entry of the Witness Revolution diaries, bearing witness to pro-democracy movements in North Africa, the Middle East and beyond. We aim here to simply report, from as many reliable worldwide resources as possible, on the successes, challenges or failures as brave people strive against oppression for representative democracy with civil and human rights. One small bit of assurance that they do not strive in obscurity.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Anger about the destruction of Misurata is expressed through a music video. Protesters in both Yemen and Syria face deadly force from security forces, yet again.
WARNING- GRAPHIC PHOTO FROM YEMEN
LIBYA
The destruction of a despot: an Arabic rap video about Misurata.
YEMEN - WARNING: GRAPHIC
nishaONnisaa Apr 18, 11:05am via Twitpic
#Yemen: Pic 2-Saleh’s security & supporters attacked hundreds of protesters with tear gas & bullets. 250 wounded, http://twitpic.com/...
SYRIA
Though the response to protesters has been brutal, people are still coming out:
From JustJennifer's friend in Homs, this was from yesterdays protest, where at least 4 people were killed.
democraticiran Apr 18, 8:26pm via web
RT @SyrianJasmine: a clear pic for the unity tent in #Homs http://twitpic.com/... via @Shantal7afana #Syria
Video from the same protest:
More news listed country by country below the fold...
This group produces a series of diaries which provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope these provide context for you as you read about current events. The published diaries in the series are:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
See the group stream for other diary series.
We collect suggested readings for background reference materials in support of the Eyes on Egypt and the Region group. These may be non-fiction or fiction, general to the region or specific to a country or issue. If there are resources which you believe could aid our understanding of the events and processes we are witnessing, please either a) post a comment in the Liveblog with the title "Suggested reading:" and a brief description of the reading in the body of the comment, or b) send your suggestions via the dKos internal message to angry marmot.
Libyan Doctors for Hospitals in Libya is an impressive new aide organization launched by one of our own: StepLeftStepForward.
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NOTE: We renamed the original "Egypt Liveblog" to "Witnessing Revolution". From Egypt the pro-democracy fire spread rapidly. It's not clear that it will be limited by geography or ethnicity. So, we wanted a name which states what is happening yet allows us to grow with the movement, wherever that will be. The number sequence will be continuous. The group name will remain the same. Only this particular diary series within the group changed names.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Co-founder of independent newspaper dies in custody in Bahrain, some journalists freed in Syria and Libya
Reporters Without Borders hails the release of the Syrian blogger Wassim Hassan by the authorities in Damascus. He had been held since 14 April.
The press freedom organization also notes the release of the Syrian journalist Rana Akbani in Libya. Her family says the Libyan authorities freed her on 14 April. A resident in Libya for the past 15 years or so, Akbani works for the arts and culture section of the Libyan newspaperAl-Shams. In the Al-Libya TV interview, which has been posted online (http://almanaramedia.blogspot.com/....), presenter Hala Misrati accuses her of lacking objectivity, lying in her coverage of street demonstrations in Benghazi and of collaborating with foreign countries.
ALGERIA
(h/t JustJennifer 4/15) - Algeria protests challenge president's authority
Algeria's leaders risk losing control of a tide of strikes and protests that has been gaining momentum and outpacing the government's attempts at reform.
Unlike the nationwide uprisings which toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, Algeria's protests are localised and have yet to turn into a national political movement.
But the protests, some of them leading to small-scale clashes with police, have become a daily occurrence in the capital and the government has so far failed to seize back the initiative from the people in the streets.
(h/t JustJennifer 4/15) - Algeria's president to announce new policies boosting democracy, helping poor
Reports say Algeria's president will announce new policies to open up politics and improve economic prospects for the poor in a speech to the nation, after weeks of simmering protests.
The state news agency APS says Abdelaziz Bouteflika will make the televised address Friday night to unveil "important decisions concerning the deepening of the democratic process.... reducing disparities and speeding up economic development."
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Kingdom, Undercover
Bahrain is one of a clutch of little Arab nations trying to model a future beyond oil - busily covering itself in glass skyscrapers, billboards and commercial bunting - pitching itself to the world as a thoroughly modern business destination. But like Dubai and Abu Dhabi - its bigger, brashier, glitzier neighbours doing the same further along the Persian Gulf - just beyond Bahrain’s tinted, double glazing there are some harsh and primitive realities.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain hunger strikes spread amid crackdown at home and abroad
Bahrain's government has intensified its crackdown against its citizens protesting in Britain by cancelling the scholarships of at least a dozen morestudents who demonstrated against the government.
More than 20 students from the Gulf kingdom studying at universities and colleges from Edinburgh to Exeter have now been ordered home immediately and seen their funding axed after attending protests. Those affected have expressed "strong and well-founded" fears that they and their families could suffer beatings and torture after three fellow pro-democracy activists died in custody in the space of a week earlier this month.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) -
UK bankers take Bahrain to court over human rights 'violation'
Three British bankers detained in Bahrain for more than a year are taking the Gulf kingdom to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) over what they describe as “serious and systemic violations” of their rights
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - BAHRAIN: Security forces continue wide, deep crackdown on dissent
In the latest developments in Bahrain's ongoing crackdown on the country's political opposition and human-rights activists, more than two dozen uniformed and plainclothes security officers stormed the home of prominent defense lawyer Mohammed Tajer on Friday night and detained him, said watchdog group Human Rights Watch in a statement.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain: We must speak out about brutality in the Gulf
One obvious lesson for the west from recent upheaval in the Middle East is that propping up authoritarian regimes on the grounds that they make stable allies is a terrible policy.
The stability procured by despotism is an illusion. Brittle police states can contain, but never satisfy, a captive people's appetite for better lives. Eventually, they shatter and the more rigid the apparatus of repression, the more explosive the change when it comes.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain steps up campaign against 'professional' classes
A statement said the 111 people at the ministry for education would also be referred for legal action and quoted the education minister, Majid bin Ali al-Nuaimi, as saying it followed an investigation into "flagrant violations" of rules concerning schools.
The education ministry did not give details of how many of the employees suspended were teachers, but made clear the action was a response to a strike call by the Bahraini Teachers' Association.
"The association called for the strike for political reasons in a bid to cripple schools", Mr al-Nuaimi said
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain detains former champion athlete - opposition
Bahrain has detained a former bodybuilding champion as part of a crackdown on mainly Shi'ite Muslim pro-democracy protesters in the Sunni-led Gulf Arab kingdom, the opposition said on Sunday.
Tareq al-Fursani, a gold medallist in several Asian championships, was arrested at his home in a village east of the capital Manama late on Saturday, a member of the country's largest Shi'ite opposition group, Wefaq, told Reuters
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain told to respect students' right to protest by UK government
The government has called on Bahrain to respect the right to peaceful protest. The move follows claims that families of students studying in Britain, who were photographed attending a peaceful protest in Manchester in solidarity with the country's pro-democracy movement, had been targeted.
The Foreign Office said it was aware of the actions of Bahraini citizens living in the UK campaigning against the regime and said they had a right to voice their concerns without intimidation or retaliation. "We have made clear to the Bahraini government that, unless these individuals commit a criminal offence in the UK, they will be free to carry out their activities in line with UK laws."
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain to prosecute civil servants over protests
More than a hundred civil servants in Bahrain were summarily fired for participating in anti-government protests, the state news agency said Sunday, in the latest crackdown on the opposition.
The Bahrain News Agency said Sunday that 111 employees of the Education Ministry had been punished for participating in the street marches and strikes last month, demanding greater political freedoms and equal rights for the Shiite majority in the tiny, but strategically important Gulf island nation
(h/t dibsa 4/18) - Bahrain's 'tranquil, liberal' image falls away
Bahrain's government has announced plans to close down the main opposition party, driving it underground. The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner, who used to live in Bahrain, returned to assess life under a state of emergency.
The sheikh sounded nervous.
"I am asking you not to go to that village," he said.
"If you do, the police will arrest you, take away your tapes and I will have to come and get you out of the police station."
Our team was indignant. This was surely outrageous
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Burkina Faso to Address Soldiers' Grievances
Burkina Faso's army commander says the government will work with soldiers to resolve the grievances that led to unrest that erupted last week.
General Nabere Honore Traore announced the decision on Tuesday, a day after members of the elite presidential guard released a statement apologizing for the unrest.
Last Thursday, soldiers in the capital, Ouagadougou, began firing shots into the air to protest the government's delay in paying their housing and daily food allowances. The demonstration spread to other cities, where police joined the protests
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Burkina Faso TV says students have burned down the ruling party’s headquarters in central city
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Burkina Faso TV says students have burned down the ruling party’s headquarters in central city.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Burkina Faso army mutiny widens
The West African country of Burkina Faso simmered Monday as a mutiny by soldiers spread to two more towns and a student protest turned incendiary
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t dibsa 4/15) - Ouattara Government Forms New Ivory Coast Army
n Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara's new government is recruiting more security forces to improve conditions in the commercial capital after more than four months of political violence. Life is increasingly returning to normal less than a week after the arrest of former president Laurent Gbagbo.
In the fight to bring President Ouattara to power after he won November's vote, groups of young men rose up in pro-Ouattara neighborhoods of Abidjan to confront former president Gbagbo's army.
DJIBOUTI
(h/t Dibsa 4/13 ) - Djibouti validates presidential poll results
Djibouti's constitutional council on Wednesday validated results of last week's presidential poll which showed that incumbent Ismael Omar Guelleh won 80 percent of votes in a contest boycotted by the opposition.
The 63-year-old Guelleh faced a single independent candidate, Mohamed Warsama Ragueh, who took 19 percent in last Friday's elections.
Opposition groups had stayed out of the polls in protest at constitutional changes overseen by Guelleh that allowed him to run for a third term, but which he said would be his last.
Turnout from the 152,000 registered voters was 75 percent.
Guelleh has ruled the small but strategic country since 1999.
Djibouti hosts the largest oversees French military base as well as the only US army base in Africa
(h/t JustJennifer 4/12 ) - Djibouti: President Ismael Omar Guelleh wins third term
The president of Djibouti has secured a third term in office after a landslide election victory, despite recent protests against his rule.
Ismail Omar Guelleh has won 80% of the votes cast, according to the country's electoral commission.
The opposition had urged a boycott of Friday's polls, alleging irregularities.
EGYPT
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Egypt ex-vice president interrogated over protests
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) – Former Egyptian vice president Omar Suleiman is being questioned in connection with violence against protesters during the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak, the general prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.
Suleiman, long-time chief of intelligence, was questioned about "information held by the intelligence services on the events of the January 25 revolution," the prosecutor's office said
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Egypt: At least 846 killed in protests
CAIRO – An Egyptian government fact-finding mission says at least 846 people were killed during the popular uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
The mission, consisting of a panel of judges, detailed in its Tuesday report what it described as the excessive use of force by security forces in the face of growing mass protests, which kicked off on Jan. 25.
The report said that security forces fired live ammunition, placed snipers on rooftops and used vehicles to run over protesters.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - As Inmates 23 and 24, Stunned Mubaraks Adjust
Now they hold the full tableau of state power under President Hosni Mubarak: Gamal Mubarak, a prince of the political scene, now prisoner No. 23, and his older brother, Alaa, leader among the business elite, prisoner No. 24; the prime minister, Ahmed Nazif, a patrician man who once said Egyptians were not ready for democracy; Zakaria Azmi, the president’s closest confidant; Fathi Sorour, the party loyalist and speaker of Parliament; and more
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Radical Islamist groups gaining stranglehold in Egypt
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest Islamic movement and the founder of Hamas, has set up a network of political parties around the country that eclipse the following of the middle class activists that overthrew the regime. On the extreme fringe of the Brotherhood, Islamic groups linked to al-Qeada are organising from the mosques to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of the dictatorship.
The military-led government already faces accusations that it is bowing to the surge in support for the Muslim movements, something that David Cameron warned of in February when he said Egyptian democracy would be strongly Islamic
(h/t Dibsa 4/18 ) - Egypt: former prime minister to face corruption trial
The general prosecutor says the three former ministers will all be charged with misusing public funds and unlawful gains of over 92 million Egyptian pounds (£9.5 million).
Mr Nazif, Habib al-Adly, former interior minister, and Yussef Boutros-Ghali, former finance minister, are accused of illegal profiteering from a deal to import new vehicle number plates.
They allegedly bought the number plates directly without calling for a public tender as laid down by law. They are also said to have bought the number plates for higher than their market price
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 4/13) - US welcomes EU sanctions on 32 Iranian officials
The US has welcomed the European Union's sactions on 32 Iranian officials who were allegedly involved in human rights abuses.
The European Union yesterday had imposed assets freezes and travel bans on the Iranian officials, saying they had been involved in human rights violations.
"These designations are an important reminder to Iran that the international community will continue to hold accountable those responsible for abuses against the Iranian people," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
In a statement, Carney asked Iran to respect and protect the universal rights of its citizens.
"We will continue to work closely with the EU and other like-minded partners to ensure that the cause of human rights remains at the forefront of our efforts in support of the Iranian people," he said.
IRAQ
h/t Dibsa 4/19) - 81 hurt in Iraq clashes with protesters
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) – Eighty-one people were wounded, nine by live fire, in a second day of clashes between protesters and security forces in Iraq's northern city of Sulaimaniyah Monday, a medical official said.
"Eighty-one people were wounded, nine of them by bullets. Security forces personnel are among the wounded," said Dr Raykot Hama Rashid, director of the main hospital in the second largest city in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan province
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 4/15) -
Dozens wounded as protesters clash in Jordan
Hundreds of protesting Islamic hard-liners clashed with supporters of Jordan's king on Friday, wounding dozens, in the latest move by the extremist movement to assert itself amid the country's wave of anti-government demonstrations.
A crowd of about 350 extremist Salafi Muslims faced off with a slightly smaller group of pro-king loyalists in the town of Zarqa. Salafis beat the government supporters with clubs and fists, and the two sides hurled stones at each other, leaving people bloodied on the ground.
The Salafi movement — an ultra-conservative version of Islam with an ideology similar to al-Qaida's — is banned in Jordan, but it has grown in strength in recent years and Salafis have held a series of rallies in various parts of the country in recent weeks
KUWAIT
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/06 ) - Rally against Kuwait PM's reappointment sees poor turnout
A protest against the prime minister this week failed to attract a large crowd after Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al Sabah was appointed to the post for the seventh consecutive time.
Sheikh Nasser was reappointed by the emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Jaber al Sabah, on Tuesday, five days after the government resigned to prevent ministers from facing questions in parliament.
"We can't accept this. We didn't expect it," said a member of the youth group Kafi, requesting anonymity, at the protest in the "Square of Change" on Tuesday. Kafi is one of several organisations, supported by opposition members of parliament, which have called for a new prime minister at public rallies since March.
"They're taking a big chance by appointing him for the seventh time," the protester said. The groups want a new prime minister to put a stop to the country's economic decline, he said. Some of the protests have attracted several hundred supporters, but on Tuesday, just two dozen Kuwaitis gathered in the square. "We have a low turnout because this wasn't planned," another member of Kafi, who also asked to remain anonymous, said, adding that the media's critical treatment of protesters has put people off.
LEBANON
(h/tUnaSpenser 04/06) - Protests in Lebanon Spread Southward
Tyre and Sidon, South Lebanon's largest cities, are both witnessing open protests in their centers. The protests which started in the capital Beirut on February 27th have now reached the south.
Hundreds of protesters in these cities are demanding an end to the countries' current political power-sharing system. Demonstrators say that this system has done nothing but strengthen the roots of religious discrimination in the community and at the same time has failed to provide them with the most basic needs such as education, employment and medical care.
Although the majority of these protestors believe, there is little chance that their demands will be met by government officials, the recent popular uprisings in other parts of the Arab World have given them hope.
On the other hand, some believe that this system which goes a long way back in history, was first formed to preserve the rights of the minorities in the country.
LIBYA
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Libya rebels say 10,000 killed, UN sends food aid
MISRATA, Libya (AFP) – The UN said Tuesday it has sent food for 50,000 people to west Libya as aid groups scrambled to reach trapped civilians and rebels put the death toll from two months of fighting at 10,000.
One month after NATO allies dropped their first bombs on Moamer Kadhafi's forces, there appeared no end in sight to what experts are now warning will be a prolonged military stalemate in which civilians casualties will mount.
(h/t dibsa 4/19) - Libya rebels raise concern about Islamic extremism
AJDABIYA, Libya – Abdel-Moneim Mokhtar was ambushed and killed by Moammar Gadhafi's troops last week on a dusty road in eastern Libya — the end of a journey that saw him fight as a jihadi in Afghanistan and then return home where he died alongside NATO-backed rebels trying to oust the longtime authoritarian leader.
In describing Mokhtar's death on Friday, Gadhafi's government said he was a member of al-Qaida — part of an ongoing attempt to link the rebels to Osama bin Laden's group. Four years ago, al-Qaida said it had allied itself with the Libyan Islamic Fighters Group — of which Mokhtar was a top military commander
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Fighting rages in western Libyan city
TRIPOLI, Libya – Heavy fighting raged Tuesday in the western Libyan city of Misrata, witnesses said, while a NATO commander complained the alliance was having trouble destroying Moammar Gadhafi's mortars and rockets attacking rebels there and Britain said it would send senior military officers to advise the opposition in the east.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Libya Crisis Reveals Splits on E.U. Goals
The Libyan war is not good news for NATO. In spite of the upbeat speeches by NATO foreign ministers last week in Berlin, only 14 of the 28 member countries militarily support the no-flight zone and actions to protect Libyan civilians from attack by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces. Only six of them are carrying out airstrikes.
With support from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, the NATO mission in Libya is now a coalition of the willing, which analysts say undermines the cohesion of the alliance. But compared with other missions undertaken by NATO, the alliance this time moved with unprecedented speed in beginning the operation
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - UN, Libya reach deal on providing humanitarian aid
Moammar Gadhafi's government has promised the U.N. access to the besieged rebel city of Misrata, a senior U.N. official said Monday, as Libyan government troops continued to attack Misrata with shells and rockets.
However, the Libyan authorities have not guaranteed a halt of hostilities during such a mission, said the U.N.'s humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, who met with the Libyan prime minister in the capital of Tripoli on Sunday
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Libyan families flee Gaddafi forces in Ajdabiya as civilian death toll rises
Muammar Gaddafi's forces mounted a heavy assault on Libyan rebels holding the key town of Ajdabiya on Sunday in a sign that the regime is stepping up efforts to regain territory in the east of the country.
Explosions were heard for several hours in the morning, forcing some of the few remaining families to flee to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, 90 miles away.
RESOURCES:
The full text of UN Resolution 1970 on Libya.
The full text of UN Resolution 1973 on Libya.
President Obama's letter to Congress regarding commencement of operations in Libya. (h/t greenbird)
Al Jazeera Libyan live blog. (h/t jnhobbs)
UK Telegraph Libyan live blog. (h/t bee tzu)
BBC Libyan live blog found here. (h/t greenbird)
The New Yorker Dispatches from Libya. (h/t suejazz)
BBC's Libyan crisis mapped. (h/t phil S 33)
revolutionology is a blog from an American in Benghazi
MAURITANIA
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/06 ) - Mauritania Opposition Wants Senatorial Election Postponed
The polls should only take place once “an agreement between the political parties to assure the transparency and the regularity of the ballot” is secured, the Coordination of the Democratic Opposition said in an e-mailed statement today from Nouakchott, the capital.
MOROCCO
(h/t Dibsa 4/14 ) - Moroccan king pardons prisoners
Morocco's Justice Ministry says the king has granted pardons or lightened sentences for 190 prisoners in response to a request from an official human rights body.
King Mohammed VI took the step as this country is seeing small-scale but regular protests by activists demanding greater democratic freedoms, amid demonstrations around the Arab world.
The ministry said in a statement carried by the MAP news agency that the king's decision meant 190 people had their sentences commuted, had death penalties converted to limited prison terms, or had prison terms reduced. The statement did not say what they were convicted for.
Independent activists have said suspects detained under Morocco's counterterrorism laws are routinely subjected to human rights violations
(h/t JustJennifer 4/12) - Is Morocco next in line for mass uprisings?
Pro-democracy activists in Morocco are gearing up for more mass demonstrations this month, unsatisfied with the king's pledge to carry out "comprehensive" constitutional reform.
Inspired by the success of protesters elsewhere in North Africa, tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets on 20 February.
King Mohammed VI responded three weeks later, promising changes that would dilute his absolute hold on power.
The prime minister calls it a "peaceful revolution". But the protest leaders insist the proposals fall far short of their demands.
OMAN
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Omanis keep up pressure for political change
Two months after unprecedented shows of dissent began in Oman, a raft of political and economic concessions has yet to halt demands for change.
In an effort to end unrest that has shaken the usually peaceful country, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said, Oman’s ruler, has offered the most far-reaching reforms of his 40-year rule, pledging to raise the minimum wage, introduce benefits for job-seekers and create 50,000 more public-sector jobs. He has also carried out a wholesale cabinet reshuffle, removing ministers accused of corruption
QATAR
(h/t lotlizard 3/26 ) -
Why Qatar seems immune from the Arab world's revolutionary fever
Qatar, which has a population of around 1.5 million, approximately 200,000 of whom are Qatari citizens, has an unemployment rate of half a percent. Its GDP per capita of $145,300 is the highest in the world and its 2010 growth rate was 19.4 percent, also ranking it No. 1 in 2010.
Its comparably small, docile population allows Sheikh al-Thani to operate a rentier state: Qataris don't pay income tax, and they're provided with free utilities and health care. Education is also heavily subsidized, with Qatari students often receiving full scholarships to attend universities. In exchange for these perks, Qataris allow Sheikh al-Thani to rule unopposed.
The country's migrant laborers, primarily from Southeast Asia, are frequently underpaid and abused. The controversial Sponsorship Law, which other Gulf countries have recently abolished, prohibits them from leaving the country without permission from their sponsor, essentially dictating a relationship of indentured servitude. Southeast Asian laborers have virtually no political voice in Qatar. If they were to take to the streets and protest, they'd be deported
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t dibsa 4/15) - The House of Saud won't wake up
The once seemingly overwhelming momentum of the democratic movements in the Middle East has been stopped or at least slowed in many countries. The forces behind staunching the tide of change are often domestic in nature, but Saudi Arabia is playing an important supporting role - sometimes behind the scenes, sometimes through open use of force. These actions will have consequences throughout the region for quite some time.
Saudi Arabia and Iran
Once the "twin pillars" of US policy in the Persian Gulf, Saudi
Arabia and Iran have become increasingly antagonistic over the past three decades. This was especially so after the Saudis supported Iraq's lengthy and bloody war with Iran in the 1980s, which included a handful of air skirmishes between Saudi and Iranian aircraft
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Syria lifts state of emergency laws
BEIRUT – Syria's official news agency says the cabinet has approved lifting the country's nearly 50-year-old state of emergency laws — a key demand of protesters.
The SANA news agency says the government Tuesday also abolished the state security court, which handled the trials of political prisoners, and approved a new law allowing the right to peaceful protests.
But it's unclear whether the moves will ease the crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. Just hours earlier, authorities issued a stern warning for protesters to back down
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Syria bans all demos as 10 killed in Homs
DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syria on Tuesday imposed a total ban on all demonstrations after warning of a crackdown on an "armed revolt" by Islamist radicals and security forces fired on protesters in the city of Homs, killing at least four.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar told people "to refrain from taking part in all marches, demonstrations or sit-ins under any banner whatsoever," state news agency SANA reported.
He warned that if demonstrations were held, "the laws in force in Syria will be applied in the interest of the safety of the people and the stability of the country."
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Syrian security forces open fire on sit-in
BEIRUT – Syria issued a stern warning to the nation Tuesday to stop protesting, hours after security forces opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas on hundreds of anti-government demonstrators during a pre-dawn raid that killed at least one person, witnesses said.
The statement raised the specter of an increasingly violent crackdown on the monthlong protest movement against President Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime. The uprising is posing the most serious threat to the Assad family's ruling dynasty
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Rights group says 12 Syrians killed in clashes
More than 10,000 mourners in Syria joined funeral processions Monday a day after witnesses said security forces opened fire on crowds challenging the authoritarian rule of President Bashar Assad. A rights group claimed at least 12 people died in the bloodshed.
At least four coffins were carried by the funeral marchers in the western city of Homs, the center of Sunday's clashes, said a witness. Security forces stayed away from the mourners in an apparent move to avoid confrontation, said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - HEADLINE
Thousands took to Syrian streets on Monday, a day after activists said 11 people were killed by security forces amid a growing clamour for further democratic reforms.
Protests gripped the central city of Homs, the protest hub of Daraa in the south as well Jisr al-Shoughour near the northwestern city of Idleb despite pledges by the president to lift a draconian emergency law.
Activists have said Bashar al-Assad's vow on Saturday to lift within a week nearly five decades of emergency law is insufficient, with protesters also demanding the release of political prisoners and the end of the ruling Baath party's grip over the state and society
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Tunisian court drops case at heart of protests
TUNIS, Tunisia – A Tunisian court dropped charges Tuesday against a policewoman whose dispute with a fruit vendor sparked a chain of events that unleashed uprisings around the Arab world.
The state news agency TAP says the case against Fedia Hamdi was closed after the vendor's family withdrew its original complaint. The family says it acted in a gesture of tolerance and an effort to heal wounds suffered in Tunisia's upheaval of recent months.
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Tunisian policewoman whose slap sparked massive revolts in Arab world to be tried
Fadia Hamdi, the Tunisian policewoman whose slap of Mohammad Bouazizi, a vegetable seller has changed geopolitics in the Arab world, is to be tried for physical aggression and verbal abuse, a public prosecutor said.
The 34-year-old woman has been in police custody since January and last week the prosecutor rejected a call by her lawyer to allow her to go home
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t Dibsa 4/13 ) - UAE blogger is in prison, but is being treated well, wife says
An Emirati blogger who has called for reform in the United Arab Emirates is being held in Al Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi, his wife said Wednesday
Ahmed Mansoor is being treated well, according to wife Nadia, who said she spoke to him Tuesday evening.
Mansoor's attorney, Abdul Hamid Al Kumity, said he is not aware of any charges against his client, but will meet with the prosecutor's office Wednesday.
Dubai police have told Al Kumity that two bottles of whiskey were found in Mansoor's house. Alcohol is available at hotels and select stores in the UAE, but Muslims are not allowed to buy or possess it
(h/t Dibsa 4/12 ) - Arrested UAE blogger accused of possessing alcohol
A prominent blogger and activist who called for democratic reform in the United Arab Emirates has been charged with possession of alcohol after being arrested last week, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Ahmed Mansoor had received death threats online, which he said were for joining a petition demanding wider political representation and legislative powers for the Federal National Council, a parliamentary-style body
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 4/14) - Morocco court frees Sahara activists after two years
A Casablanca court released from jail Thursday three activists for the independence of Western Sahara detained for more than two years and on trial for undermining Morocco's internal security.
Ali Salem Tamek, Ibrahim Dahhane and Ahmed Naciri were released just before they were to announce a hunger strike, their lawyer Mohamed Sadqo said.
Their trial has been postponed several times since they were arrested in October 2009 at Casablanca airport on their return from Algeria's western town of Tindouf, a base for the Western Sahara independence movement, the Polisario Front.
"We submitted the request for provisional liberty a long time ago. This decision of the court shows that there is not enough evidence to convict them," Sadqo said
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Yemeni police kill one, wound others ahead of talks
SANAA (AFP) – Yemeni police killed one man and wounded several other people on Tuesday when they opened fire on anti-regime demonstrators ahead of a government delegation meeting with Gulf foreign ministers in Abu Dhabi.
Police fired "indiscriminately" on protesters demanding the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Wadi al-Qadi district of Taez, the second most-populated city of Yemen, south of Sanaa, according to witnesses.
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Yemeni police open fire on protesters; 4 wounded
SANAA, Yemen – A Yemeni activist says four anti-government protesters have been wounded after security forces opened fire on demonstrators in south Yemen.
Activist Nouh al-Wafi says several thousand protesters were rallying Tuesday in the city of Taiz to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh when security forces fired on the crowd.
Taiz has been a hotbed of two months of nationwide protests demanding the Saleh's ouster. Four protesters were killed in the southern city earlier this month
(h/t Dibsa 4/18) - Yemen clashes amid more calls for Saleh to quit
Yemen's opposition remained adamant on Monday that veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down immediately, after a fruitless meeting with Gulf mediators and late-night demonstrations in Sanaa turned violent and spread to other cities.
Hundreds of thousands of men and women protested in the capital late Sunday against Saleh's call for an end to mixed-gender demonstrations against the regime, and called for his departure.
(h/t dibsa 4/18) - Defectors from Yemen president's camp set up party
SANAA, Yemen – Several top figures who defected from the embattled Yemeni president's camp set up their own opposition party Monday in another blow to the long-time ruler who has clung to power despite near-daily protests demanding his ouster.
Meanwhile, police in a southern port town fired tear gas and live ammunition at thousands of protesters calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, injuring 45 people.
It bears repeating - Please Rec this diary.
Our Egyptian brethren articulated what people around the region are fighting for, though variations to the theme may exist from country to country. banner held by protesters and translated to English:
1 The departure of Mubarak
2 An end to the current Parliament
3 An end of the state of emergency
4 The creation of a national united government
5 A parliament elected by the people to modify the constitution and run the presidential elections
6 Put those responsible for the killings on trial
7 Put those responsible for stealing the country's money and other acts of corruption on trial
Will you help us gather updates?
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Here's how it works:
we invite you to join our wiki. (we'll need an email address from you)
you choose 1 or more countries you wish to gather citations for
go to the page of that country, click EDIT,
copy the mini template and fill in what the red text prompts
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We're working on a publication schedule: Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday. Ideally we would see fresh citations in the wiki by late evening the day before. That is, posts from late Monday evening would be published in Tuesday morning's diary. (If you'd like produce a diary on a different day of the week, we'd love to show you how to update the template and paste it into your diary!)
It's really that simple! Please join us.
Resources:
Note: The old Mothership Diary has good list of resources.
Al Jazeera English - Watch Live (the Youtube link below should work for Mac users unable to load this.)
Al Jazeera live also available on: Dish Network channel 9410 OR DirecTV Channel 375 Link
Al Jazeera on Facebook: - http: //www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Al Jazeera Live on YouTube
English Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
Arabic Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
BBC Middle East reporting
BBC Middle East and Arab Unrest
WorldWideTahrir{NEW} : Worldwide protests being organized to coincide with the upcoming ones in Egypt.
bicycle Hussein paladin - Why Iran 1979 Went to the Islamists and This One Won't
People to follow on twitter: - please suggest people for specific countries. Thank you!
@ArabRevolution - Region
@Dima_Khatib - Region
@March15Syria - Syria
@JNovak_Yemen - Yemen
@WomanfromYemen - Yemen
@Gheblawi - Libya
@ShababLibya - Libya
@feb17voices - Libya
@DrsForLibya - Libya
@libyanexpat - Libya
@lissnp - Iran
@prsianbanoo - Iran
@sandmonkey - Egypt
@JRamyRaoof - Egypt
@Elazul - Egypt
@Ssirgany - Egypt
@sharifkouddous
@monasosh
@ioerror
@ElBaradei
@SultanAlQassemi
@evanchill
@glcarlstrom
@nolanjazeera
@3arabawy
@shadihamid
@bencnn
@arabist
@speaktotweet: Egyptian Voice Tweets on Twitter
Previous Child Diaries:
Egypt and the Region Liveblog Archive by unaspenser
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