You are in the 251st Witness Revolution diary, 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 of the brave people striving against oppression for representative democracy with civil and human rights. One small bit of assurance that they do not strive in obscurity. Please see the 200th edition where participants shared what this series means to them.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
SYRIA
(ht JustJennifer 9/2) - Death and not disgrace Friday
Protest sign in Qamishly City
(ht JustJennifer 9/2) - Araben
The child Aaisha Al-Sheikh Hasan has been killed by Al-Asaad gangs. There are news of big number of martyrs in many provinces
Protesters walk bu the church in HAMA and shouting Christians and Muslims for freedom
Face to face with Assad's soldiers and hired thugs to kill innocent civilians just because they are asking for freedom and dignity. SEE for yourself these cold blood-killers.
AlKhaldiya Homs Syria | The brave chant for freedom and call out, Bashar al-Assad is worth a shoe.
ABOUT OUR GROUP
Eyes on Egypt and the Region produces a different series of diaries which provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope those provide context for you as you read about current events. The published diaries in that series are:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
See the group stream for even more diaries.
DO YOU KNOW OF GOOD READING MATERIAL?
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.
NEWS UPDATES
(country names in bold are updated from the previous diary.)
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t JustJennifer 8/27) -
Arab revolutions through Egyptian eyes
Rabat — Political transformation in Egypt helped to trigger uprisings in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. In turn the Arab world has pumped fresh blood back into Egypt’s political veins; activists and political groups are rallying support for political transformation elsewhere in the region where the dictators’ bullets are mowing down those committed to bringing down dictatorships. And while support for the drive to topple regimes is almost unanimous across the political spectrum, different positions have nonetheless formed on each case.
(h/t Dibsa 8/26)-Osman Mirghani: The end of Qaddafi: A message to Syria and Yemen?
I do not know what feelings haunt those leaders who have fallen from power and are watching the people celebrate their departure; tearing apart their portraits, chanting against their regime, and generally witnessing the extent of the people’s hatred for their regime. I would imagine that they cannot believe the images that they are witnessing with their own eyes, because they were blinded by power, and their policies of oppression and suppression ensured that they only heard the voices of those closest to them, the climbers and opportunists who said that their people loved them and were willing to die for them. This is why they fail to understand the message their people are trying to send them when they rise up and revolt, and why they fail to learn their lesson from the experience of other leaders. Instead, they insist on viewing the people’s uprising as part of a conspiracy that must be crushed by their security and military apparatus
ALGERIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Algeria, Forgotten by Arab Spring, May Rue Taking Qaddafi Family
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Algeria’s harboring of the family of at-large Libyan autocrat Muammar Qaddafi risks bringing scrutiny to the former French colony that’s so far been unaffected by the Arab Spring
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Bahrain tensions grow amid stronger protest calls
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — It's become a nightly duel in Bahrain: Security forces and anti-government protesters waging hit-and-run clashes in one of the simmering conflicts of the Arab Spring
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Bahrain opposition figure al-Nuaimi dies
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi, founder of one of Bahrain's leading opposition groups, died Thursday after more than four years in a coma, political leaders said. He was 67
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Bahrain unrest: Teenager dies after protest
Ali Jawad Ahmed, 14, was among a small crowd who had gathered overnight in the village of Sitra, said the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.
The group said security forces personnel had used "excessive force"
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Bahrain activists blame police in boy's death
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahraini security forces clashed with anti-government protesters after Wednesday morning prayers, killing a 14-year-old boy who died after being hit by a police tear gas canister, human rights activists said
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Bahrain's contribution to the Arab Spring
Arab silence on the continued repression of the Bahraini people is a shameful episode that does not fit the era of the Arab revolution. It is also a testimony to the determination of the US-backed Gulf political order - that is leading the effort to place a cap on change in the Arab World - to prevent the revolution from reaching its member states
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 8/25 ) - Burkina Students Relieved Over Zongo Verdict But Not Happy
Ouagadougou — In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a verdict was finally delivered in the Justin Zongo case, named after a student whose controversial death raised concerns over police brutality. The case sparked a series of protests that plunged the country into months of social unrest. Students expected a heavier sentence
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Burkina Faso sentencing upsets students
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A student protest leader in Burkina Faso said the sentencing of three policemen accused of brutality in the death of a detainee wasn't enough
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 8/26 ) - Top Gbagbo regime general detained
Abidjan - A general considered one of the most powerful officers in the regime of Ivory Coast's ex-strongman Laurent Gbagbo has been detained over alleged robbery and a probe into a mass grave, prosecutors said on Thursday
DJIBOUTI
(h/t Dibsa 6/22 ) - Djibouti Will Intensify Fight Against Poverty, Prime Minister Dileita Says
Djibouti’s government will intensify its fight against poverty, improve governance and implement renewable-energy projects to help spur economic growth, Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita said
EGYPT
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Islam in the new Egypt
Cairo - There’s a new Egypt now - an Egypt where public opinion actually matters. The country has gone through a tumultuous seven months, and Ramadan provides something of a break from politics, as Muslim communities engage in a month of fasting and spiritual contemplation
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Iranian opposition leader missing
TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Iranian human rights activists said they were "extremely concerned" about the welfare of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, who has been missing for six weeks
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Iranian Exiles Flock East, to Multiethnic Malaysia
Above the outdoor cafés of this city's trendiest suburb, some 60 exiles are busily dubbing Brazilian soap operas, Japanese cartoons and American music videos into Farsi. They work for GEM-TV, a privately owned, Dubai-based bootleg satellite station that beams the modern world into Iran from a broadcast station in Malaysia. This Southeast Asian nation is becoming, in the words of GEM-TV host Abed Randamiz, "famous as a place to jump" from Iran's harshly religious regime. "It's the best of three countries that freely give us visas," Rangamiz says with a shrug. "The others are Turkey and Turkmenistan."
IRAQ
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Senior Iraqi Kurd calls on rebels to lay down arms
The deputy chief of the most powerful political party in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has called on separatist groups in the area to lay down their arms in an interview published on Sunday
ISRAEL
(h/t The Troubadour 8/27 ) - Israel's Massive Protests are BACK! 30,000 Marching After Week of Violence w/ Million March Next
With bombs falling in Gaza and rockets in Southern Israel, many feared violence would destroy Israel's protest movement. Tonight, Israelis are showing their resolve under the banner of "Until We Win" (עד שננצח), showing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the people refuse to back down on their demands for social justice.
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - The Jordan opportunity
Should the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN fail to produce any tangible results, current events in Syria may have the unexpected effect of presenting Israel and the region with a very rare opportunity
KUWAIT
(h/t JustJennifer 8/25) - Jailed for tweeting in Kuwait
Armed security officers wearing balaclavas led Nasser Abul, blindfolded and shackled, into a courtroom in downtown Kuwait City on July 19. Accused of crimes against the state, he answered the judge's questions from a wood-and-metal cage in the courtroom. His mother, watching the proceedings, hoped her 26-year-old eldest son would finally be released after nearly two months in detention. The judiciary has refused to grant her wish.
LEBANON
(h/t Dibsa 8/9) - Syria solidarity rally held in Beirut
Hundreds of people have rallied in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, in solidarity with the Syrian people, as the Syrian government intensified its crackdown on protesters
LIBYA
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - A glance at Moammar Gadhafi's family
A look at Moammar Gadhafi's family members, some of whom recently fled to Algeria, others who are believed to be still fighting the rebels inside Libya
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Libyan rebels catch Gadhafi foreign minister
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Rebels hunting the top officials in Moammar Gadhafi's ousted regime have captured his foreign minister and are closing in on Gadhafi himself, rebel officials said Thursday
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Libyan rebels round up black Africans
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Rebel forces and armed civilians are rounding up thousands of black Libyans and migrants from sub-Sahara Africa, acccusing them of fighting for ousted strongman Moammar Gadhafi and holding them in makeshift jails across the capital
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Russia recognises Libya's rebel government
Russia on Thursday officially recognised Libya's rebels as the governing authority in the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Libyan rebels: Gadhafi son offers to surrender
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's son al-Saadi is trying to negotiate the terms of his own surrender, the rebel commander in Tripoli told The Associated Press on Wednesday in what would be a major blow to the Libyan leader's crumbling regime
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Libyans celebrate Muslim holiday, Gadhafi ouster
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyans on Wednesday wept over the graves of those killed in their six-month war against Moammar Gadhafi, then celebrated their newfound freedom with morning prayers and joyous chants in the capital's main square — bittersweet rituals marking the start of a major Muslim holiday
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Qaddafi family escape to Algeria provides hints for leader's hiding spot
Details about how Qaddafi's family members escaped to Algeria reveal another possible hiding spot for Muammar Qaddafi himself. The Guardian reports today that the family members now in Algeria fled from the town of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli
RESOURCES:
A vision of a democratic Libya an 8-point plan from the National Transitional Council
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)
MAURITANIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/25) - Mauritania urged to revoke anti-slavery activists’ sentencing
The authorities in Mauritania must revoke jail sentences given to four anti-slavery activists who protested against the enslavement of a 10-year old girl, Amnesty International said today
MOROCCO
(h/t Dibsa 8/15 ) - Morocco picks early elections date
Morocco's government says it wants to hold early parliamentary elections in November, to follow through on a raft of constitutional reforms aimed at reducing the risk of an uprising
OMAN
(h/t Dibsa 8/15) - Three newspaper staff charged in Oman court
MUSCAT — The Omani public prosecutor's office called on Sunday for the conviction of three local newspaper employees on charges of insulting the justice minister and called for their daily to be shut down
PALESTINE
(h/t Dibsa 8/25) - China announces support for Palestinian UN statehood bid
China says it supports a Palestinian plan to seek full membership in the United Nations next month.
Negotiations with Israel on the terms of Palestinian statehood have been frozen since 2008. As an alternative, the Palestinians have decided to seek UN recognition of an independent "Palestine" in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Palestinians hope most UN members back statehood bid
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — A senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday that he hoped the great majority of countries would back a Palestinian membership application to the UN next month
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Palestinian statehood blocked, equality struggle ahead
As the start of the UN General Assembly's 66th Session quickly approaches, it seems that "statehood" has sucked the air out of every room where Palestine is discussed. Worse, in Washington, where the Obama Administration has taken a firm stance against the UN approach, the statehood bid is seen as a radical move
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - #Tal3mrak: A Hashtag Challenges Saudi Arabian King
The phrase Tal3mrak in Saudi Arabia literally translates into "May god prolong your life" - and its used as a sign of respect when addressing royalty or influential business men in the Gulf region
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Two dead as Syrian security forces make new swoops
Two civilians were killed Thursday as Syrian security forces moved into a district of the central city of Homs and a village in the northwest, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Syrian attorney general resigns on video
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian attorney general has appeared on video declaring his resignation to protest President Bashar Assad's crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising, saying security forces killed hundreds of people in the restive city of Hama and arrested thousands of "peaceful protesters."
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Syrian]] security forces carry out raids, arrests
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces searching for anti-government protesters raided houses in central Syria and made arrests, activists and residents said Wednesday.
The troops, backed by tanks and military vehicles, entered districts in Homs and Hama as part of efforts to crush five months of street protests against President Bashar Assad
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - Tunisia opens way to vote on October 23
Tunisian political parties have begun to present their candidates for the October 23 election of a constituent assembly, the Independent Higher Body for Elections announced Thursday
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Don't forget Tunisia, where democracy has a better chance to work
While the media are saturated with stories from Libya, we rarely hear what's happening in next-door Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began.
That's too bad, because Tunisia is a far more important barometer of democracy's prospects in the region than Libya. Its positive attributes - see below - give it better odds than its neighbors to make democracy work
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t Dibsa 9/1) - U.A.E.'s slow steps to Democracy
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The oil-rich United Arab Emirates holds its second-ever polls next month after allowing many more citizens to vote, taking baby steps toward democracy in a state where virtually no one is pushing for quick change
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 7/26) - Western Sahara talks end in impasse
The latest round of unofficial, UN-brokered Western Sahara negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario ended without agreement last week
(h/t Dibsa 7/25) - Western Sahara: Women Refugees Denounce Dictatorship, Corruption at Camps
MADRID / Association for the development of Saharawi Women, led by Salma Buha Mint Bubacar Lecuara, president of the association and Fatma Ahmed Essbiti, its secretary, held a conference on july 21, 2011 at The Emperor hotel in Madrid. Ana Camacho a senior journalist with El País intervened in support of the two speakers. Also attended the ceremony Mohamed Salem jaddou a member of the association
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Yemen, Amid Political Turmoil, Is Embracing a Holiday
SANA, Yemen — The dusty streets of this ancient capital were jammed with cars as Yemenis ran last-minute errands before the start of Id al-Fitr, the joyous holiday that began Tuesday with the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Men stood in lines outside tiny barber shops, waiting patiently for their holiday trim, and, for a moment at least, the city tried to focus on something other than a lingering political and economic crisis
(h/t Dibsa 8/31) - Yemen, Amid Political Turmoil, Is Embracing a Holiday
SANA, Yemen — The dusty streets of this ancient capital were jammed with cars as Yemenis ran last-minute errands before the start of Id al-Fitr, the joyous holiday that began Tuesday with the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Men stood in lines outside tiny barber shops, waiting patiently for their holiday trim, and, for a moment at least, the city tried to focus on something other than a lingering political and economic crisis
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?
Many hands make light work and we rely on teamwork for timely posting.
Here's how it works:
1. we invite you to join our wiki. (we'll need an email address from you)
2. you choose 1 or more countries you wish to gather citations for
3. go to the page of that country, click EDIT,
4. copy the mini template and fill in what the red text prompts
5. click SAVE
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
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
@libyanexpat - Libya
@lissnp - Iran
@sandmonkey (Mahmoud Salem ) - Egypt
@JRamyRaoof - Egypt
@Elazul - Egypt
@Ssirgany - Egypt
@sharifkouddous
@monasosh
@ioerror
@ElBaradei
@SultanAlQassemi
@evanchill
@glcarlstrom
@3arabawy
@shadihamid
@bencnn
@arabist
@speaktotweet: Egyptian Voice Tweets on Twitter
Previous Child Diaries:
Egypt and the Region Liveblog Archive by unaspenser
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.
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