Note from the editors:
UnaSpenser and I have been very involved in the #occupy movements in our own cities. Obviously this has caused a huge disruption not only in our daily lives, but also in our ability to get updated diaries posted for this series. Conditions on the ground have changed tremendously for both of us. We are working behind the scenes to come up with a solution that we can continue publishing this series but also take part in what is a monumental shift in our own political landscape. I personally would like to thank all of the brave and wonderful people in Middle East and North Africa for inspiring us with their bravery and determination. You have helped us find our own voice. Now we have to do the work.
Today will be a day of just highlights for now, but I promise everyone that we are trying to get us back to our regularly scheduled program soon. Namaste.
You are in the 258th 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.
country by country updates below the fold
Thank you for bearing witness
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 Dibsa 9/29)-Arab Spring Women Continue Struggle for Equality
Saudi women are praising King Abdullah's decision allowing them to vote and run for local office for the first time in elections set for 2015. However, women’s rights activists continue to push for more freedoms, both within Saudi Arabia and in other parts of the Arab world
(h/t Dibsa 9/28)-The Arab Spring’s unintended consequences
Yemen’s renewed violence is just the latest sign that the Arab Spring may be joining the list of those historical contagions that, in the fullness of time, did not turn out well. Indeed, its effect may be reaching countries in ways that we did not expect
ALGERIA
(h/t Dibsa 9/19) - Algeria 'to have private TV channels in 2012'
ALGIERS — Algeria will get its first private television channels in 2012, Communication Minister Nacer Mehal was quoted as saying Monday by the El Khabar newspaper
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 10/7) - Bahraini medics tell of torture ahead of retrial
Bahraini medical workers who were handed lengthy jail terms for their alleged support of pro-democracy protests hope they will get a fair trial now they have had their sentences overturned
(h/t Dibsa 10/7 ) - Death of teenage Bahrain protester must be fully investigated
The death of a teenage protester in Bahrain last night must be independently investigated and the findings made public, Amnesty International said today.
Ahmed al-Jaber al-Qatan, 16, was shot while participating in an anti-government protest near the capital Manama after anti-riot police used shotguns and sound bombs to disperse protestors
(h/t Dibsa 10/3) - Bahrain Court Sentences 35 Over Role in Anti-Government Protests
A special court in Bahrain sentenced 35 people to terms ranging from 15 years to life in prison in three cases related to anti-government unrest earlier this year, including the murder of a Pakistani national
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - Life sentence upheld for Danish rights activist in Bahrain
A Bahraini appeals court has upheld the life sentence delivered this June to naturalised Dane and human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.
Al-Khawaja is one of 21 defendants who were sentenced, according to the BBC, for “forming a terrorist group to change the constitution and its monarchical system”, as well as inciting sectarian hatred, organising unlicensed protests and collaborating with a "terror group colluding with a foreign country".
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - UN rights office raises Bahrain trial 'irregularities'
The UN human rights office on Friday raised concerns about heavy sentences handed down by a Bahraini court on over 50 protesters in the country, noting that there were "serious due processirregularities."
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Bahrain court sentences protester to death
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain's special security court on Thursday sentenced a protester to death for killing a policeman, and gave doctors and nurses who treated injured protesters during the country's uprising earlier this year lengthy prison sentences, a lawyer said
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Bahrain court upholds life terms for opposition leaders
A Bahraini special court has upheld life jail sentences served on seven Shiite opposition leaders convicted of plotting to overthrow the regime in the Gulf kingdom, BNA official news agency said
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Bahrain feels heavy weight of Sunni-Shi’ite tension
In the rubbish-strewn streets of Sanabis, the police are on the prowl for the culprits. A group of Shi’ite teenagers and women, some of them mothers, some of them single, scuttle into a nearby house, putting out the lights as men get out of cars and drag some boys down from a rooftop across the street
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - BAHRAIN/DUBLIN: Abdulhadi Al Khawaja due back in court tomorrow - Human Rights Defenders from around the world demand his freedom!
130 HRDs from around the world join 120 HRDs from Middle East in calling for immediate release of fellow Human Rights Defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja. Appeal court to meet tomorrow, urge Bahraini authorities to vacate the sentence
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
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - BC-AF--Ivory Coast-Reconciliation Commission,0121
YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast (AP) -- Politicians and Ivory Coast's most famous soccer player are launching a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after months of postelection violence
(h/t Dibsa 9/28 ) - Ivory Coast Inaugurates Peace Panel
Ivory Coast, which endured months of deadly post-election violence this year, is launching a reconciliation panel aimed at unifying the nation.
President Alassane Ouattara is set to inaugurate the The Commission on Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation on Wednesday in the political capital, Yamoussoukro
(h/t Dibsa 9/28 ) - Ivory Coast sets legislative poll Dec. 11
(Reuters) - Ivory Coast will hold a parliamentary election on Dec. 11, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, the first poll since a civil war ended in April this year
EGYPT
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - Thousands of Egyptians protest Mubarak-era laws
CAIRO (AP) — Several thousand Egyptian protesters are demanding the country's military rulers put an end to emergency laws dating back to the rule of ousted President Hosni Mubarak
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Egypt's Islamists demand changes to election law
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday turned up the pressure on the country's military rulers to change a disputed new election law, even holding out the possibility of a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections unless the bill is amended
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Security raid office of Al Jazeera Egypt
CAIRO (AP) — The news chief of Al Jazeera Egypt Live, part of the Qatar-based broadcaster's network, says officials raided the station's office in Cairo, roughing up staff and confiscating equipment
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Egypt video shows torture of detainees
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military prosecutor says it has launched an inquiry into a video showing a dozen policemen and military officers beating and administering electric shocks to two detainees while laughing and filming the torture on their cell phones
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Egypt convicts Mubarak's information minister
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's powerful former information minister was convicted of corruption and sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday, in the latest conviction of a high-ranking figure of Hosni Mubarak's toppled regime
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - U.S. hikers' Iranian lawyer detained
TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Iranian lawyer who represented the two U.S. hikers released from an Iranian prison said Thursday his home was raided and he was held briefly by police
IRAQ
(h/t Dibsa 9/16) - Sadrists take to Iraq's streets in demos
Thousands of supporters of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr rallied in Baghdad and south Iraq on Friday to decry graft and poor public services, holding up broken appliances to highlight their plight
ISRAEL
(h/t Dibsa 9/26 ) - New leader gives boost to Israel's Labor Party
JERUSALEM (AP) — An opinion poll suggests that Israel's opposition Labor Party could nearly triple in strength in parliament under its new leader
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 9/14) - Jordanian protesters demand closing of US Embassy
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Demonstrators have demanded the closing of the U.S. Embassy in Jordan over Wikileaks cables suggesting covert U.S. plans to turn Jordan into a home for Palestinians
KUWAIT
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - More Kuwaiti MPs 'probed in graft case'
The public prosecutor in OPEC member Kuwait has expanded an unprecedented probe into the bank accounts of several MPs suspected of receiving illegal deposits, local media reported on Thursday
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Kuwait central bank workers rally for better pay
KUWAIT, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Several dozen of Kuwait Central Bank employees held a demonstration on Wednesday, demanding improved employment and financial conditions, the latest in a wave of strikes by government employees in the Gulf Arab state
LIBYA
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - Tripoli residents want revolutionaries out
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — More than a month since revolutionary forces seized the Libyan capital, the heavy thud of anti-aircraft guns and the crackle of automatic weapon fire still echoes across the city, and bands of young fighters in pickup trucks bristling with heavy weapons cruise the streets
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Former Libyan PM starts hunger strike in Tunisia
TUNIS — Muammar Gaddafi's former prime minister, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, has started a hunger strike in a prison in Tunisia to protest a request for his extradition from Libya's new rulers, his lawyer said on Thursday
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - 4 US senators travel to post-Gadhafi Libya
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Four Republican senators traveled to Libya on Thursday to meet with the nation's new rulers, the highest-profile American delegation to visit the country since the ouster of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Anti-Gadhafi commander killed in loyalist bastion
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — An anti-Gadhafi field commander says the top military official for revolutionary forces fighting loyalists in a key regime stronghold has been killed in a rocket attack
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Destroyed school raises questions for Libyans
AL-SHEGAIGA, Libya (AP) — Textbooks are strewn across the floor of the computer and math lab. Pages of science homework are stamped with footprints. A cupboard has been smashed. Bullet holes puncture computer screens and frame door locks
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Libya's new rulers believe Gadhafi hiding in south
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya's new rulers believe Moammar Gadhafi may be hiding in the southern desert under the protection of ethnic Tuareg fighters, while two of his sons are holed up in cities besieged by revolutionary forces elsewhere in the North African nation, officials said Wednesday
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Algeria tells its Gadhafi family to keep out of politics
ALGIERS - Algeria has ordered members of Moammar Gadhafi's family in exile on its territory to stay out of politics, after Gaddafi's daughter Aisha angered the new Libyan government by telling the media her father was still fighting to hold on to power
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Muammar Gaddafi "hiding near Algeria border": report
Muammar Gaddafi is thought to be hiding near the town of Ghadamis near Libya's border with Algeria, a senior Libyan military official told the Reuters news agency
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 9/29) - Police, youths clash in Mauritania census protests
NOUAKCHOTT — Police and demonstrators clashed in the Mauritanian capital Thursday after protests against a controversial census left one person dead earlier in the week.
A police spokesman said the demonstrators "had not sought permission for their march and the police intervened to uphold the law."
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Mauritania insists on census despite death
NOUAKCHOTT — Mauritania released more than a dozen protestors in the south of the country on Wednesday, activists said, a day after weeks-long demonstrations over a controversial census turned deadly
MOROCCO
(h/t Dibsa 9/19 ) - Morocco's democracy protests restart after hiatus
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Thousands of Moroccans demonstrated on Sunday calling for greater political freedoms, as the country's pro-democracy movement attempted to regain momentum lost over the summer
OMAN
(h/t Dibsa 9/21) - Oman paper shut for month over corruption series
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A court in Oman has ordered the one-month long closure of a prominent newspaper and sentenced two of its editors to jail after the country's justice minister accused them of slander
PALESTINE
(h/t Dibsa 9/29 ) - 'We have eight Security Council votes': Palestinians
The Palestinians have secured eight Security Council yes votes for their UN membership bid, just one short of the nine they need, the Palestinian foreign minister said on Thursday
(h/t Dibsa 9/28 ) - Palestinians in Israeli jails 'on hunger strike'
Thousands of Palestinian inmates in Israeli jails on Wednesday launched a hunger strike, the Palestinian minister for prisoners said
(h/t Dibsa 9/28 ) - UN Council buys time on Palestine membership bid
The UN Security Council on Wednesday pushed back a decision on the Palestinian bid to join the United Nations in a move that will give more time to international efforts to revive direct talks
QATAR
(h/t ninkasi23 9/5 ) - Is anyone paying attention to the rise and rise of Qatar?
Qatar has also shown strong political leadership, willingness and influence in bilateral relations with its Arab neighbours throughout the Arab Spring -- from rumours of having frozen their investments in Syria, to public messages of support for the opposition in Syria and Yemen -- though Qatar's role may not always seem consistent, as with Bahrain.
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Saudi Arabia — is the change enough?
Some glimmers of hope regarding women’s rights in Saudi Arabia appeared last week when King Abdullah decreed that women would finally be allowed to vote. But upon careful reading, this ‘law’ may well be a mirage. First the voting allowance does not come into force for at least another three years and this will only apply to local government elections. Furthermore, such elections are of little consequence in a monarchy where absolute power of veto resides with the king. Saudi women are still subject to arcane ‘guardianship’ rules at the behest of a primordial view of Islamic law. Due to this, they cannot travel, open a bank account, or visit a doctor without being accompanied by a male relative. Only a few days after this supposed modernisation, a woman was ordered 10 lashes for driving!
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Saudi men vote in local elections
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Men in Saudi Arabia cast ballots Thursday in local elections, the second-ever nationwide vote in the oil-rich kingdom. Women don't have the right to vote this time around, but will be able to do so in 2015
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Saudi king overturns verdict against woman driver
RIYADH, Saudi Arab (AP) — Saudi King Abdullah has overturned a court ruling sentencing a Saudi woman to be lashed 10 times for defying the kingdom's ban on female drivers, a government official said Wednesday
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Why Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia Are Still So Bad
It tells us much about the modern media and blogosphere when we get excited about news from Saudi Arabia that essentially means very little. Can women in Saudi Arabia run for office in this Thursday's municipal elections? No. Can they vote? No. But a post-dated political check by an ailing monarch has made global headlines. And yet, a woman sentenced to ten lashes today in Jeddah for violating a driving ban has received no media attention (thus far)
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 10/3) - Pro-Assad forces regain rebel Syrian town: agency
(Reuters) - Syrian troops regained control of the central town of Rastan, the official news agency said on Saturday, after the most prolonged fighting between the army and insurgents in a six-month uprising
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - Prominent Syrian dissident fears civil war
Prominent Syrian activist Michel Kilo said he fears that if protestors against President Bashar al-Assad fall into the strongman's trap and take up arms, it will lead to a disastrous civil war
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - Syrian troops fire at anti-regime protesters
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters Friday as thousands rallied across the country to call for the downfall of President Bashar Assad's regime, activists said. Troops also clashed with armed anti-regime forces in central regions
(h/t Dibsa 9/30) - 7 Syrian soldiers, police killed in restive town
BEIRUT (AP) — Two days of clashes between Syrian troops and forces opposed to President Bashar Assad in a rebellious central town have killed seven soldiers and policemen, a Syrian military official said Friday
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Syria refugees say they are trapped, unsafe in Lebanon
(Reuters) - Syrian refugees who have fled violence and bloodshed into neighboring Lebanon say they are unable to return for fear of persecution, but complain that they are still not safe from Syrian authorities who, they say, have infiltrated Lebanon
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Syrian regime supporters pelt US envoy with eggs
BEIRUT (AP) — Supporters of President Bashar Assad stoned the convoy of the U.S. ambassador to Syria as he arrived for a meeting with a leading opposition figure on Thursday, then pelted him with eggs and tomatoes and tried to break into the building while he was inside, the opposition activist and a U.S. official said. The American envoy was trapped in the office for three hours by the angry mob outside
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - HRW demands UN probe into Syrian woman's death
BEIRUT (AP) — An international human rights group is calling for a U.N. investigation into the possible role by Syrian security agents in the recent decapitation of an 18-year-old Syrian woman
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Syrian Revolutionaries Reach a Crossroads
For those risking their lives in Syria, six months of peaceful resistance appears to be producing little more than death, frustration, and stalemate. As the temptation to change tactics rises, the Syrian revolution comes closer to a crossroads
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 9/22) - Tunisian officer who denounced superiors freed
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian military tribunal has granted provisional release to a police officer jailed since May for accusing top Interior Ministry officials of destroying documents compromising the country's deposed president
(h/t Dibsa 9/19) - Tunisia sets Ben Ali clan appeal trial for 3 October
The appeal trial for relatives of Tunisia's ousted leader Tunisian Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi was set to 3 October by a Tunis appeals court Monday
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t Dibsa 9/26) - Activists on trial in UAE appear in court
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Five pro-democracy activists on trial in the United Arab Emirates returned to court Monday, two days after the oil-rich Gulf nation held elections for an advisory council that wields little real power
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 9/16) - A New Dawn? Western Sahara and the Arab Spring
“I’ve never felt more optimistic about the possibility for a just resolution of the situation in Western Sahara than I do today,” former senior British diplomat Carne Ross told a meeting in the House of Commons on September 6th. The meeting - Western Sahara and the Arab Spring - was being held to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN-brokered ceasefire agreement which brought to an end 16 years of fighting between the Polisario Front and Moroccan forces. Under the terms of the ceasefire a referendum on self-determination was promised, but two decades later it has yet to be carried out and negotiations have remained deadlocked. One might think this is not a cause for optimism
(h/t Dibsa 9/14) - Demands for Autonomy Spread
CASABLANCA, Sep 14, 2011 (IPS) - Morocco’s offer of autonomy to Western Sahara to stave off demands for full independence is boomeranging on the kingdom with other regions now demanding similar freedom
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 9/29) - Rival forces clash in Yemen capital
Fierce clashes erupted in Yemen's capital on Thursday between troops loyal to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh and forces led by defected General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a day after tribesmen downed a warplane
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Yemeni tribesmen shoot down fighter jet
Tribesmen fighting Yemeni troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh shot down Wednesday an army fighter jet, as a sea of protesters demanded the under-fire leader's ouster and trial
(h/t Dibsa 9/28) - Purported protest in Yemen capital
Amateur video purportedly captured today shows a large number of opposition protesters marching through the streets of Yemen's capital, Sanaa. (Sept. 28) (/The Associated Press)
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.
PLEASE PLACE LINKS NOT EMBEDS INTO COMMENTS
Embeds can lead to problems for some of our users.
We all thank you for your consideration.