You are in the the 142nd diary of the liveblog bearing witness to the 2011 uprisings throughout North Africa and the Middle East. We stand with our international friends and their courageous struggle for dignity, self-determination and human rights. (see more about or group below)
PLS REC this diary. PLS UNREC the previous diary.
LIBYA:
- First food aid to arrive in Benghazi tonight
The first delivery of food aid to Libya since the start of the fighting is due to arrive in Benghazi some time tonight. A convoy of trucks carrying 70 metric tonnes of high-energy, fortified date bars entered the country from the Egyptian border last night.
Preparations are under way for the delivery of another 70 metric tons of the locally-produced date bars, and 150 metric tons of wheat flour. A shipment of 1,182 metric tons of wheat flour which turned back from Benghazi last Thursday due to security concerns, set sail for Libya again today.
one ex-diplomat's suggestions:
(h/t stolen water ) - Libya: Eight Nonmilitary Options
1. Establishment of an escrow account for Libyan oil revenues
2. Listing all Libyan personnel involved in repression for sanction under SCR 1970
3. Seek public declarations from all commercial companies that they will not do business with the Gadhaffi regime.
4. Immediately position monitoring units on all borders and a naval blockade to ensure that the military embargo under UNSCR 1970 is enforced, and that regime members under ICC investigation or subject to paras 22-23 of UNSCR 1970 do not escape.
5. Electronic jamming of all regime communications [why aren't we doing this already??]; interference with internet communications, Stuxnet-like attacks on regime IT infrastructure.
6. Provide immediate and substantial humanitarian assistance in rebel-held areas.
7. Set up publicly accessible websites using satellite and other reconnaissance data to inform anti-Gaddafi forces of the disposition of regime military and irregular units.
8. Consider making the Libyan currency non-convertible
(h/t greenbird & oujdi ) - this is how tragic Gaddafi's atrocity is:
The injured soldier begs for painkillers as blood comes out of his nose from the beating he has received.
He tells us he came in a convoy of 25 to 30 tanks and they came in from the east gate and Tripoli.
"We were told you were all Bin Laden terrorists," he says to the doctors. "But now I know you are decent people."
He has lied to his people about who they are killing. They wouldn't be willing to shoot their fellow Libyans otherwise.
More regional tidbits after the fold....bold section names indicate fresh content...
The liveblog is primarily for witnessing, for other activities see the group stream.
We are in the process of collecting suggested readings for background reference materials in support of the Eyes on Egypt and the Region group. These readings may be either non-fiction or fiction, general to the region or specific to a country or issue. If there are resources which you believe 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 mailer to angry marmot.
conchita has a diary up responding to Libyan requests for a no-fly zone
Libyan Doctors for Hospitals in Libya an impressive new aide organization launched by one of our own: StepLeftStepForward.
Please place links and info for intervention ideas (humanitarian and beyond) in comments titled "Intervention". We encourage you to provide information without imploring, disrespecting those who might not pursue the intervention, or engaging long debates about the merits. With uniform content labeling, those interested can readily find them and those who want to produce intervention diaries can gather the data efficiently. Please post the link if you do produce an intervention resource diary. We'll include it in the next updated liveblog. Thank you.
The group is producing a series of diaries that provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope to provide a context for interpreting current events in the news. The published diaries in the series are:
A Region in Protest and Revolt
Will Arab Nationalism Shape the Course of the Reviolutions?
Saudi Arabia Background.
Oman Background
Yemen Background
Bahrain Background
PLS REC THIS DIARY! Will you please do the following to keep our dKos community eyes on our international friends risking their lives for self-determination?
1. Rec this diary. (click that star just under the title)
2. "Follow" " Eyes on Egypt and the Region"by clicking on the link and then scrolling down the group box on the right-hand side and clicking "Follow".
3. Get the word out by putting links in FP threads and telling all your friends.
Thank you!
NOTE: We have renamed the liveblog "Witnessing Revolution". What started in Egypt has 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 will have a name change.
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
(h/t Richard Lyon)Meet the Losers
The biggest potential losers in the still-roiling revolutions of the Middle East and North Africa are the people themselves. Many are democrats at high risk of being overwhelmed over time by new dictators and organized religious extremists. But the uncontested winners are already quite clear: those who own, sell, and bet on oil. In the last month alone, oil prices have leaped almost 10 percent, even with only tiny dips in supply.
(h/t UnaSpenser)The Gulf and the "Arab Rage"
The traditional assessment was that the Arab Gulf states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman – were largely immune to wide scale protests, the differences among them notwithstanding. With their large oil and gas revenues, the states distribute some of their wealth through widespread subsidies of goods and services. Now, however, the fear that as the Arab rage increases the shockwaves will reach these countries, too, is not groundless, if only because some of the incendiary issues – including authoritarian regimes that suppress human rights – are found in the Gulf, and because of the highly infectious nature of the protests, which appear to be far from ebbing.
The Gulf rulers have prepared for possible protests in several ways. Some have “responded” to the demands of the masses and made a number of political changes, mostly tactical; others have placed an emphasis on economic reforms in the hope that they will be sufficient to nip any fomenting activity in the bud. While such preventive measures are intended to take the sting out of any possible protest, they testify to the rulers’ fears as to the stability of their regimes, and they may even whet the political appetites of the masses further. Another customary step is pointing an accusing finger at foreign involvement (read: Iran) in inciting the riots.
ALGERIA:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Disgruntled police stage protest rally in Algeria
More than 2,000 members of a security body that had helped fight an Islamist insurgency in Algeria staged a protest rally on Monday, presenting a new challenge to a government fearing Egypt-style unrest.
....
The government mobilised a huge number of riot police to contain Monday's protest.
Weekly protests by opposition supporters have taking place in Algiers to demand more political freedom and better living standards, but the demonstrators have failed to strike a chord with most ordinary people.
BAHRAIN:
(h/t suejazz) - British Bankers may face charges in Bahrain
A group of British bankers may face criminal charges in Bahrain after the Gulf kingdom's public prosecutor announced that he had told a court to proceed with a case against a group of financial executives.
COTE D'IVOIRE:
(h/t greenbird ) - Ivory Coast rebels seize town from Gbagbo and cause refugee panic
Rebels in Ivory Coast have seized a strategically important town in the fiercest fighting since the 2002-03 civil war, causing panic among tens of thousands of refugees.
The New Forces movement now holds a 30-mile corrider along the western border, which they say is vital in cutting off incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo's ability to recruit mercenaries from neighbouring Liberia.
As the conflict threatens to escalate, the Guardian has learned that Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, is set to leave his base in Abidjan for the first time since becoming a virtual prisoner there when the crisis began three months ago.
DJIBOUTI:
(h/t suejazz) - Police, army forces in Djibouti prevent protest
Soldiers and police filled the streets of Djibouti on Friday to prevent a planned demonstration against the president by opposition parties, officials said.
Djibouti — a tiny East African nation that hosts a U.S. military base — saw thousands turn out at an anti-government demonstration two weeks ago. Protesters said they planned to hold another rally Friday, but that the government denied them permission and sent security forces into the street.
EGYPT:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - In Egypt's Tahrir Square, women attacked at rally on International Women's Day
Hastily organized on Facebook to coincide with International Women's Day, the protest was billed as a "Million Woman" march. But in fact, it attracted only about 200 demonstrators, mostly women but some men as well. The violent opposition they faced suggests that Egyptian women must fight their own revolution to achieve equal rights.
'Go wash clothes! This is against Islam!'
The demonstrators, who gathered in Tahrir Square – the epicenter of the revolution – had much to complain about: The military council ruling the country until new elections are held failed to appoint a single woman to the committee tasked with drafting constitutional amendments. One of the proposed constitutional amendments implies that the office of presidency is limited to men by saying that a president cannot be married to a non-Egyptian woman. And the only woman in Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s new government is from Mubarak’s government.
sad to see this after all the solidarity during the big protests:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Violence, death in Egypt sectarian clash
Egypt’s Copts took to a main thoroughfare that connects downtown with suburbs late in the afternoon, blocking the road. The army then arrived and told them that they could not block the Autostrad.
The Coptic demonstrators agreed to the order and unblocked the road to allow millions of Egyptians passage. The protest, however, continued.
“In less than 45 minutes a group of young people from areas such as Abagiya, the Cairo Citadel, Sayyeda Aisha and Basateen, began arriving,” Ibrahim continued.
These groups of young people, he said, began with around 500 people, but within an hour had grown to nearly 3,000. They began to attack the Copts with glass and bricks, forcing the military to intervene.
While the army was closing in on the protesters, it began attacking the protesters with live ammunition, Ibrahim said he witnessed.
The Manshiyet Nasr area has only two small hospitals and they are not equipped to deal with gunshot wounds.
A number of Egyptians have told Bikya Masr that they believe the violence is being perpetrated and orchestrated by the State Security, which according to recently released documents was responsible for the New Year’s Eve church bombing in Alexandria.
IRAN:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Iran's former president Rafsanjani steps down from assembly role
Some analysts believe that Rafsanjani decided to step aside to avoid embarrassment had he failed to win the assembly's election but others assert that he was ordered by the supreme leader to do so.
"Since 2006 he has been elected as the head of the assembly every two years and I think he was really keen to run this time as well but I believe he had a hint from the supreme leader to step aside," Meir Javedanfar, an expert of Iranian politics said.
Iran's opposition speculated that criticism from his own supporters over his failure to determine the fate of disappeared opposition leaders might have been another factor in his decision.
IRAQ:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Attacks on reporters and activists spur fears about rollback of liberties in Iraq
BAGHDAD — A surge of protests against Iraq's U.S.-backed democratic government has provoked a violent crackdown on demonstrators and journalists that is raising concerns about a rollback of civil liberties throughout the country.
In recent weeks, journalists and activists have been detained and beaten by Iraqi security forces, TV and radio stations attacked in the dead of night, and protesters blocked from getting to demonstrations. In the most serious incidents, an Iraqi reporter claims he was tortured with electricity and three people who went to a protest turned up dead the next morning.
The attacks on journalists have sparked a rare public demand by the American government for accountability.
"We call on the Iraqi Government and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities to follow through on their pledges to investigate these incidents fully, and punish the perpetrators," the embassy said Monday.
JORDAN:
(h/t suejazz ) - Netanyahu Seeks to Keep Military on Jordan Border
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared definitively on Tuesday that he would maintain an Israeli military presence along the Jordan River under any future arrangement involving the Palestinians, buttressing a known policy with a demonstrative visit to that area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Mr. Netanyahu said the Israeli military presence east of any future Palestinian state was all the more necessary, given the tumult rocking the Middle East. The visit came as Israeli officials were floating the idea of a peace initiative for an interim arrangement toward a two-state solution, instead of the previously stated goal of a final accord on Palestinian statehood by fall.
(h/t UnaSpenser ) -
More time needed to investigate attack on protesters
Local media outlets have raised questions over the delay in the committee’s results, reminding the minister said that he promised the findings would be announced within days after the formation of the panel, which was established two weeks ago, Petra, reported.
At least four citizens were injured in the incident where two rallies, one calling for political reform and criticising government policies and another staged in support of the government, clashed near Al Husseini Mosque disrupting a clean record of peaceful demonstrations.
KUWAIT:
(h/t suejazz ) - Kuwait demonstrators call on prime minister to quit
Hundreds of young Kuwaitis demonstrated for reform in the oil-rich Gulf emirate on Tuesday and the replacement of the current prime minister.
Around 1,000 people gathered in a square near government offices on the seafront amid tight security with a helicopter hovering overhead.
The venue for the rally had been changed at the last minute after authorities cordoned off Safat Square in the centre of the capital Kuwait City.
The demonstrators carried banners calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, a nephew of the emir who has had repeated run-ins with parliament since he took office in 2006.
"Mr. Prime Minister, you have done your job, but Kuwait deserves better. Please leave," shouted female activist Mariam al-Ajmi.
LEBANON:
(h/t suejazz) - Hariri salutes Women in Lebanon on their International Day
On the occasion of the International Women's Day, Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri issued a statement supporting the rights of women in Lebanon and the Arab world.
MAURITANIA:
(h/t mali muso ) - Mauritanian youths demand urgent reforms
More than 1,000 Mauritanian youths demonstrated on Friday in the capital Nouakchott to demand urgent social and political reforms in the African country. The demand touched on all aspects of life, especially the political system put in place by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. The demonstrators, who called themselves "the February 25 youths," converged at the "red square" after prayers on Friday. The rally was the second since Mauritanian youths took to the streets on Feb. 25. They carried placards bearing the words "bread, we are hungry", "the riches of this country are sufficient for everyone", "people want reforms of the political system" and "we want justice, employment and peace".
MOROCCO:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) -
On 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, Sec. of State Clinton Applauds Morocco for Strengthening Women's Rights & Empowerment
Today, as the world honors the 100th anniversary of International Women's day, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintonapplauded Morocco for working to increase women's rights, particularly economic empowerment, which she maintains will create a "ripple effect" across the world.
...
Over the last decade, Morocco has made tremendous advances that promote women's rights and ensure equality. During a speech early in the reign ofMorocco's King Mohammed VI, he boldly asked, "how can society progress while women, who represent half the nation, see their rights violated as a result of injustice, violence and marginalization?" A dynamic dialogue ensued among government officials, civil society leaders, religious scholars, and ordinary citizens which resulted in the passage of unprecedented reforms to the moudawana, the Moroccan Family Code. Today, women in Moroccohave equal access to marriage, divorce, and child custody, and the revised labor code guarantees equal treatment of women in the workplace and criminalizes sexual harassment. Morocco is also a signatory to the international conventions dealing with women's rights.
OMAN:
(h/t suejazz ) - Reshuffle fails to quell Omani protests
Omanis protesting against corruption said Tuesday they would not be mollified by a major cabinet reshuffle in which more than a third of the sultanate's ministers were sacked or shifted.
Sultan Qaboos announced Monday a new cabinet of 29 ministers in response to rare public complaints about corruption and the power of the old elite in the strategic Gulf state.
The economy and interior ministers were among at least 12 cabinet members to lose their jobs in what many saw as a significant concession to the demands of the protesters on behalf of the much-loved sultan.
Demonstrators at the Earth Roundabout in the northern city of Sohar, where a sit-in has been ongoing for 10 days, welcomed Monday night's royal announcement but vowed to continue their peaceful demonstration.
"Sacking the ministers is not enough. We want them to be put on trial," said one of the protesters, Ali Habib.
"We demand that they be taken to court and banned from travelling abroad."
The protesters are also demanding jobs or increases in their salaries and pensions.
PALESTINE:
(h/t suejazz) - No Palestine Without Jordan Valley
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking international support for continued Israeli military presence in the Jordan Rift Valley, even in the event of a peace agreement, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday, "There is no Palestinian state without the Jordan Valley."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu's proposal for an interim peace deal suffered a blow earlier in the day when British Foreign Secretary William Hague demanded that Israel and the Palestinians resume discussions and seek a breakthrough on a permanent peace deal before the end of the year.
QATAR:
(h/t lotlizard ) - Amnesty: Qatari blogger detained
Human rights group says Sultan al-Khalaifi has been held incommunicado in Qatar since March 2 and risks being tortured.
In the latest entry available on his blog, al- Khalaifi makes critical comments about book censorship in Qatar. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Najib al-Nuaimi, al-Khalaifi's lawyer, said: "This gentleman is Sultan al-Khalaifi, he is being detained with three others. "It's just for expressing his own opinion, . . . [he] was detained three, four, or ten times already by special security and he's still insisting [on] his own opinion."
SAUDI ARABIA:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Saudi Arabia is losing its fear
Saudis are now faced with a ban on any form of demonstration, and the blocking and censorship of petitions. Moreover, four newspaper writers who had signed one of the petitions are now suspended.
Saudis feel cornered, with little means of self-expression and at the same time exposed to news and opinions that only add salt to the wound. For example, Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, the king's half-brother, went on BBC Arabic TV to state his support for a constitutional monarchy and warn that anything less will lead to "evils" (his word).
Meanwhile, a newspaper reported that an expatriate was sentenced to 14 months in prison and 80 lashes for stealing part of a chicken from a restaurant. In response to the news, Abdulrahman Allahim, an award-winning Saudi human rights lawyer, tweeted that in his experience he had never come across a case in Saudi courts where a defendant was given a verdict of not guilty.
In Jeddah, a committee that has spent more than a year investigating the disappearance of millions of public funds assigned to the municipality to build a sewerage system has yet to make one formal accusation against anyone.
Another article revealed that the unemployment benefits recently decreed by the king have been whittled down from 3,000 riyals (£490) a month to 1,000 riyals (£165) and will probably only be given to unemployed men but not women.
The official unemployment rate of men is 10%, although many estimate it to be higher. The unemployment rate for women is yet to be officially announced but a study in 2010 estimated it at more than 26%.
It's also estimated that about 60% of the population is under 30. These young, unemployed people live with many constrictions on their freedom. In addition to extreme gender segregation, single men are banned from entering shopping malls, and women cannot process their own papers, get a job or even access transport without male accompaniment and approval.
SYRIA:
(h/t suejazz ) - Syrian human rights lawyer freed amid discontent
A prominent Syrian human rights lawyer has been released from prison, a move that comes amid demands by many restive citizens for more economic prosperity, political freedom and civil liberty.
Attorney Haitham Maleh -- arrested in October 2009 during a government crackdown on lawyers and activists -- has been freed, his son told CNN on Tuesday.
"I just talked to him on (the) phone and he was on his way home," Iyas Maleh said, confirming the release.
The release came as Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday issued pardons for prisoners, including some who are elderly and ill. Such pardons are made annually during this time of year, the anniversary of the Baathist party seizure of power in Syria.
TUNISIA:
(h/t suejazz ) - Caid Essebsi - "Government Mission, Making Country Reach Safe Heaven Till Constituent Assembly Election
Prime Minister in the Interim government Béji Caid Essebsi said continued action to further improve the security situation, which has already registered some amelioration, is part of the Government's priorities in the coming period, insofar as, he said, security and stability remain the cornerstone to carry on economic activity and development effort
YEMEN:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Yemen protester dies after police attack
A protester has died of his wounds a day after Yemeni police fired on crowds demanding the removal of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a hospital official said on Wednesday.
Doctors said 80 people were injured in the shooting, with four in a critical condition.
Policemen and security agents in civilian clothes opened fire on Tuesday as they tried to prevent people from joining thousands of demonstrators who have camped out for weeks in front of Sanaa University, witnesses told Reuters.
The state news agency Saba blamed the shooting on gunmen linked to a tribal leader and said three demonstrators and three policemen were injured. Police were searching for the gunmen to bring them to justice, it said.
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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
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Resources:
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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
DirecTV: Channel 375 Link
Al Jazeera on Facebook:
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Al Jazeera Live on YouTube
English Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
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BBC Reports
BBC Middle East is doing specific Egypt coverage
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
weasel - Updates on the Egyptian Protests
People to follow on twitter: - please suggest people for specific countries. Thank you!
@ArabRevolution - Region
@Dima_Khatib - Region
@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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