You are in the the 178th 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 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
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Are Shia mosques being destroyed by pro-government forces in Bahrain? They discovered spam-bots from pro-government sources in Syria. Is there a pro-government disinformation campaign going in Bahrain, too? While all the world is hearing about the courageous photojournalists who were killed in Libya yesterday, we also need to remember Khalid.
WARNING: VERY DISTURBING VIDEO FROM SYRIA
BAHRAIN
There are several videos on YouTube reporting the destruction of Shia mosques in Bahrain. This one shows a burnt building, including remnants of a Quran.
Meanwhile, is there a disinformation campaign being managed by the Bahraini government? I've seen many tweets referring to pics such as this one. Which pic is the original?
@massyoo Ali || Almasi ~
RT @FakhriAlmosawi http://bit.ly/... another faked pic #bahrain #feb14 #uk #us #kuwait #q8 #ksa #saudi #uae #qatar #oman #fake
19 Apr via web Favorite Retweet Reply
I note this because I had the following Twitter exchange with someone trying to convince me that the Bahraini protesters are killing and torturing police, not the other way around:
AlBinali17 3:25pm via Web
@UnaSpenser Killing & torturing? its the protesters that have kidnapped, tortured and killed police officers (evidence of this is available)
Hide conversation
AlBinali17
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 chaos is necessary if "stability" only serves a few while so many suffer. Only chaos can rebalance. 11:09pm, Apr 16 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser Serves a few? half the population want change but want it peacefully, the other half want war.Also,they dont represent everyone. 11:12pm, Apr 16 from Web
UnaSpenser
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 who wants war? Perhaps I am confused about who you are railing against. Thank you for engaging. 1:37pm, Apr 19 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser Hmm, Lets see, the protesters are not demanding accountability,their demanding revenge & their demanding the downfall of the Gov 1:42pm, Apr 19 from Web
UnaSpenser
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 who is open to talk after you shoot at them? They need faith in new potential. old leader must step down. key to change. 2:52pm, Apr 19 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser This argument started when you had an issue with me using the word 'war' I don't see you saying anything that approves of peace. 2:57pm, Apr 19 from Web
UnaSpenser
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 I have not seen anything that suggests they want war. They marched in the streets asking for change. Then they were brutalized. 3:15pm, Apr 19 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser They can have change, but they have to talk about it first. Because not everyone wants what they want. Do you understand that? 3:17pm, Apr 19 from Web
UnaSpenser
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 and if they feel that they are ignored? oppressed? don't have a chance without public display? being in the streets isn't war. 3:20pm, Apr 19 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser You dont understand what I'm trying to say, they've proved their time, now they can meet all parties to dialogue to have peace 3:21pm, Apr 19 from Web
UnaSpenser
UnaSpenser: @albinali17 But can you understand why they might not feel the ruling party/family has good faith? they're killing and torturing. 3:24pm, Apr 19 from HootSuite
AlBinali17
AlBinali17: @UnaSpenser Killing & torturing? its the protesters that have kidnapped, tortured and killed police officers (evidence of this is available) 3:25pm, Apr 19 from Web
the
video links he eventually supplied were not convincing.
LIBYA
A tribute to Tim Hetherington, award-winning photojournalist killed in Libya yesterday.
One of the last photos taken by Chris Hondros before he was killed in Libya, as well.
@AlaywaB Alaywa
RT RIP Khalid @operationlibyia God bless him & all #Libya freedom fighters Pic of him & his son http://yfrog.com/... @LibyaInMe #feb17
SYRIA - VERY DISTURBING
A child being moved after he was killed, presumably by police:
I wish children would not be at these events.
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.
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?
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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.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) Unprecedented attacks on media amid popular unrest
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Suppression of journalists amid popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa has been unprecedented, experts say, with more than 500 attacks -- some of them deadly -- documented by a media rights watchdog.
While the Committee to Protect Journalists said press freedom has improved in Egypt and Tunisia since protesters ousted the presidents of both countries this year, it described the situation as only graduating from "horrendous to bad."
(h/t UnaSpenser 4/15) Swaziland: Mswati, You Are On Your Own...
Hundreds of Swazis have been arrested after they took to the streets on 12 and 13 April, to demonstrate against the monarchy. Swaziland's King Mswati has presided over a 'system of governance' that protest organisers say has left the country's 'people divided, poor and powerless'. Sokari Ekine reports on southern Africa's first uprising and provides updates on the situation in Djibouti, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and Libya.
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) The vagueness of the law keeps Middle Eastern protests in check
The news that Bahrain's government has withdrawn its financial support from students who attended a peaceful anti-regime demonstration in Britain highlights differing attitudes towards protest between western countries and most of those in the Middle East.
Though the Bahraini regime's action has enraged the British government, few Arabs would find it surprising: reprisals against those who step out of line are almost par for the course
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) Urgent UN rights meeting on Mideast unrest planned
GENEVA (AP) — Western diplomats say several nations are negotiating for an emergency session of the U.N.'s top human rights body to examine the government crackdowns on popular unrest that have swept the Middle East and North Africa.
Diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday that a special session of the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council could take place in Geneva as soon as next week.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject
(h/t Dibsa 4/19)Will Social Media Democratize the Arab World?
Al Jazeera English's Ahmed Shihab-Eldin's new show, The Stream, which debuts today, has an ambitious goal: Shihab-Eldin wants The Stream to “leverage voices who often don’t make it into mainstream media” by engaging wired communities across the world.
Shihab-Eldin spoke with The Nation at the 2011 National Conference for Media Reform in Boston about how he was one of the few in the media who began to follow Tunisia before it was clear that a revolution was unfolding. He talks about how the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa all began as “popular uprisings,” not religious uprisings. And, he adds that his new show will take a bottom-up look at many of the ongoing uprisings and examine how social media is helping people circumvent oppression
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 UnaSpenser 04/21) - Bahrain activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja 'on trial'
A leading Bahraini human rights activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is standing trial in a military court, his daughter Zainab believes.
She said he told her the date, time and place of the trial, but when family members came to the court officials denied any knowledge of the case.
Mr Khawaja had called for the country's leaders to be held to account after a brutal crackdown on recent protests.
He was seized from his home with two sons-in-law earlier this month.
Zainab al-Khawaja ended a week-long hunger strike after international activists said they needed her to speak up for those detained in the crackdown.
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Bahrain arrests more doctors, opposition says
(Reuters) - Bahrain has detained a number of doctors and other medical staff as part of a crackdown on mainly Shi'ite pro-democracy protesters in the Sunni-led Gulf Arab kingdom, the opposition and an activist said on Tuesday.
Bahrain's rulers crushed protests by majority Shi'ites protests last month, deploying security forces throughout the capital and calling in troops from Sunni-led Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The main Shi'te opposition party Wefaq said in a statement security forces had arrived at two medical centers, Ibn Sina and al-Razi, and detained an unknown number of people.
(h/t dibsa 4/19) - Bahrain First-Hand: When the Security Forces Clamp Down (Mahmoud)
Since the Gulf soldiers came to Bahrain, life in the Shia villages and suburbs of the capital, Manama, has been non-stop intimidation, violence and threats. Even trying to move around in normal ways has become life-threatening. They are trying to beat down the opposition with a long campaign against us.
I live in one of the villages near Manama. One night about 7.30pm, I parked in front of my father-in-law's house and walked towards the door, when at least 50 armed and masked thugs --- they were not in security forces uniform ---appeared from one of the village lanes and told me to stop, pointing their shotguns at me. I ran away and they followed, but I managed to hide in one of the houses and they did not see me.
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - Bahraini activist's home tear gassed
(CNN) -- A Human Rights Watch official is calling on the government of Bahrain to investigate a Monday morning teargas attack on the Bani Jamra home of prominent activist Nabeel Rajab.
The attack took place at 3:30 a.m., according to Human Rights Watch. Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was apparently not injured. However, the attack by unknown assailants caused "great distress" for his 78-year-old mother, who suffers from respiratory disease, Human Rights Watch said
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Ghana, Burkina Faso Border Back to ’Normal’ After Soldiers Riot
April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Trade between Ghana and Burkina Faso is “returning to normal” following the rioting by Burkinabe soldiers that closed the border between the two nations, said Mark Woyongo, Ghana’s Upper East regional minister.
“Burkinabe officials at the border told us the government has begun paying the soldiers,” Woyongo said by phone. “The border is very calm today.”
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Burkina 'needs changes' to avoid larger revolt
OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore needs to take urgent steps to avoid a revolt like those that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, observers say, amid weeks of protests.
Compaore, who took power in a coup in 1987, has been confronted by a series of unprecedented demonstrations over the past two months, including a chaotic army mutiny and student riots against police that left several dead.
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Gunfire, Explosions Erupt in Ivory Coast
New fighting erupted in Abidjan Wednesday as forces of Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara attacked fighters loyal to deposed leader Laurent Gbagbo.
Witnesses say explosions and heavy gunfire shook walls in the Abidjan suburb of Yopougon and prompted many residents to flee to safer areas.
The new Ouattara government is trying to re-establish security after more than four months of political violence in the West African country
DJIBOUTI
(h/t UnaSpenser 4/14 ) -
JIBOUTI: WHY NO ONE CARES
section of article which covers pro-democracy movements throughout Africa
Whilst the world was watching Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt and Libya, Djibouti had an election on 8 April. With no opposition, a state-controlled media and no civil society movement, it was easy enough for President Omar Guelleh to change the constitution allowing him to run for a third term - thereby continuing 35 year rule by the same family. But this little dictatorship is strategically central to the US Africa Command (2,000 US troops are based here) and the NATO countries. Unlike in Libya, Djibouti's 1 million population can expect no support from the West in their small attempts to have a voice.
EGYPT
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/20 ) -
Criminal interrogiation started this morning of former Egypt Parliament speaker
Fathy Sorour, former speaker of Egypt’s Parliament, is finally being investigated over his involvement in the “Battle of the Camel,” which left many protesters dead on 2 February during the Egyptian revolution.
Moreover, the Fact-Finding Committee has released a report that points the finger at the two sons of the ousted president Hosni Mubarak, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak; former head of Egypt’s upper house Shura Council, Safwat El-Sherif; attorney Mortada Mansour and business tycoon Ibrahim Kamel as the masterminds of the Battle of the Camel.
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/20 ) - AT LEAST 846 KILLED DURING EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION
An Egyptian fact finding committee, consisting of judges, has found that the toll of te 25 January revolution was higher than hitherto thought: at least 846 dead, and about 6500 wounded. The report, that was released on Tuesday, accuses the security forces of “excessive” use of force during the mass protests, using live ammunition and cars to run over people.
The report points the finger at the two sons of the ousted president Hosni Mubarak, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, former head of the upper house Shura Council Safwat El-Sherif, attorney Mortada Mansour, and business tycoon Ibrahim Kamel as the masterminds of the “Battle of the Camel,” which left several protesters dead and injured on 2 February.
The report elaborates moreover on illegal detentions; intentionally leaving a security vacuum and opening prisons and the role of the media.
IRAN
(h/t UnaSpenser 4/20) - Iranian blogger: 'Hell' and 'hopelessness' in his country
Recent protests in Iran have failed to gain traction -- despite growing demonstrations in neighboring countries and Iran's own 2009 massive protest movement.
What's the status of the Iranian opposition movement, what challenges does it face and could a regime change ever happen peacefully? A blogger from Iran weighs in.
Peyman Bagheri is a blogger whose articles against the Iranian government have prompted him to flee his native land for fear of being arrested and imprisoned. He recently spoke via phone from Europe with CNN's Asieh Namdar.
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/20) - Inside Iran: the art of resistance
But if Iran’s “Green Movement” has indeed inspired the “Arab Spring” — which began in Tunisia and blossomed in Egypt, but now faces the heat of summer in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and elsewhere — it might not bode well for those who support reform.
Recent attempts to revive the movement on the streets of Tehran have yet to succeed in any tangible way.
...
In the nearly two years since the June 2009 presidential election, artists say that it seems fewer and fewer permits to produce art — be it music, photography or painting — have been granted to applicants. In Iran, artists are officially required to have permits from the Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance to work professionally.
But many have ignored these restrictions, creating and exhibiting their work underground.
Despite this effort to control freedom of expression, there is a flourishing of art in Iran, some of it pointed in its critique of the government and the clerical establishment. This kind of dissent is also often delivered with a flourish of humor that pokes fun at the ruling clerical establishment.
Often artists go to great lengths to stay within the boundaries of laws and restrictions to create the kind of work that attempts to undermine the very meanings of those laws. Others simply create art as if no such restrictions were in place, suffering a sad fate for any artist: being barred from displaying their work.
IRAQ
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Arab League delays summit in Baghdad
CAIRO (AFP) – The Arab League has delayed a summit that was to be held in Iraq next month as a wave of political unrest rocks the region, its deputy secretary general said on Wednesday.
Ahmed Ben Hilli said consultations with the pan-Arab organisation's 22 members showed a "preference to delay the summit" that was scheduled for May 15 and added that an upcoming ministerial meeting would set a new date for summit
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Baghdad protest ban is undemocratic: Sadr
BAGHDAD (AFP) – Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday blasted a ban on public rallies in the Iraqi capital, saying it was "undemocratic" and based on fear of rising protests.
Iraq's government announced last week demonstrations would be allowed only at three football stadiums, ostensibly because shopkeepers in the city's main Tahrir Square complained of losing trade during weekly protests.
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Top Iraq Kurd leader offers to resign amid demos
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) – A senior politician in Iraqi Kurdistan has criticised missing freedoms in the autonomous region and offered to step down from the party leadership, as new rallies Tuesday left seven hurt.
Near daily demonstrations in Sulaimaniyah province and the eponymous provincial capital, the region's second largest city, have been calling for an end to official corruption and the resignation of the regional government.
JORDAN
(h/t dibsa 4/20) - Jordan protester who set himself ablaze dies
AMMAN, Jordan – A Jordanian forensics official says a protester who set himself on fire outside the prime minister's office last week has died of his wounds.
Mohammad Abdul-Karim's case was the first self-immolation since political unrest hit Jordan in January.
The forensics official says the 45-year-old man died in a hospital of first, second and third degree wounds to his face and much of his body.
KUWAIT
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/20) - ANALYSIS-Kuwait faces reform stalemate after cabinet falls
Kuwait has mostly escaped the unrest sweeping the Arab world, but its dysfunctional politics once again risk blocking economic reform and foreign investment.
...
The cabinet resigned this month to avoid the questioning of three ministers in parliament. Kuwait's ruler has asked outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah to form a new cabinet -- his seventh since he was first appointed in 2006.
In this context, small protests by pro-democracy activists seem less worrying for the Sabahs than prospects of a return to stalemate between the legislative and executive arms after a two-year lull in a cycle of crises and short-lived cabinets.
LEBANON
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/19 ) - Turkish envoy to Lebanon: Democracy will spread
Turkey's ambassador to Lebanon, Inan Ozyildiz, believes that despite the recent political uncertainty, all political actors in Lebanon are "engaging in dialogue," and expects democracy to take root in every country in the Arab world.
...
"Although every country in the region has its own characteristics and political history, the people of the Middle East have a common demand: Democracy," said Ozyildiz.
According to Ozyildiz, the Arab world's transition to democracy is late in coming. "These uprisings were kind of late, they should have started immediately after the end of the Cold War," said Ozyildiz.
LIBYA
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - US to give Libyan rebels non-lethal aid
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration plans to give the Libyan opposition $25 million in non-lethal assistance in what will be the first direct U.S. aid to the rebels after weeks of assessing their capabilities and intentions, officials said Wednesday.
Amid a debate over whether to offer the rebels broader assistance, including cash and possibly weapons and ammunition, the administration has informed Congress that President Barack Obama intends to use his so-called "drawdown authority" to give the opposition up to $25 million in surplus American goods to help protect civilians in rebel-held areas threatened by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces, the officials said
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - France vows to step up airstrikes in Libya
PARIS – France vowed Wednesday to step up airstrikes on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces and acknowledged that it has military officers already working with Libyan rebels on the ground.
Italy joined Britain in announcing their commitment of military instructors to train the rebels, who have failed to rout Moammar Gadhafi's forces despite weeks of NATO-led airstrikes
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Oscar Nominated Documentary Filmmaker And Photographer Reportedly Killed In Libya*
UPDATE: Both the AP and the AFP are confirming Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were killed in Libya earlier today.
Previously:
This is terrible news.
But there are reports that photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros have been killed in Libya.
The news was first posted on fellow photographer Andre Liohn's Facebook page. Liohn is reportedly at the hospital and later updated his status in the comments to say that Hondros has died
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Libyan preachers attack Gadhafi from pulpit
BENGHAZI, Libya – Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi's secret police once haunted the country's mosques, locking up, torturing and killing Muslim preachers whose talk they considered a threat.
Now that rebels in the country's east have shaken off the regime's control, those same clerics are using the newfound freedom of speech here to attack Gadhafi from the pulpit while defining the society they'd like to see if he falls.
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - For besieged Libyan city, the sea is sole lifeline
ABOARD THE IONIAN SPIRIT, off Libya – This Greek passenger ferry streamed toward the besieged Libyan port city of Misrata on Wednesday, its mission to deliver 500 tons of food and medical supplies and spirit away 1,000 people fleeing weeks of heavy shelling by forces loyal to ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
The ferry is part of a flotilla of ships, fishing trawlers and tug boats that have become the lifeline for the last significant rebel-held city in western Libya as it tries to hold out against a crippling siege that has dragged on for more than 50 days, devastating the city of 300,000.
(h/t dibsa 4/20) - Rebels: Libyan army shells western mountain towns
MISRATA, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi's troops clashed with opposition forces Wednesday in this besieged coastal city and shelled a mountain town, rebels said, as the Libyan leader sought to quell resistance in the western part of the country that is largely under his control.
France and Italy promised more support for Libya's opposition, saying they would join Britain in sending military advisers to help the rebels break a battlefield stalemate. A rebel spokesman welcomed the advisers as a big help.
(h/tDibsa 4/20) - Libya rebels plead for help; Kadhafi son defiant
MISRATA, Libya (AFP) – A rebel official in Libya's besieged city of Misrata pleaded for Britain and France to send troops to help fight Moamer Kadhafi's forces, while a son of the strongman said he was "very optimistic" his father's regime will prevail.
A senior member of Misrata's governing council, Nuri Abdullah Abdullati, said they were asking for the troops on the basis of "humanitarian" principles, in the first request by insurgents for boots on the ground.
(h/t Dibsa 4/19) - NATO says it cannot stop shelling of Libyan city
TRIPOLI, Libya – NATO military commanders conceded Tuesday they are unable to stop Moammar Gadhafi's shelling of the rebel-held city of Misrata, where hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties, while Britain said it will dispatch senior military officers to advise the opposition.
Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, has been under siege for nearly two months, with rebels holding on to seaside positions in the port area. In recent days, Libyan troops have pounded the city with shells and rockets.
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 UnaSpenser 04/19 ) - Morocco's monarchy: Reform or fall
WHEN a protest movement sprang up in Morocco on February 20th King Muhammad VI chose to ignore it. The next day he spoke of speeding up reforms, but ignored calls for radical change. This infuriated pro-democracy campaigners, who promised to protest again. But then, on March 9th, he suddenly changed tack, calling for a drastic overhaul of the constitution, echoing the protesters’ main demand. Parliament and the courts, he said, would become more independent. Power would be devolved to regional councils. The prime minister would have more clout. And the Berbers, known as Amazigh, would have more rights too.
...
The promise of constitutional reform has been widely welcomed by Moroccans and may, for a while, avert the turmoil that has engulfed much of the region. But protesters have continued to take to the streets in big numbers every weekend since March 20th. Many say that a constitutional commission appointed by the king is bound to reaffirm his executive power. A Spanish- or British-style monarchy is not yet, they sigh, in the offing.
...
Citizens’ initiatives are sprouting, with local councils and firms accused of corruption and overcharging for municipal services. The king’s constitutional initiative may lead to the institutional breakthrough many hoped for at the start of his reign in 1999. But if it stalls, a wave of even angrier protest may well erupt in September. So the next few months will be critical to the king’s survival.
OMAN/QATAR
(h/t UnaSpenser 04/20 ) - Have Oman and Qatar escaped the Arab revolts?
"Oman," she says, "is still a bomb waiting to explode."
Unemployment is relatively high in Oman, which has only limited oil reserves and is one of the poorest of the oil-producing countries.
Outside the Majlis al-Shura, the consultative assembly, there is a permanent encampment of protesters demanding jobs. They say they will not budge until their demands are met.
Sultan Qaboos has ruled as an absolute monarch for the past 40 years.
...
On the other hand, even if jobs are not a problem in a country with an economic growth rate approaching 20% a year, Qatar is still an absolute monarchy, with a ruler, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, whose family have run the place since the mid-1800s.
So why are Qataris not demanding democracy, in the same way as so many others are elsewhere in the Arab world?
The reply I get from a Qatari student is simple enough: "If you have everything you need, who needs democracy?"
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t dibsa 4/20) - Saudi arrests over 160 dissidents: HRW
DUBAI (AFP) – Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 160 dissidents since February, including writer Nadhir al-Majid, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, calling for their release.
"Saudi authorities have arrested over 160 peaceful dissidents in violation of international human rights law since February 2011," HRW said in a statement
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Thousands protest in Syria, brushing off reforms
BEIRUT – Thousands of students held demonstrations Wednesday against Syria's authoritarian regime, brushing off President Bashar Assad's sweeping declarations of reform as the country's growing protest movement vowed to stage the biggest rallies to date on Friday.
The monthlong uprising in Syria has posed the biggest challenge to the 40-year ruling dynasty of President Bashar Assad and his father before him. On Tuesday, Syria did away with 50 years of emergency rule — but emboldened and defiant crowds accused Assad of simply trying to buy time while he clings to power.
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 4/20 ) - UAE Foreign Minister Says No One “Above the Law” After Arrests
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan warned that no one “is above the law,” when asked about the recent arrests of several pro-democracy activists.
“The prosecution in the U.A.E. has sent subpoenas to a number of people,” Sheikh Abdullah said in Abu Dhabi today. ‘This is fully in procedure with laws and rules of U.A.E. We have full trust in our judiciary and I do not believe that any person is above the law.” He didn’t elaborate on the charges or say how many people have been arrested
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - US and key nations disagree with independence supporters on human rights in Western Sahara
The U.S. and other key nations are backing a new U.N. resolution on the disputed Western Sahara that mentions human rights for the first time, but the group promoting independence for the mineral-rich north African territory said Tuesday it doesn't go far enough.
The long-simmering issue of human rights in Western Sahara bubbled to the surface in November when Moroccan forces tore down a tent camp in Western Sahara where 20,000 people were protesting discrimination and deprivation at the hands of the Moroccan government with deadly results. It has gained additional momentum as a result of the protests against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and north Africa
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Fresh violence breaks out in Yemen
One person has been killed after a gunman on a motorcycle fired at a Yemeni anti-government protest camp in the coastal town of al-Hudaydah.
The attack happened as Muslim dawn prayers were being held in al-Nasr Square on Wednesday, witnesses said.
"One protester was killed and around eight others were wounded," Arafat Makki, a member of the protest organising committee, said.
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) - Motorcycle gunmen strafe Yemen protest
SANAA, Yemen – Gunmen on motorcycles sped by and opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators camped out in the early hours of the morning Wednesday in a Yemeni port city, killing one and wounding several protesters, an opposition activist said.
Radwan al-Obisi said the protesters in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida were demanding the ouster of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh when they were attacked by thugs hired by the ruling party.
The two months of anti-government turmoil in this impoverished nation is threatening to spiral out of control as nearly daily protests across the country are being violently suppressed by security forces
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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