You are in the the 147th diary of the liveblog bearing witness to the 2011 populist uprisings. We stand with our international friends and their courageous struggle for dignity, self-determination and human rights. (see more about the work of our group below)
PLS REC this diary to maximize how many people bear witness. PLS UNREC the previous liveblog diary.
BAHRAIN: I heard reports on Al Jazeera this morning that one Saudi soldier has been killed in Manama. In a poor island-city outside of Manama there apparently hundreds in the hospital sick from tear gas. The doctor said that it was particularly strong, as people were having nerve reactions - shuddering, seizures, etc. He said, "This stuff should never be used on civilians." Amongst the civilians in hospital there, they found several undercover police, whom it is assumed were there to stir up trouble. Meanwhile, Iran has called the entrance of foreign troops into Bahrain "unacceptable", leading the anchor to ask if Bahrain was becoming a proxy war.
(h/t suejazz) - Saudi Troops Enter Bahrain to Help Put Down
UnrestTroops from Saudi Arabia and police officers from the United Arab Emirates crossed into Bahrain on Monday under the aegis of the Gulf Cooperation Council to help quell unrest there, a move Bahraini opposition groups denounced in a statement as an “occupation.”
The deployments were confirmed by the state-run Bahrain News Agency and the foreign minister of the Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
Witnesses said a convoy of 150 armored troop carriers and about 50 other lightly armed vehicles carried about 1,000 troops across the bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the tiny island kingdom, and a Saudi security official told The Associate Press that the troops were there to protect critical buildings and installations like oil facilities. However, witnesses later said that the convoy seemed to be heading for Riffa, a Sunni area that is home to the royal family and a military hospital that is closed to the public, Reuters reported.
(h/t suejazz ) - Gulf states send forces to Bahrain following protests
Troops from a number of Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have arrived in Bahrain at the request of the kingdom, officials say.
It comes a day after the worst violence since seven anti-government protesters were killed in clashes with security forces last month.
Dozens of people were injured on Sunday as protesters pushed back police and barricaded roads.
Bahrain's opposition said the foreign forces amounted to an occupation.
A Saudi official said about 1,000 Saudi Arabian troops arrived in Bahrain early on Monday, and later the UAE said it had sent some 500 police officers.
Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that about 150 Saudi Arabian armoured troop carriers plus other vehicles entered Bahrain on the causeway that links the two kingdoms.
(h/t suejazz ) - Bahrain: Fighting for change
Pro-democracy activists in the Gulf state of Bahrain have been on the streets of the capital Manama for four weeks, but have yet to win the kind of dramatic results achieved by their counterparts in Egypt and Tunisia.
At first their demands were for constitutional reform and a reduction of the powers of King Hamad and the al-Khalifa ruling family, but opinion hardened after an attempted government crackdown in the first days of the protest saw seven demonstrators killed at Manama's Pearl Roundabout.
Although the army then withdrew and the regime began calling for dialogue, many protestors now want an end to the monarchy altogether.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that while the ruling dynasty is Sunni, the majority of the population and many of the protestors are Shia, and have long complained of political persecution.
With the US, which sees Bahrain as a key ally, and nearby Saudi Arabia and Iran all having a strategic interest, stakes are high.
As reporter John D McHugh discovered for People & Power, the young activists driving the protests are determined not to back down.
(h/t suejazz ) - The new 'disorder' of hope
1935 Lieutenant-Colonel Hodgen, the British political agent for Kuwait, wrote to the British foreign office about a new and popular form of communication in Kuwait and the other Arab monarchies along the coast of the Persian Gulf: Arabic radio broadcasts emanating from Egypt. He observed that the new form of communication "is not only significant" but also "contains very great possibilities for both good and harm".
His warnings proved to be prophetic. In the 1950s, Egyptian radio broadcasts in Arabic helped to inspire young activists and military officers to challenge Arab autocratic regimes allied with the West in much the same way that social media and other new forms of mass media have done this year in the Arab world. The seemingly strong pro-Western monarchies in Egypt and Iraq fell to popular revolutions.
But the Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf region (what we know today as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) survived by making large investments in radio and television broadcasting, harnessing the support of social and tribal networks, and tapping the unique 'legitimacy' afforded by the fact that these states, along with Morocco, were the only governments in the Middle East that could claim a continuous tradition of governance predating World War I. Steadily rising revenues from oil and gas production also helped to maintain stability.
We can't go in and help these people. International law means it's highly unlikely that anyone else will go in. What we can do is bear witness and to ask as many people as we can to join us in that. The more public these acts, the more pressure on the government to behave. Please remember to do Twitter and Facebook updates and, if you can, reach out through email to whomever you can. We need all eyes on these events and there are so many around the world, we need people looking everywhere at once: Yeman, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Algeria.... a long haul in Egypt and Tunisia.... So many places requires a vast multitude of eyes.
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:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
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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 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 suejazz ) - From Saudi Arabia to Oman, a revolution of boldness
From Saudi Arabia’s “Day of Rage” today to an explosion of free speech in Oman, Arab unrest is making ever-larger waves in the oil-rich Gulf region. Most of the protesters in these Gulf nations are seeking reform, not the overthrow of the royal ruling families. But citizens’ willingness to express their discontent – even after their leaders have made unprecedented concessions – signals what may be the beginning of the end for the monarchies’ strategy of buying compliance with generous social welfare benefits.
“We’re told they’re stable regimes that manage to buy off protests,” says Toby Jones, a Middle East historian at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “But they’re characterized by deep disillusionment, and disappointment, about the nature of the political system.... There was always a simmering level of frustration, and that’s going to be there five years from now, 10 years from now, just like it has been.”
ALGERIA:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Algeria's Violent Past Helps Keep Lid On Dissent - mp3
The north African country of Algeria has watched as popular revolutions have erupted in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Algeria has the same problems as its neighbors: massive youth unemployment, poverty, corruption and a long entrenched political regime.
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Opposition leaves Algerian parliament
In a major blow to the Algerian government, two opposition parties suspended their activities from the People's National Assembly. The Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) and the Algerian National Front (FNA) on Sunday (March 13th) boycotted a plenary session devoted to the ordinance repealing Algeria's state of emergency.
The two parties, who announced their withdrawal last Wednesday, account for nearly forty MPs. With the assembly comprising 388 seats, their absence may seem irrelevant to some, but a number of Algerian political observers say that the symbolism of their walk-out could have serious repercussions across the country's political landscape.
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"Since January 2011, the country has seen riots resulting in deaths and many injuries," reads the party statement. "Desperate people have set fire to themselves, and peaceful demonstrations have regularly been stamped out and banned."
According to party chief Said Sadi, who was attacked on March 5th by government supporters, the political struggle is now being played out on the street.
Meanwhile, the FNA halted their parliamentary activities to protest the improper use of presidential orders to pass major laws. "What is the use of having a parliament, when the most important laws, such as the supplementary finance bill, are proclaimed through presidential decrees?" the party wondered.
"MPs have seen their roles shrink to such an extent that they now simply get paid to raise their hands and vote through third degree laws," party chairman Moussa Touati said.
"This is the first stage in our fight to get the people's wishes acted upon," he said.
COTE D'IVOIRE:
(h/t suejazz ) - Street battles continue in Abidjan
Heavy fighting continued on Monday in Abidjan amid an ongoing power struggle between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent president, and those backing his political rival Alassane Ouattara.
Pro-Ouattara fighters were reported to have moved into the Yopougon neighbourhood held by Gbagbo loyalists. Gun battles raged near the home of army chief of staff Phillipe Mangou who has remained loyal to Gbagbo since November's presidential elections. Ouattara is internationally recognised as the winner of that vote.
The state-run RTI television station denied local reports that Mangou's house had been attacked. A spokesman for the pro-Gbagbo army, Col. Hilaire Gohourou, confirmed that the battle in Yopougon was ongoing, but refused to give any further details.
Elsewhere in the city, several witnesses reported heavy gunfire which seemed to originate from the central district of Williamsville, home to two large military camps, including the country's biggest gendarmerie camp, the AFP news agency said.
(h/t suejazz ) - Ivory Coast Fighting Spreads to Gbagbo Stronghold
Fighting between supporters of rival leaders in Ivory Coast has spread to a stronghold of Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president who refuses to give up power.
Witnesses in the commercial capital of Abidjan reported heavy fighting Monday in Yopougon district, a neighborhood where most residents back Gbagbo.
The incumbent leader has defied international pressure to cede power to Alassane Ouattara, who most nations recognize as the winner of a presidential election in November.
Until now, most of the post-election violence in Abidjan has taken place in neighborhoods loyal to Ouattara.
Meanwhile, pro-Ouattara rebels are pushing further into pro-Gbagbo territory in western Ivory Coast.
(h/t suejazz) - No-Fly Zone Imposed!
Finally! Except it's not in Libya; it's in the Ivory Coast. And it's not enforced by the United Nations. It's targeted at U.N. aircraft, by the illegitimate government violently clinging to power in that African country of 21 million.
As is the case in Libya, the forces of the corrupt incumbent (in this case, Laurent Gbagbo, whose regime overturned by fiat results from a November election) seem to be winning their counteroffensive against a rebel movement. An Economist writer recently explained why the west should care:
Djibouti:
(h/t suejazz) - Djibouti Halts Programs by U.S-Backed Democracy Advocacy Group
Djibouti’s government suspended programs run by a U.S.-backed democracy-advocacy group, less than a month before the Horn of Africanation holds a presidential election.
Democracy International “is in dialogue with the government and we are hopeful that we will soon recommence programming,” Chris Hennemeyer, head of the Bethesda, Maryland-based group’s International Electoral Observation Mission, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. “Obviously the passage of time is of concern to us, as there are many election-related activities that must start immediately.”
Calls today to Interior Minister Yacin Elmi Bouh, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Yousef, Director of Communications Moussa Mohamed Omar and Communications Minister Ali Abdi Farah seeking comment weren’t answered.
A presidential vote is scheduled to be held on April 8 in Djibouti, which has been ruled by President Ismael Guelleh’s People’s Rally for Progress party since independence in 1977. Guelleh, first elected in 1999, amended the constitution in March 2010 to allow him to extend his rule by two more six-year terms.
EGYPT:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Egypt faces landmark vote in democratic transition
Egypt's transition to democracy after 30 years of authoritarian rule faces a major test on Saturday when Egyptians vote in a referendum on amendments to the constitution. Opponents are pushing heavily for a "no" vote, saying the changes don't go far enough and that the ruling military is rushing the process.
If the changes are rejected, the military will have to go back to the drawing board and may extend the six-month deadline it had set for handing over power to an elected civilian government.
A "yes" vote could mean parliamentary and presidential elections to be held before the end of the year. But critics say that timeframe is too rushed and will only benefit the party of ousted President Hosni Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood, the two largest and best organized political forces in the country.
Regardless of the outcome, the referendum gives Egyptians their first taste in decades of a free vote and will likely be remembered as a milestone in Egypt's road to democracy after Mubarak's 29 years in power. Under Mubarak, elections and referendums were plagued by widespread vote fraud to ensure regime victories.
(h/t UnaSpenser) - EU vows to support Egypt
Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, paid her second visit to Cairo in less than a month on Sunday. Ashton was accompanied by a European delegation. They met with Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
The SCAF has been in charge of the country’s administration since the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak on February 11.
Ashton vowed to support Egypt’s economy during the transitional phase and discussed local and regional developments. She expressed the EU’s readiness to cooperate with international partners to support Egypt economically and in its transition to democracy.
IRAN:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Demand for Change in Middle East Not Lost on Opposition in Iran
But these new protests are causing Iran's leaders new problems, say analysts here in Washington: How can Iranian authorities praise protests elsewhere in the Middle East, tying them to Iran's own Islamic Revolution in 1979, and then show no mercy to opposition groups in their own country?
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently noted what she called the hypocrisy of the Iranian government.
IRAQ:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Maliki uses protests as excuse to consolidate power
Maliki formed his government for a second term in late December, bringing Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions into a coalition after nine months of wrangling following the election.
From the outset, he said he was not satisfied with the cabinet, complaining he was forced to accept some ministers to win the blessing of parliament.
The protests effectively give him an opportunity to revisit the coalition agreement, blame ministers for Iraq's woes, and replace them.
JORDAN:
(h/t suejazz) - Prominent Jordanian Islamic leader receives threats
Amman - Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood movement said Monday one of its leaders had received threats and urged the authorities to disclose the identity of the culprits and bring them to justice.
The threats were received over the past few days by family members of Hamzeh Mansour, Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Brotherhood's political arm, according to local media reports.
The development prompted the authorities to heighten security around Mansour and his residence, security sources said.
'We urge the official authorities to speed up the disclosure of the identity of the criminals and those who stand behind them prior to sending them to courts,' the Brotherhood said in a statement.
KUWAIT:
(h/t suejazz) - Kuwait urged to free stateless detainees
The independent Human Rights Asscoaition called for the "release of all those arrested during the events on March 11 without delay and without pressing charges against them."
Media reported Saturday that security forces arrested dozens of stateless Arabs, locally known as bidoons, during and after the protest.
The rights association also accused security forces of using excessive force in dispersing the protest and using tear gas canisters inside people's homes.
About 500 demonstrators took to the streets in Jahra, west of Kuwait City, immediately after Muslim prayers Friday, while hundreds protested in two other locations.
Stateless Arabs, estimated at more than 100,000, protested last month for three consecutive days until officials gave them assurances their grievances would be addressed.
But parliament refused on Tuesday to debate a bill that would give them civil rights because the government, backed by many MPs, said it prefered to issue executive decisions granting those rights rather than a law.
(h/t suejazz) - Riot police break up protests by stateless Arabs
Police in anti-riot gear descended Friday on a small protest rally near Kuwait City that was staged by stateless Arabs demanding greater rights, media reports said.
According to the Reuters news agency, despite a stern warning from the new minister of the interior, about 200 protesters had congregated for a peaceful demonstration in an area west of the Kuwaiti capital after Friday prayers. Other media reports put the number of protesters a bit higher, at about500.
Rally-goers carried banners reading "Stateless since 50 years, we demand citizenship," and chanted "we will not leave without a solution,"reported Agence France-Presse.
But when riot police began firing tear gas into the crowd, the protesters quickly ran for cover.
LEBANON:
(h/t suejazz ) - Lebanon to Draft No-Fly Zone Resolution
UNITED NATIONS--Lebanon said Monday it will take the lead in drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, a measure that still lacks council agreement, following a formal request by the Arab League to enforce vigilance over Libyan skies.
Lebanon's U.N. ambassador Nawaf Salam said he presented the Arab League decision over the weekend to support a no-fly zone to a private Security Council meeting and that the council "will be meeting soon to make a decision on this matter."
As forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadfhafi gain on the rebels, the international community is under increased pressure to act in order to aid the rebels. Officials of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations are meeting in Paris Monday to discuss possible measures, including the creation of a no-fly zone.
It is politically advantageous for the West if Lebanon takes the lead in drafting the resolution that will incorporate an earlier British-French version of a no-fly zone that was prepared last week, a diplomat said, since it would give the initiative to an Arab country.
(h/t Flyswatterbanjo ) - Tens of Thousands Rally in Beirut
Tens of thousands of supporters of Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister, have rallied in Beirut calling for Hezbollah, the Shia group that toppled him, to give up its weapons. The rally in the capital's Martyrs' Square on Sunday was a show of support for al-Hariri who was pushed into opposition earlier this year when Hezbollah and its allies pulled out of his government.
"It is impossible for weapons to stay raised against the will of a democratic people and against the truth," al-Hariri told the crowd.
"We want to put [Hezbollah's weapons] under the control and authority of the state because it's the army which protects us all."
Many in the crowd waved Lebanese flags and the banners of al-Hariri's Future Movement.
Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, said the group would not respond to Sunday's gathering, but a number of billboards in Beirut lately carried signs saying: "Israel also wants Hezbollah disarmed".
Hezbollah's weapons are a longstanding and contentious political issue in Lebanon and with Iranian backing, the group's arsenal is thought to outweigh that of the national government.
Lebanon's Daily Star also covered the story.
LIBYA:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - G8 avoids Libya no-fly zone debate
Prospects of the swift establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya have receded after members of the G8 group failed to give their backing at a summit in Paris.
Britain has joined with France to push for military intervention by the international community to stop dictator Muammar Gaddafi using his air power to bombard towns held by the opposition.
But while the G8 welcomed an Arab League call to protect civilians, a communique issued by foreign ministers following the summit made no mention of a no-fly zone.
...
Reports suggested that Germany and Russia combined to block mention of a no-fly zone in the communique by the G8 group, which also includes Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and the US
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Libya and Middle East unrest - live updates
2.29pm: Gaddafi forces have started their attack on Ajdarbia, the last major town before Benghazi, 90 miles away. Libyan State TV says government troops are "in total control" of the eastern part of the town. Chris McGreal, who is in Benghazi, says government troops have entered the town but it is unclear who has the upper hand. He reminds me that rebels have told him that they intend to make a stand in Ajdarbia. So if it falls it will be a heavy setback for the opposition. At least one rebel officer has already conceded defeat, telling Reuters: "I am the last general on the frontline. The battle is lost. Gaddafi is throwing everything against us."
2.08pm: Gaddafi has given an interview to German TV saying that western companies - apart from German ones - can forget about doing business with Libya in future.
Gaddafi forces have retaken the town of Brega and are shelling Ajdarbia, 90 miles from Benghazi. Rebel forces plan to make a stand there, the last major obstacle to Gaddafi before Benghazi.
...
Libyan government troops have captured Zwara, the last rebel-held city west of Tripoli to fall back under government control.
(I keep this list here to remind us of these options. A no-fly zone is not the only thing to pursue.)
one ex-diplomat's suggestions:
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
MAURITANIA:
(h/t mali muso) - Mauritania protesters want better salaries, lower food prices
Hundreds of people took to the streets after Friday afternoon prayers, demanding more jobs and decent food prices. What was initially meant as a peaceful protest, ended with protesters throwing stones at security forces and setting fire to car tires.
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Protesters distributed bottles of fresh water to security forces surrounding them, while the authorities continued to deny any access to Blokat square. Demonstrators prevented Mauritania TV from covering the protests, fearing the station would use the footage for political propaganda. Protesters earlier complained about police women pretending to be journalists. The videos were reportedly used by intelligent forces to identify youth leaders and facilitate future arrests.
MOROCCO:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Dozens of activists injured in Moroccan protests
DOZENS OF people were injured and more than 100 arrested in Morocco after demonstrations by protesters unconvinced by King Mohammed’s concessions on political reform.
Riot police used truncheons to break up a rally in Morocco’s biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday – the latest in a series of weekly protests in the country over the past month.
Reports suggested dozens were injured when police tried to storm the Unified Socialist Party headquarters, where protesters had sought refuge during clashes.
...
Oussama El-Khifli, one of the organisers of the Moroccan protest movement, told Le Monde yesterday police charged the crowd as they began a sit-in demonstration, arresting 123 people. “We will continue to protest for radical change,” he said, predicting a “surprise” for next weekend when a further march is planned.
OMAN:
(h/t suejazz ) - Sultan Qaboos fires Oman's police chief
The police chief of Oman was fired yesterday in the latest in a string of high-profile dismissals handed down by Sultan Qaboos.
The move came as demonstrations continued in the country, with protesters demanding reforms and an end to corruption.
Lieutenant General Hassan bin Mohsin Al Shraiqi was named to replace Lieutenant General Malik bin Suleiman Al Maamary as Inspector General of the Police and Customs, the Oman News Agency said.
General Maamary, previously the minister of communications and transport, was a personal bodyguard of the Sultan in the 1980s and a close aide. Many say his removal stems from a failure to contain police forces that fired live bullets into a stone-throwing crowd on February 27, killing one protester in the industrial city of Sohar.
Some protesters have also blamed General Maamary for years of cover-ups that protected allegedly corrupt officials.
PALESTINE:
(h/t Flyswatterbanjo ) - Thousands rally in Gaza, West Bank for 'unity'
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Tens of thousands of Palestinians were rallying in Gaza City and Ramallah on Tuesday in a mass show of strength to call for end to the division in their national movement.
The biggest gathering was in Gaza City, where officials from the Hamas-run interior ministry said vast crowds had packed into the city's Square of the Unknown Soldier.
"There are tens of thousands of people already there, and there may be more on the way," interior ministry spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein told AFP.
In Ramallah, which lies some 90 km (55 miles) further north, around 3,000 people had gathered in Manara Square, with hundreds more pouring in all the time, an AFP correspondent said.
The rallies, called by the March 15 protest movement and planned through Facebook by young activists demanding an end to the division between the rival Fatah and Hamas factions, are taking place simultaneously in the two cities.
QATAR:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Al Jazeera journalist killed in Libyan ambush
Al Jaber is the first journalist to be killed during the Libyan uprising generated a wave of spontaneous revulsion and anger. Outside the courthouse, the epicentre of the anti-Qadhafi revolt. Thousands gathered to mourn the loss of an intrepid journalist, and to reinforce their resolve to unseat the regime of the Libyan leader, Muammar Qadhafi.
“Here and now, Libyan and Qatari blood is mixed for the sake of freedom. Our condolences go to the Qatari people and the Al Jazeera channel” read a prominent banner held aloft by several young protesters. As the sun dipped over the Mediterranean and the lights outside the courthouse came alive, the Qatari national flag was raised from the top of the building.
Wadah Khanfar, Director-General of the Qatar based Al Jazeera channel said the network would not be silenced. The killing of Al Jaber, he said, came after Mr. Qadhafi launched an “unprecedented campaign” against the channel.
(h/t UnaSpenser) -
Monday calender the week ahead
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 16
- An anti-government protest organized on Facebook is scheduled in Doha, Qatar.
SAUDI ARABIA:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - We won't trouble Saudi's tyrants with calls to reform while we crave their oil
Did you hear it? The clamour from western governments for democracy in Saudi Arabia? The howls of outrage from the White House and No 10 about the shootings on Thursday, the suppression of protests on Friday, the arrival of Saudi troops in Bahrain on Monday? No? Nor did I.
Did we miss it, or do they believe that change is less necessary in Saudi Arabia than it is in Libya? If so, on what grounds? The democracy index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit places Libya 158th out of 167, and Saudi Arabia 160th. At least in Libya, for all the cruelties of that regime, women are not officially treated as lepers were in medieval Europe.
Last week, while explaining why protests in the kingdom is unnecessary, the foreign minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, charmingly promised to "cut off the fingers of those who try to interfere in our internal matters". In other parts of the world this threat would have been figurative; he probably meant it. If mass protests have not yet materialised in Saudi Arabia, it's because the monarchy maintains a regime of terror, enforced with the help of torture, mutilation and execution.
Yet our leaders are even more at ease among the Saudi autocracy than they were in the court of Colonel Gaddafi. The number of export licences granted by the UK government for arms sales to the kingdom has risen roughly fourfold since 2003. The last government was so determined to preserve its special relationship with the Saudi despots that it derailed British justice by forcing the Serious Fraud Office to drop its inquiry into corruption in the al-Yamamah deals.
SYRIA:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - 3 Syrians missing after protest call in Lebanon
Three Syrian brothers have been missing for two weeks after handing out pamphlets in Beirut urging demonstrations for democratic change in Syria, an international human rights group said Thursday, calling on Lebanon to investigate.
The men's family said they disappeared early on Feb. 25 after they distributed fliers in the Lebanese capital calling for change back home, where the regime of President Bashar Assad closely controls the media and routinely jails critics of the regime.
The family told Human Rights Watch they are concerned the men might have been forcibly transferred to Syria.
"We fear that Lebanon may be back to doing Syria's dirty job of shutting up its critics," said Nadim Houry, Beirut director at Human Rights Watch.
TUNISIA:
(h/t suejazz ) -
10,000 Bangladeshi refugees 'to leave Tunisia in days'
CHOUCHA, Tunisia — About 10,000 Bangladeshis stranded at the Tunisian border after fleeing Libya are expected to be repatriated this weekend, an army official told AFP Monday citing the Bangladesh government.
The Bangladeshis make up the bulk of 16,000 people being sheltered at the Choucha camp, seven kilometres (about four miles) from the border, after fleeing a popular uprising and harsh government crackdown in Libya.
Some of them have been there for three weeks.
Thousands of people of various nationalities, notably Egyptians, have already been evacuated from the border including in an operation involving international forces.
More refugees were arriving every day, although the numbers were sharply down from the around 10,000 making the crossing daily earlier in the month, officials said.
"According to the Bangladeshi foreign minister who visited here this morning, all its nationals at the Choucha camp will be leaving here on March 19 with the help of the international community," said Tunisian army spokesman, Colonel Fethi Bayoud.
(h/t suejazz ) - TUNISIA: Migrant workers from Libya face long wait in border transit camp
When violence broke out in the western Libyan town of Zawiyah, Bangladeshi migrant worker Mohammed Nienn, 28, was doing a shift as a steelworker.
In a hurry to leave, he persuaded his Libyan supervisor to hand back his passport, but not the wages he was due. Then he jumped into a taxi with four other Bangladeshis and headed for the Tunisian border, where a bus eventually took him to Choucha transit camp, 25km from the frontier town of Ras Ajdir.
Ten days later, he was still there, waiting for a flight to Dhaka. "My family tells me to get home as quickly as possible," he told IRIN. "But it's not as simple as that. There are so many Bangladeshis here. The wait to go to the airport is quite long."
With only four flights leaving nearby Djerba airport for Dhaka daily, the number of people at Choucha is stretching resources in the camp. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 253,912 people have left Libya since the current unrest began in mid-February. They include 137,424 to Tunisia, the vast majority of whom were Egyptian and have since been repatriated.
Currently 17,000 people live at Choucha camp, 10,000 from Bangladesh and the remaining 7,000 mostly from sub-Saharan African countries.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:
(h/t suejazz ) - UPDATE 1-UAE says sent 500 police officers into Bahrain
The United Arab Emirates has sent about 500 police officers into Bahrain to calm protests by the Shi'ite Muslim majority, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said on Monday.
The move came after Bahraini police clashed on Sunday with mostly Shi'ite demonstrators in one of the most violent confrontations since troops killed seven protesters last month.
"The Bahraini government asked us yesterday to look at ways to help them to defuse the tension in Bahrain and we have already sent roughly 500 (police officers)," UAE's Sheikh Abdullah said.
About 1,000 Saudi soldiers also entered Bahrain to protect government facilities, a Saudi official source said earlier on Monday.
YEMEN:
(h/t UnaSpenser) -Yemen deports 4 Western journalists
Authorities in Yemen have deported four Western journalists amid anti-government protests.
Police came to a house the four journalists shared in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, and took them to an immigration office, where they were told they would be deported, according to two of the journalists, Oliver Holmes, a British freelancer, and Haley Sweetland Edwards, an American freelance journalist.
....
Human Rights Watch has accused Yemen's government of harassing, attacking, or allowing attacks on 31 journalists to stop them from reporting on the protests.
"Beating up journalists is a blatant attempt by the authorities to prevent the Yemeni people and the world from witnessing a critical moment in Yemen," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the group's Middle East and North Africa division.
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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:
Note: The Mothership Diary is the place to go for a complete 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
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
@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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