You are in the the 179th 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
:
Shocking escalation in Syria.
WARNING: UNBEARABLY GRAPHIC VIDEO FROM SYRIA
BAHRAIN
- from @Hawraaaaaa
Hawraaaaaa Apr 22, 6:43am via Twitpic
Pic:Demonstration in Duraz against burning #Quran by #KSA and #Bahrain forces #lulu #BPR #feb14 #14feb http://twitpic.com/...
SYRIA - EXCEEDINGLY GRAPHIC
We've witness more violence than I ever would have cared to. We offer these warnings so that you can choose whether to witness more. I find this very difficult, yet tell myself that these people are living this and the least I can do is bear some of the human accountability by witnessing. STILL, after all we've seen, this video is only 14 seconds and I had to hit pause. I had no idea before I hit play what I was about to see. If you get queasy at all, you may not be able to stomach it. I highly recommend that you only do so if you feel quite strongly about the role of witnessing. I'm crying as I type this, as my heart is longing for peace and having seen this is very, very painfully disturbing. I do, as is likely self-evident from my role here, feel very strongly about the value of witnessing. Perhaps I have limits to what I can bear, I find myself thinking this morning. There is something about the intimacy of this along with the realization that while facing this brutality the people know that they need to document it and they somehow find the will to film this while they must be terrified and horrified and hopefully not becoming "battle-hardened". I'm left a little shattered by it. So, please choose wisely for yourself. - Una (Shahida Nur)
A protester dying in the streets of Syria:
La Illaha Il Allahu
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?
1. Rec this diary. (click that star just under the title)
2. "Follow" " Eyes on Egypt and the Region. Scroll down the group box on the right-hand side and click "Follow".
3. Place links in Front Page threads and tell all your friends.
4. Put links in your Facebook updates.
5. Tweet links.
Thank you!
NOTE: We renamed the original "Egypt Liveblog" to "Witnessing Revolution". From Egypt the pro-democracy fire spread rapidly. It's not clear that it will be limited by geography or ethnicity. So, we wanted a name which states what is happening yet allows us to grow with the movement, wherever that will be. The number sequence will be continuous. The group name will remain the same. Only this particular diary series within the group changed names.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t Lawrence 4/23)
Women have emerged as key players in the Arab spring
In a small room in Benghazi some young men and women are putting out a new opposition newspaper. "The role of the female in Libya," reads one headline. "She is the Muslim, the mother, the soldier, the protester, the journalist, the volunteer, the citizen", it adds.
Arab women can claim to have been all these things and more during the three months of tumult that have shaken the region. Some of the most striking images of this season of revolt have been of women: black-robed and angry, a sea of female faces in the capitals of north Africa, the Arabian peninsula, the Syrian hinterland, marching for regime change, an end to repression, the release of loved ones. Or else delivering speeches to the crowds, treating the injured, feeding the sit-ins of Cairo and Manama and the makeshift army of eastern Libya.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21)
Clinton urges immediate dialogue on Middle East
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume dialogue immediately even as unrest roils the region.
The two parties "are trying to analyze what this means for their future position," Clinton told PBS television.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21)
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on situation of children in the Middle East and North Africa
NEW YORK, 20 April 2011 – "UNICEF is greatly concerned about the effects of violence on children caught in escalating conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. We continue to condemn the targeting of civilians by armed groups, and call on all parties to provide humanitarian aid workers with immediate access to all areas and children in need.
ALGERIA
(h/t JustJennifer 4/23) - Police use truncheons to stifle Algeria protests
Truncheon-wielding Algerian police Saturday beat hundreds of pro-reform activists outside parliament and prevented another anti-government rally Saturday, the organisers said.
Hundreds of teachers gathered in central Algiers but police beat them back and swooped down on marchers gathered about two kilometres away in another protest called by the National Coordination for Democracy and Change (CNDC).
"The police stopped our gathering outside the parliament. The demonstrators received baton blows," said Mourad Fertaki, the national coordinator of graduate assistants at middle and high schools.
(h/t Dibsa 4/20) -
Algerian FM denies providing military backup for Gaddafi
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci on Tuesday denied to his French counterpart Alain Juppe the Libyan rebels' allegations that Algeria provided military backup for Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, Algerian state-run news agency APS reported.
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Prominent Bahraini rights activist goes on trial
MANAMA (Reuters) – A prominent Bahraini human rights activist went on military trial on Thursday, his daughters said, after the Gulf Arab kingdom launched a crackdown on protesters.
Sunni-led Bahrain saw the worst unrest since the 1990s in the past two months when protesters, mostly from the country's Shi'ite majority, took to the streets as Arab uprisings spread across the region
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Doctors ‘disappeared’ as Bahrain cracks down after protests
Authorities in Bahrain have arrested 32 doctors including surgeons, physicians, paediatricians and obstetricians following its crackdown on Shia-led protests last month.
The UK’s Independent newspaper reported that one doctor was arrested while operating on a patient while another, an intensive care specialist, was detained after a photograph was published of her weeping over a dead protester
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) - If you're a Bahraini, protesting in the UK can have 'grave consequences'
I'm a Bahraini student doing my final year in mechanical engineering at a university in Britain.
Last month I participated in a protest of solidarity with my people, family, and friends in Bahrain. It took place in front of the BBC building in Manchester. The protest was peaceful, and most of the demonstrators were holding Bahraini flags. We were supporting the call for democracy, equal rights and constitutional reform that promotes basic human rights and peaceful coexistence between all religious and ethnic communities in the kingdom.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Bahrain's secret terror
The intimidation and detention of doctors treating dying and injured pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain is revealed today in a series of chilling emails obtained by The Independent.
At least 32 doctors, including surgeons, physicians, paediatricians and obstetricians, have been arrested and detained by Bahrain's police in the last month in a campaign of intimidation that runs directly counter to the Geneva Convention guaranteeing medical care to people wounded in conflict. Doctors around the world have expressed their shock and outrage
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Richard Sollom: The really shocking thing is that the abuse is systematic
In two decades of conducting human rights investigations in more than 20 countries, I have never seen such widespread and systematic violations of medical neutrality as I did in Bahrain.
Bahrain's ambulances, hospitals and medical clinics as well as its physicians, nurses, and medical staff are all being targeted. It's pervasive and ongoing. These attacks violate the principle of medical neutrality and are grave breaches of international law
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) - Bahrain: Front Line Defenders refused access to Military Court hearing of Abdulhadi Al- Khawaja amid ongoing fears of torture and ill-treatment during arbitrary detention
Front Line Deputy Director Andrew Anderson who is currently on mission in Bahrain was this morning (21st April) refused access to the hearing of imprisoned human rights defender, and former Front Line Regional Protection Coordinator, Abdulhadi Al-khawaja at the Military Court in Rifaa.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Bahrain's Crackdown on Protest Extends to Academe, With Interrogations, Firings, and Expulsions
The Bahraini government is conducting sweeping retributions against academics believed to have participated in recent pro-democracy protests, firing professors and administrators and expelling students.
At the University of Bahrain, the largest public institution in the kingdom, a committee of pro-government academics is questioning other academics about their participation in protests and their loyalty to the existing regime. A few professors have been detained, and have had no contact with family members or lawyers since.
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Burkina Faso Premier Pledges Government Based on ‘Competence’
April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Burkina Faso’s newly appointed prime minister said he will select a government based on “competence” to deal with a political crisis that has shaken the West African country for the past two months.
“All of the persons who will enter this government will be there by merit,” Luc Adolphe Tiao said in an interview late yesterday on Radio Television du Burkina, the state-owned broadcaster, in the capital, Ouagadougou. “Competence will be the main criterion” of the appointments, he said
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
After Burkina mutiny, new army chief decries 'barbaric acts'
OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso's new army chief on Tuesday decried "undisciplined, even barbaric acts" by mutinous soldiers who have called off their days-long revolt in the west African country.
General Honore Nabere Traore, named last Friday, asked his military chiefs to restore discipline in their ranks, saying the soldiers had "seriously tarnished the image of our national army."
President Blaise Campaore's presidential guard ran riot in the capital, demanding their March pay and housing and food allowances, which the authorities began to pay out on Saturday
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) - Ivory Coast: Pro-Ouattara forces clash in Abidjan
Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara have exchanged fire in the main city of Abidjan.
The incident took place between the Invisible Commandos group, which controls areas of Abidjan, and troops brought from the north of the 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 jnhobbs 4/23) - Egypt prosecutors extend Mubarak detention
Egypt's state prosecutor has renewed the detention of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak for another 15 days amid a probe into a deadly crackdown on protesters and corruption.
"The state prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmud decided to renew the detention of ex-president Hosni Mubarak for 15 days for questioning... effective when his last detention period expires," the MENA news agency reported on Friday.
Mubarak, who was forced to resign in February after mass protests, was first remanded into preventive custody for 15 days on April 13 on suspicion of involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters and corruption.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Court: Remove Mubarak name from public facilities
CAIRO – An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered the name of ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his wife Suzanne removed from all public facilities and institutions — the latest step in dismantling the legacy of the former leader's 29 years in power.
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 4/21) -
Ban on Baghdad street protests angers Iraqis
(Reuters) - A government ban on protests on the streets of the capital has led some Iraqis to question their leaders' commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
Thousands of Iraqis, encouraged by uprisings around the Arab world, have taken to the streets in recent months to press for better basic services and an end to corruption
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 4/21) -
Libya rebels seize Tunisia border post
MISRATA, Libya (AFP) – Libyan rebels overran a post on the Tunisian border on Thursday, marking their first advance in weeks against Moamer Kadhafi's forces as NATO warned civilians to stand clear of its bombing blitz.
The capture of the Wazin border post was cheered by several hundred rebels who raised the flag of the Libyan monarchy after some 150 to 200 pro-Kadhafi soldiers abandoned their weapons and fled into Tunisia.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Misrata residents describe nonstop shelling
MISRATA, Libya – Inside the besieged city of Misrata, spent rockets protrude from the pavement of a parking lot, unarmed teenagers prepare plastic crates of Molotov cocktails, and fighters at roadblocks sit inside empty shipping containers outfitted with furniture, carpets and generator-powered TVs and watch Al-Jazeera reports of their war with Moammar Gadhafi.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
In Misrata clinic, doctor keeps a grim record
MISRATA, Libya – Dr. Mohammed al-Fagieh, chief surgeon at Hilal Hospital in Misrata, carries around a gruesome catalog of recent cases that have come through his wards.
When asked about common wounds, he pulled a cell phone from the pocket of his blue scrubs and flipped through a sampling of images.
"This was yesterday morning," he said Wednesday, showing a photo of a man with a gaping hole in his head. "His brains are out."
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 JustJennifer 4/23) - Protests break out in Omani city
At least 1,000 protesters have taken to the streets in Oman's southern port city of Salalah in one of the biggest pro-reform demonstrations since scattered unrest began in the Gulf Arab sultanate two months ago.
The protesters assembled in a car park across the street from the governor's office on Friday, where a preacher led mid-day prayers and led them on a march across the city.
"The Omani people are not afraid of protesting for as long as it takes for reform, [but] first and foremost is to get government officials, who have been embezzling funds for years, to stand trial," Amer Hargan, the leader, told the crowd.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) - Oman pardons 234 arrested during protests
(CNN) -- Oman's ruler has pardoned 234 people who were arrested during anti-government protests earlier in the year, the Gulf state's news agency said.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said pardoned only those who were taken into custody for "the crimes of crowding in public streets," the Oman News Agency said Wednesday
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 jnhobbs 4/23) -
Syrian Security fires on Protesters, Kills 90
You never issue an ultimatum unless you are prepared for war. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad abolished the forty-year-old emergency law on Thursday, and he had dismissed two unpopular governors against whom there had been protests. Then he said that there was no longer any reason for anyone to demonstrate, implying that further demonstrations would be dealt with harshly.
Tens of thousands of Syrians challenged the president on “Great Friday”. In numerous cities, from Homs in the north to Izzra in the south, crowds came out and chanted, “The people want the fall of the regime.”
(h/t jnhobbs 4/23) - 'Nine killed' at Syria funeral processions
Four people have been killed in the Syrian town of Douma, a witness told Al Jazeera, after security forces on the ground and snipers on rooftops opened fire on a crowd of thousands of mourners gathered to bury protesters killed on Friday.
Army and security personnel also shot at mourners at a funeral procession in the southern town of Izraa. Eyewitnesses told Al Jazeera that five people had been killed there, four of them after having been shot in the chest. Several others were wounded.
The eyewitness in Douma said that the gunfire erupted during the processions on Saturday, in the largest of the towns that surround Damascus to the northeast. Eight people were killed and at least 25 injured in Douma when security forces fired upon pro-democracy protesters on Friday.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Syrian activists vow largest protests to date
BEIRUT – Ahead of what could turn out to be a decisive day for Syria, protesters took credit Thursday for forcing President Bashar Assad to lift the country's 50-year state of emergency and brushed off his attempts to placate the monthlong uprising against his authoritarian regime.
Activists said they were planning the biggest protests to date Friday against Assad, who inherited power from his late father 11 years ago but has failed to deliver on early promises of sweeping reform. The uprising has posed the biggest challenge to the 40-year ruling dynasty of the Assad family
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Syrian president ratifies end of emergency rule
BEIRUT – Syria's president formally ratified an end to the 50-year-old state of emergency Thursday as the regime tried to dampen enthusiasm for the country's monthlong uprising on the eve of massive rallies planned for Friday.
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) - Problems linger despite Tunisian revolution
It was the self-immolation of a young Tunisian man that sparked the uprising that has spread across the Arab world.
However, months after the revolution that brought down 23 years of authoritarian rule, the struggle in Tunisia is far from over, as Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from Sidi Bouzid.
Local resident Mohamed Bouazizi's desperate gesture might have ignited the uprising. But it was years of state oppression, poverty and unemployment that really inspired people to protest.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is no longer the president, but the central-west region remains one of the poorest parts of Tunisia.
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 JustJennifer 4/23) - Yemeni president agrees to Gulf proposal on crisis
Yemen's embattled president agreed Saturday to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a major about-face for the autocratic leader who has ruled for 32 years.
The protest movement demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh's immediate departure said Saturday that it also accepted the latest draft of the deal but with reservations.
A day earlier, protesters staged the largest of two months of demonstrations, filling a five-lane boulevard across the capital with a sea of hundreds of thousands of people. A deadly crackdown by government forces and Saleh supporters has killed more than 130 people and prompted key allies to abandon the president and join the protesters.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Gulf plan offers Yemen president 30 days to quit
SANAA (AFP) – A Gulf plan to end months of bloody unrest calls for Yemen's embattled president to step down 30 days after the formation of a unity government, an official in his administration said on Thursday.
An emailed statement from the Yemeni embassy in Washington meanwhile said that Gulf Cooperation Council chief Abdullatif al-Zayani had presented the GCC's latest proposal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and to the opposition, and that the ruling party would respond within 24 hours
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Gulf bloc offers new proposals to end Yemen crisis
SANAA, Yemen – The head of a grouping of Gulf Arab nations presented a new proposal Thursday to Yemen's embattled president for resolving the country's crisis, calling on him to hand over power to a successor of his choice and leave within a month, according to a senior government official.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's leader of 32 years, has been clinging to power in the face of two months of massive street protests against his rule.
(h/t Dibsa 4/21) -
Yemen president 'offered departure with immunity'
SANAA (AFP) – Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been offered the option of resigning after 30 days with a guarantee that he would not be prosecuted, a high-ranking opposition official said on Thursday.
It bears repeating - Please Rec this diary.
Our Egyptian brethren articulated what people around the region are fighting for, though variations to the theme may exist from country to country. banner held by protesters and translated to English:
1 The departure of Mubarak
2 An end to the current Parliament
3 An end of the state of emergency
4 The creation of a national united government
5 A parliament elected by the people to modify the constitution and run the presidential elections
6 Put those responsible for the killings on trial
7 Put those responsible for stealing the country's money and other acts of corruption on trial
Will you help us gather updates?
Many hands make light work and we rely on teamwork for timely posting.
Here's how it works:
1. we invite you to join our wiki. (we'll need an email address from you)
2. you choose 1 or more countries you wish to gather citations for
3. go to the page of that country, click EDIT,
4. copy the mini template and fill in what the red text prompts
5. click SAVE
We're working on a publication schedule: Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday. Ideally we would see fresh citations in the wiki by late evening the day before. That is, posts from late Monday evening would be published in Tuesday morning's diary. (If you'd like produce a diary on a different day of the week, we'd love to show you how to update the template and paste it into your diary!)
It's really that simple! Please join us.
Resources:
Note: The old Mothership Diary has good list of resources.
Al Jazeera English - Watch Live (the Youtube link below should work for Mac users unable to load this.)
Al Jazeera live also available on: Dish Network channel 9410 OR DirecTV Channel 375 Link
Al Jazeera on Facebook: - http: //www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Al Jazeera Live on YouTube
English Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
Arabic Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
BBC Middle East reporting
BBC Middle East and Arab Unrest
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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