You are in the 185th 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
Yemen and Syria
(h/t bee tzu 5/7) Yemen: One day in the heart of the revolution
(h/t UnaSpenser 5/7) To Syrian propaganda machine & all hyprocits. Who is firing at protesters here?
(ht JustJennifer 5/7) -
Children of the revolution, From The Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page
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.
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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 Dibsa 5/6)Shifting Sands: Political Transitions in the Middle East, Part 2
Thank you for inviting us to testify before this committee on the subject of political transitions in the Middle East. You rightly recognize that this is a pivotal moment in the Middle East and North Africa. National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon said recently that the Arab Spring is an event comparable to the fall of the Ottoman Empire or the decolonization of the Middle East following the Second World War. And historians will long be debating these momentous developments
(h/t Dibsa 5/5)Morocco, Syria detain journalists; violations across region
New York, May 4, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Morocco today to release editor Rachid Nini and sought the release of journalist Dorothy Parvaz as well as other journalists in Syria. Press freedom violations continued throughout the region, with abuses in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.
ALGERIA (h/t Dibsa 5/3) - Algeria govt approves big hike in public spending
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria announced a sharp increase in budget spending and waived duties on staple foods on Monday in a move designed to stop public discontent spilling over into the kind of revolts rocking other Arab states
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) - Bahrain: Ongoing incommunicado and arbitrary detention of Mr. Abdulhadi Al Khawaja
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Bahrain.
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Pillay deeply concerned about dire human rights situation in Bahrain
GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday expressed deep concern about the continued detention of hundreds of activists in Bahrain, the prosecution of scores of medical professionals, and the sentencing to death of four protestors after a closed-door military trial
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Physicians Urge Obama Admin to Pressure Mideast Ally Bahrain to End Repression of Doctors, Patients
The Gulf nation of Bahrain has announced that 47 medical workers who treated pro-democracy protesters during the nation’s popular uprising will be tried before a military court on charges of acting against the state. Some could face the death penalty for providing medical assistance to protesters
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Bahrain Authorities Putting Doctors and Nurses on Trial for Caring for the Wounded
Between Syria, Libya and the killing of Bin Laden, very few media people seem to be paying much attention to the increasingly brutal crackdown on protesters in Bahrain. Since a Saudi-led military incursion several weeks ago, the street protests have basically stopped. Now that the streets are free of protesters, authorities are hunting them down in their homes, work places – and even hospitals.
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 5/6 ) - Ouattara Set to Take Oath of Office as Ivory Coast President
Ivory Coast's President Alassaine Ouattara is set to take the oath of office Friday, formally ending the violent political crisis that followed November's disputed election. Meanwhile, a United Nations human rights team is investigating a possible mass grave in an Abidjan suburb where the new national army has been battling loyalists of the ousted president.
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
DailyKos Diary from someone in Egypt doing political organizing consulting:
Challenges with Democracy in Egypt by katienaranjo
Note: For the last year and a half, I have been working on-and-off with Egyptian political parties and youth activists. Below is the first blog post in a series of reports on the upcoming Egyptian elections. This series represents my views from interactions with activists, party leaders, and candidates on the ground in Egypt. I am currently in Cairo after a week of traveling around Egypt meeting with eager activists.
I am a week into my efforts to train Egyptian political activists on how Americans campaign, and it is clear the challenges facing political parties and youth activists here are daunting. In addition to high illiteracy rates, limitations on election resources, and a politically-uninitiated populace, Egypt’s troubles are mounting as its parliamentary elections draw near.
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Egypt ex-minister Habib al-Adly jailed for 12 years
Egyptian former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly has been sentenced to 12 years in jail on charges of money-laundering and profiteering.
As head of the country's security services, Adly was a key part of ex-President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
(h/t Dibsa 5/4) - Mubarak faces possible execution, Egyptian official says
Cairo (CNN) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could be executed if he is convicted of ordering the killing of protesters, Egypt's justice minister said Wednesday.
"One of the charges he is facing is complicity in the killing of martyrs and issuing the orders for premeditated the killing of those people," said Justice Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz al-Juindy. "This is a charge with a harsh punishment -- the death penalty."
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 4/29) - Iranian journalist protests against sentences with hunger strike
"I will refuse food, telephone contacts, visits or furloughs until my demands are met. I protest against all the sentences issued against me. I will continue this path until I get a result and everything that happens to me will be the responsibility of those who have issued sentences against me and have a role in keeping me imprisoned in Ward 2A," Nourizad wrote in a letter addressed to Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, Tehran's Prosecutor.
IRAQ
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Slide Show: Iraqi Kurdistan's Democratic Challenge
The protests sweeping the Middle East have motivated thousands of Kurds from all walks of life to demonstrate in cities across Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region in northern Iraq. While their demands—an end to widespread corruption and greater civil and political rights—have been more modest than their regime-change-seeking counterparts in neighboring countries, the democratically elected Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has reacted to these protests in much the same way as despots around the regi
ISRAEL
(h/t Dibsa 4/21 ) - Israeli leftists call for Palestinian state
TEL AVIV (AFP) – Some 300 Israeli left-wingers, including prominent cultural leaders, gathered in Tel Aviv on Thursday to call for the Jewish state to embrace the creation of a Palestinian state.
The activists met to sign a petition, which is endorsed by 17 winners of the prestigious Israel Prize, in a symbolic ceremony in front of the building where the state of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948.
The ceremony was met with anger by several dozen right-wing protesters who also gathered at the site and had to be kept away by a heavy police presence, an AFP photographer at the scene said
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 4/27) - Jordan king creates panel to review constitution
AMMAN (AFP) – Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday asked a former prime minister to head a committee to review the constitution and consider amendments, in a bid to face growing demands for reforms.
The king asked Ahmad Lawzi and the 10-member committee, which includes other former premiers, to "look into constitutional amendments that would be suitable for Jordan in the present and future," said the state-run Petra news agency.
KUWAIT
(h/t Dibsa 4/29) - Ahistorical Kuwaiti sectarianism
Sectarian violence in Bahrain has led many to nervously speculate about the potential for these events to set rapidly into motion a downward spiral of Sunni-Shia relations in the rest of the Gulf, and the catastrophe that could arise should the violence pit the regional religious rhetorical powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran against each other. One vital question is how much weight will the turmoil in Bahrain have over other Shiite communities in the Gulf, namely the large Shia population in Kuwait, perhaps the U.S.'s strongest regional ally and strategic partner in the region?
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 UnaSpenser 5/7) - Men search shattered Libyan city for unburied dead
Flies flickered through flashlight beams and a foul odor filled the air as the men tromped down the stairs to a basement. Their rubber boots splashed in ankle-deep putrid water as they scanned the darkness for the bodies they'd come to retrieve.
"Here's one," someone said. Then another. And another. And another.
Theirs is a particularly morbid volunteer project: Combing the war-shattered streets for the unburied dead from two months of urban combat.
(h/t JustJennifer 5/7) -
Kadhafi forces shell Misrata fuel depots, drop mines
Moamer Kadhafi's forces Saturday shelled fuel depots in Misrata and dropped mines using helicopters bearing the Red Cross emblem into the harbour, rebels said, as they braced for a new ground assault on the besieged port city.
The latest fighting comes as Amnesty International lashed out at the Libyan regime, saying its more than two-month "horrifying" siege of Misrata could be a war crime.
"There are still attacks by Grad missiles and our fighters are still resisting," said Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani, military spokesman of the rebels' Benghazi-based National Transitional Council.
(h/t JustJennifer 5/7) -
Cameron and Sarkozy restate Libya 'determination'
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have restated their determination to enforce the UN resolution on Libya.
Downing Street said the leaders of the UK and France had agreed to intensify the pressure on the regime "militarily, politically and economically".
RESOURCES:
A vision of a democratic Libya an 8-point plan from the National Transitional Council
The full text of UN Resolution 1970 on Libya.
The full text of UN Resolution 1973 on Libya.
President Obama's letter to Congress regarding commencement of operations in Libya. (h/t greenbird)
Al Jazeera Libyan live blog. (h/t jnhobbs)
UK Telegraph Libyan live blog. (h/t bee tzu)
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 dibsa 4/26) - Mauritanian police use teargas to break up protest
NOUAKCHOTT, April 25 (Reuters) - Security forces using teargas and batons dispersed several hundred anti-government protesters in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on Monday, the most serious clash in the West African state for nearly two months.
MOROCCO
(h/t mimi 4/30 ) -
CIA Part of Investigation of 'Düsseldorf Cell'
The arrest of three suspected al-Qaida members in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday followed a months-long investigation that, in addition to the German authorities, also included the participation of the CIA and Moroccan secret service. The German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) created its own special "Comet" investigative unit to look into the case.
...
The detainees are suspected of being members of the international terrorist organization al-Qaida. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL, the main suspect in the so-called "Düsseldorf Cell" is Abdeladim K. of Morocco. He is believed to have been in regular contact with an allegedly high-ranking al-Qaida official in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
...
Meanwhile, the report in Die Welt claimed that the three Moroccan men, who have German passports, are part of a larger group of terror suspects
PALESTINE
(h/t Dibsa 4/27 ) - Palestinian officials: Unity agreement reached
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians have reached initial agreement on reuniting their rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza, officials from both sides said Wednesday, a step that would remove a main obstacle in the way of peace efforts with Israel.
Even before the agreement was to be signed, however, key questions about how to unify rival security forces remained unsolved. Israel immediately rejected the prospect of a Palestinian government including Hamas, and the U.S. expressed similar concerns
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Hamas-Fatah reconciliation a Palestinian form of Arab spring
Reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas is a historic achievement for the Palestinians, whose rivalries and divisions have weakened them and been exploited by their enemies.
Agreement to form an interim government and fix a date for elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip next year is also a real triumph for Egyptian mediation – and a surprise given the momentous changes in Cairo in the past few months.
But above all it is a challenge to Israel, the US and EU, which have all shunned Hamas as a terrorist organisation since its shock victory in Palestinian elections in 2006.
The agreement is, in its way, a version of the Arab spring shaking regimes from Libya to Syria and giving hope of change after years of impasse.
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 5/6) - Saudi women risk arrests, beatings in efforts to register to vote
Three Iraqi women proudly display ink on their fingers, proof that they voted. Women in other Muslim countries including Jordan, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Malaysia, and more can vote. Photo credit: Center for International Private Enterprise.
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa5/6) - Thousands protest across Syria in a 'day of defiance'
Despite a security crackdown, demonstrations against the regime of President Bashar Assad break out in about a dozen cities after Friday prayers. Witnesses, online videos and tweets report gunfire by government forces and several deaths.
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) - Al Jazeera demands release of journalist
DOHA, QATAR - Al Jazeera English has called for the immediate release of Dorothy Parvaz, after Syrian officials confirmed that they are holding her. Dorothy Parvaz was detained upon arrival in Damascus six days ago. She has had no contact with the outside world since.
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 5/4) - Tunisia hands ousted dictator additional charges
TUNIS, Tunisia – The official TAP news agency says Tunisia's toppled president and his wife are facing additional charges of wrongdoing in a bloody crackdown that followed his January ouster.
Wednesday's report cites a Justice Ministry statement as saying Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and former first lady Leila Trabelsi are facing charges including "inciting disorder, murder or pillaging on Tunisian soil."
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t Dibsa 5/5 ) - FACTBOX-Political risks to watch in the United Arab Emirates
(Reuters) - As political upheaval sweeps through the Arab world, the federation of seven emirates remains one of two unaffected Gulf Arab states, in addition to Qatar.
The per capita incomes of the UAE and Qatar remain among the highest in the world -- eighth and third, respectively -- thanks to their relatively small populations and oil and gas wealth.
(h/t Dibsa 5/4 ) - UAE: Human rights officials condemn government crackdown
Human rights advocates decried what they called a “crackdown on civil society” in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after authorities replaced the leadership of the country's teachers association, a well-established group that had called for democratic reforms, with government officials sympathetic to the administration.
“This attack on civil society is further proof that those in power in the UAE see anyone calling for reform as fair game,” Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director of the New York-based nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch, said in a Tuesday statement. “UAE authorities should immediately stop their hostile takeover of civil society and free the peaceful democracy activists.”
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) - Western Sahara: Winning the “war on words” and avoiding actual war
“People will easily be able to sympathize with our issues, but they need the information first.” Senia Bachir Abderahman is talking about the situation in the refugee camp that she grew up in and the frustration that her family and most of her fellow Saharawis (Western Sahara’s indigenous population) cannot escape from this refugee camp because their country is colonised by Morocco.
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) -
Yemen's Saleh vows to resist 'outlaw' protesters
SANAA — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told a mass rally of supporters on Friday that he would resist calls to quit, describing as "outlaws" tens of thousands of protesters gathered a short distance away.
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) - Crowds mass as Saleh blocks Yemen deal again
SANAA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets both for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh Friday, a day after Gulf efforts to revive a plan for him to leave power were stymied by conditions from his party.
(h/t Dibsa 5/6) - Yemen opposition urges Gulf to press Saleh
Yemen's opposition urged Gulf Arab states on Thursday to pressure embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a plan that would end months of political unrest
(h/t Dibsa 5/5) - Is U.S. Aid Suppressing Another Mideast Freedom Struggle?
In recent weeks, Yemeni protesters calling for an immediate end to the 32-year reign of U.S.-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been met with increasing violence at the hands of state security forces. A recent pledge by Saleh to step down, one of many that haven’t met demonstrators’ demands, has yet to halt the protests or violence by the troops backing his regime.
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
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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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