You are in the 204th 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 of the brave people striving against oppression for representative democracy with civil and human rights. One small bit of assurance that they do not strive in obscurity. Please see the 200th edition where participants shared what this series means to them.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
YEMEN
Bara'a was abducted and brutally beaten due to his activism in the change square and effectiveness in the Yemeni Revolution again Ali Saleh's Regime
Where is my Child- Son killed and body not buried (translation below the video)
My name is Nisreen Ahmad Hussien Ali Al-Khaledi, I’m 25 years old married to a Hadrami, I have two sons, Omar and Ahmad. We were going out of the house, I was the one driving, I had two female friends with me and my sons heading to Al-Jomhori Hospital because my son only had a fever and a sore throat. We went towards Kentucky round, it was a small turn, I wasn’t speeding and there are no reasons to shoot, but we were directly shot. I told the people in the car to put their heads down, we laid down to the point that we crashed into something. I raised my hand telling them, we’re a family and they were still shooting, I opened the door and then they stopped. They came towards me and I told them to hospitalize my son, they said.. I said why are you shooting us? What’s the reasons for you to shoot us? They said we did not shoot; it was Sheikh Al-Ahmar supporters who shot you. It was central Security.
From 1:00pm to 1:30pm, half an hour, my son was bleeding and they did not hospitalize him. They said, “Say it was Al-Ahmar Supporters and we will hospitalize him” I said I won’t say except that central security were the ones who shot. After I took the central security guard’s weapon, and aimed it directly and said, you either hospitalize my son or I will shoot you instead of him. He then had to take my son, but it wasn’t him who hospitalized my son, he put him in a taxi car, and they searched us all, me and my friends and my son and the car. I got to the hospital and they said, your son is in the operation room, and of course my son is already in the fridge because he had been bleeding for half an hour, he had three shots in his stomach and one in his shoulder. I’m wondering, why are they shooting without any reason? Why was my son killed without any reason? I’m demanding.. my son.. even in the fridge, I don’t think there is a body, we didn’t bury him, it’s been 10 days since last Monday until today and we demand to bury him and that’s all. I received a call from a private number, asking me to deny during the investigation in Nasr Police Station that I said Central Security were the ones that shot us. I saw death, I’m not scared of death, I will not deny and say that Al-Ahmar supporters did it, I didn’t see Al-Ahmar supporters, I saw central security aiming at us directly; they left my son bleeding for 30 minutes until he died, then brought us a taxi.
I ask King Abdullah to help us, and I also ask the Yemeni people to stand by me because I am a mother of a martyr without knowing the reasons.
My dad and mom came from Dubai the third day, his dad and his uncles came the second day directly from Saudi. All we asked for is to bury him and it was normal, but also for the body to disappear, I will not stay quiet.
SYRIA
Protest in Homs today chanting "down with Bashar and to topple the regime"
Can you imagine the bravery these men must have? They are being shot at close proximity and still chanting "Curse your soul Hafiz"
More news listed country by country below the fold...
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ABOUT OUR GROUP
Eyes on Egypt and the Region produces a different series of diaries which provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope those provide context for you as you read about current events. The published diaries in that series are:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
See the group stream for even more diaries.
DO YOU KNOW OF GOOD READING MATERIAL?
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.
NEWS UPDATES
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t Dibsa 6/21)-Middle East Leaders Wander in the Desert: World View
As the Syrian leadership continued to come in for criticism across much of the Arab media, several commentators turned their attention toward Turkey and the role Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan is said to be assuming in both cajoling and chastising his former "friend'' in Damascus, President Bashar Assad. As the Syrian leadership continued to come in for criticism across much of the Arab media, several commentators turned their attention toward Turkey and the role Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan is said to be assuming in both cajoling and chastising his former "friend'' in Damascus, President Bashar Assad
(h/t Dibsa 6/20)-Corruption and the Arab Spring
From Tunisia to Yemen, the corruption of Middle Eastern regimes has played a significant role in motivating the Arab Spring. Former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his family now face trial in absentia for, among other crimes, money laundering and drug trafficking
(h/t Dibsa 6/20)In Arab Spring, truth can beget freedom
The only real harvest from the Arab Spring so far has been in Egypt and Tunisia, where revolutions have led to emerging democracies. Yet in a few other Arab countries, ongoing protests have at least yielded a small crop of truth-telling from autocratic leaders
ALGERIA
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Algerian ex-conscripts demand promised benefits
ALGIERS - Some 250 former army conscripts who fought in Algeria's 1990s civil war staged a protest here Monday to press demands for a host of social benefits
BAHRAIN
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Bahrain stages trials of opponents, despite new US criticism
Days after the US designated Bahrain a human rights abuser, putting it in the company of North Korea and Zimbabwe, the small Gulf kingdom yesterday pushed on with six trials of political opponents and hauled in the wife of a jailed former member of parliament for hours of questioning
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Bahrain accused of abuse inside hospitals
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 20 (UPI) -- Security forces in Bahrain turned one of the country's main hospitals into a torture chamber, an official with Doctors without Borders said
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - ILO Director-General's statement on Bahrain
The Director-General of the ILO condemned the public call by the Joint Committee of Major Companies in Bahrain to the 15 members of the Executive Committee of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions to resign immediately or to face criminal and civil law prosecution
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 6/17 ) - Burkina Faso Government Plans to Dismiss National Electoral Commission
Burkina Faso’s government will dismiss the country’s electoral commission following the June 8 resignation from the panel by representatives from opposition parties, said Jerome Bougouma, minister of territorial administration and security
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t JustJennifer 6/21)-Ivory Coast releases 17 associates of ousted leader
Authorities in Ivory Coast have released 17 associates of former leader Laurent Gbagbo who were detained following his ouster in April, the justice minister said Sunday.
DJIBOUTI
(h/t UnaSpenser 4/14 ) -
JIBOUTI: WHY NO ONE CARESsection 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 Dibsa 6/21 ) - 'Speak up!' blogging on sexual harassment in Egypt just a start
After 24 hours of tweeting and blogging on sexual harassment in Egypt, today Nazra, an organisation for feminist studies, in cooperation with HarassMap is organising a discussion table under the banner “What has not been said,” inviting bloggers and activists to discuss “What happens after the blogging and tweeting day against Sexual Harassment and Gender Violence in Egypt?”
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Even in Egypt, Arab Spring not yet secured
The uprising that swept Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power in February was national in scope. But Tahrir Square in Cairo was its beating heart
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Egypt military posts Facebook poll on next leader
CAIRO – Egypt's military rulers have posted a Facebook poll to gauge the popularity of nearly 20 presidential hopefuls as the North African nation prepares for its first post-revolution parliamentary elections
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Comment: ElBaradei tries to ease rancour
Mohamed ElBaradei has played many roles during his decades in Egyptian and international public life but his latest cause might yet prove one of the most important
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Egypt's ex-president Mubarak 'has cancer'
CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak, whose trial on charges of ordering the killing of anti-regime protesters is due to start in August, has stomach cancer, his lawyer Farid al-Dib said on Monday
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Egypt names Orabi as new foreign minister
CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt on Sunday appointed Mohammed al-Orabi as the new foreign minister to replace Nabil al-Arabi who will head the Arab League, the official MENA news agency reported
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Iranian protestors plan to turn Tehran into ghost town
Neda Agha-Soltan became the international face of Iran’s Green Movement after the 26-year-old was gunned down in Tehran during protests over claims that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s supporters had rigged the result in his favour
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Iran deputy foreign minister resigns amid pressure
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's newly appointed deputy foreign minister has resigned under pressure from hard-liners who view him as part of a movement seeking to weaken the role of Iran's powerful Muslim clerics, media reports said Tuesday
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Iran frees jailed human rights activist
TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran has freed human rights campaigner Emadeddin Baghi after he served a year-long jail term on charges of spreading "propaganda against the regime," Arman daily reported Tuesday, quoting his lawyer
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Lawmakers want U.N. rights auditor barred from Iran
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iranian lawmakers urged the government on Sunday to prevent a U.N. investigator from coming to the country to look into allegations of human rights abuses
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Iran lifts ban on top-selling reformist daily
TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran's hardline press watchdog allowed the reformist Etemad newspaper to return to the newsstands on Saturday after a 15-month ban on the leading daily
IRAQ
(h/t JustJennifer 6/17)-Bloodied, beaten but ready to speak out
Freedom-of-speech protesters in Kurdistan are daily risking their lives, write Tracey Shelton and Harem Bahaddin in Sulaymanieh.
ISRAEL
(h/t JustJennifer 6/17)-Israel: Facebook protest targets price of cheese
In a region rife with Facebook-fueled uprisings, Israelis have launched a modest revolt of their own — against the price of cottage cheese.
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Jordan information minister quits over 'restrictive' laws
AMMAN (AFP) – Jordan's Information Minister Taher Adwan said on Tuesday he has resigned because of laws he deemed "restrictive for freedom of expression
KUWAIT
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Kuwait opposition vows to work to oust PM
KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – Kuwaiti opposition lawmakers have vowed to keep up their campaign to oust the prime minister who faces a key no-confidence vote on Thursday for having boosted ties with Iran
LEBANON
(h/t JustJennifer 6/17)-Lebanese PM sends in troops as Syrian situation sparks clashes
Lebanon dispatched troops Friday to quell clashes that arose in the city of Tripoli over the Syrian crisis.
LIBYA
(h/t Dibsa 6/21 ) - NATO says bombed Libya military target, not civilians
SORMAN, Libya (AFP) – NATO insisted an air strike west of Tripoli hit a military target and not civilians as claimed by Moamer Kadhafi's regime, while a British air force chief warned Tuesday of Libya overstretch
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - NATO loses contact with drone chopper over Libya
TRIPOLI, Libya – NATO said one of its unmanned drones disappeared over Libya on Tuesday, refuting reports that forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi had shot down an alliance attack helicopter
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Libyan Media Minders Nervous After Guard Death
TRIPOLI, Libya — Reports that a guard at the hotel housing foreign journalists here had been fatally shot sent a tremor of anxiety through the Qaddafi government’s media operation on Monday
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Libya says NATO airstrike kills 15 west of capital
SURMAN, Libya – Libya's government said a NATO airstrike west of Tripoli early Monday on a large family compound belonging to a close associate of Moammar Gadhafi has killed at least 15 people, including three children
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Libyan civilians build weapons to fight Gadhafi
MISRATA, Libya – Aref Abu Zeid used to be a heavy equipment engineer at the Libya Steel Company. Now he runs an 80-man team working 12 hours a day turning out rockets and weapons to fight Moammar Gadhafi's forces
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - NATO denies new Libya civilian deaths claim
SORMAN, Libya (AFP) – Libya said 15 people including three children were killed in a NATO air strike Monday, although the Western alliance denied responsibility a day after it admitted causing civilian deaths in Tripoli
(h/t Lawrence 6/18 ) - Muammar Gaddafi war crimes files revealed
Thousands of documents that reveal in chilling detail orders from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's senior generals to bombard and starve the people of Misrata have been gathered by war crimes investigators and are being kept at a secret location at the besieged Libyan port.
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 6/16) - Mauritania opposition says October vote not possible
NOUAKCHOTT — A Mauritanian opposition leader said Wednesday elections due in October could not go ahead without reforms, accusing President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's government of abuse of power
MOROCCO
(h/t Dibsa 6/21 ) - Campaigning kicks off for Morocco referendum
RABAT — Campaigning for a referendum on constitutional curbs to King Mohammed VI's powers opened in Morocco on Tuesday with the main parties urging a "yes" vote in the wake of uprisings elsewhere in north Africa
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Moroccans protest over King Mohammed's reform proposal
Thousands of people rallied in Casablanca over proposed constitutional changes that would curb the power of Morocco's 400-year-old monarchy, with demonstrators arguing that the reforms don’t go far enough
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Moroccan king's backers attack democracy activists
RABAT, Morocco – Pro-government demonstrators in Morocco on Sunday attacked democracy activists protesting constitutional reforms recently unveiled by the king
OMAN
(h/t JustJennifer 6/4) - Oman sets protesters' trial for June 1
The trial of 27 protesters accused of rioting during violent demonstrations in Oman will start next Wednesday, a court official said.
Protests in Oman began in February, inspired by pro-democracy revolts that toppled the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia before spreading to Gulf Arab region.
PALESTINE
(h/t Dibsa 6/20 ) - Fatah calls off Cairo unity meeting with Hamas
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – A planned announcement on Tuesday of a new Palestinian unity government has been delayed after the Fatah and Hamas movements failed to agree on a prime minister, Fatah officials said on Sunday
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Activists ask Clinton to help Saudi women drivers
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A coalition of Saudi activists is urging the West's top women diplomats to publicly support a campaign by women in Saudi Arabia to win the right to drive
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Pro- and anti-Assad Syrians clash; 7 dead
BEIRUT – Government supporters and opponents clashed in three Syrian cities on Tuesday and security forces opened fire, killing at least seven people including a teenager, activists reported. The bloodshed came as President Bashar Assad's regime sought to counter a 3-month-old pro-democracy uprising with mass demonstrations
(h/t Dibsa 6/21 ) - Syria's Assad orders new amnesty as four more dead
DAMASCUS (AFP) – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday ordered a new general amnesty, a day after an offer of "national dialogue" to end Syria's unrest, even as activists said four people were killed in anti-government protests
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Syria's Assad talks reforms in bid to keep power
BEIRUT – Syria's president said Monday his regime would consider political reforms, including ending his Baath Party's monopoly in politics, but thousands of enraged protesters accused him of clinging to power and took to the streets shouting, "Liar!"
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Tunisian ex-leader: I was 'tricked' into leaving
BEIRUT – Tunisia's former ruler has denied accusations he fled the country and says he was "tricked" into leaving
(h/t Dibsa 6/21) - Tunisians dissatisfied with quick Ben Ali verdict
TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisian authorities were under fire Tuesday for their high-speed sentencing in absentia of toppled president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and his wife to 35 years in prison for misappropriating public funds
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Trial of deposed Tunisian president begins
TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisia placed toppled former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on trial for plunder on Monday, underlining the exiled strongman's fall from grace as he insisted he was duped into fleeing January's revoltion
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t Dibsa 6/15 ) - UAE urged to release five activists on trial
DUBAI — Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged Emirati authorities to drop charges against five activists, including a blogger and a lecturer, facing trial for "criticising" the government
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Sahara : the Polisario tries to undermine the negotiations to perpetuate the status quo
The final settlement to the Western Sahara conflict does not serve the personal interests of former/present Algerian leaders and their protégé the Polisario which do anything to undermine the negotiations with Morocco and perpetuate the status quo. This is something of which is convinced the Moroccan diplomacy. The positions aiming at undermining the process of negotiations on the Sahara, reflecting a deliberate political negotiation intended to perpetuate the status quo, has stated on Wednesday in Rabat, the Foreign Affairs Minister
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Uncertain future for Yemen
LONDON As thousands attend rallies in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the country's future direction remains hard to decipher. President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in neighboring Saudi Arabia, receiving treatment for injuries he received in an attack on his palace on June 3. His vice president, Abd Rabbu Mansur al-Hadi, has taken over as acting head of state, and opposition activists who have staged protests since January are demanding that an interim ruling council replace Saleh
(h/t Dibsa 6/20) - Thousands in Yemen call for president's son to go
SANAA, Yemen – Tens of thousands took to the streets of the capital on Monday, demanding that the president's sons leave Yemen as pressure rose for the wounded leader being treated outside the country to step down
It bears repeating - Please Rec this diary.
Our Egyptian brethren articulated what people around the region are fighting for, though variations to the theme may exist from country to country. banner held by protesters and translated to English:
1 The departure of Mubarak
2 An end to the current Parliament
3 An end of the state of emergency
4 The creation of a national united government
5 A parliament elected by the people to modify the constitution and run the presidential elections
6 Put those responsible for the killings on trial
7 Put those responsible for stealing the country's money and other acts of corruption on trial
Will you help us gather updates?
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Here's how it works:
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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
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.
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