You are in the 249th 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
SYRIA
It's been a while since I have done this part, and I wanted to focus on Syria for the highlights tonight. So much attention for Libya right now....and I feel extremely guilty for not focusing more on Syria. This is my way of trying to make amends ~ Jennifer
(ht JustJennifer 8/27) - Children and Solidarity
"You can kill a revolutionary but you can never kill the revolution."
(ht JustJennifer 8/27) - Ali Farzhat
Famous Cartoonist, kidnapped, beaten & hands broken
(08.27.2011) Zabadani | Damascus | Children chant "death and not humiliation" - Free Syria
(08.27.2011) Al-Khaldiyah | Homs | Amazing protests in support of Kafr Souseh and besieged cities
(08.27.2011) Daraa | Da'el Stands in solidarity with Damascus - Free Syria
(08-27-11) Kafr Souseh | Damascus | The Brave Protesting Inside AlRifai' Mosque - The brave begin chanting inside the mosque for freedom . Later, Assad 's forces shot at the people inside the mosque. Syria will be free!
More information on the attack on al-Rifai mosque can be found in this story:
Syrian protesters 'attacked in Damascus mosque'
country by country updates below the fold
Thank you for bearing witness.
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
(country names in bold are updated from the previous diary.)
GENERAL ANALYSIS
(h/t JustJennifer 8/27) -
Arab revolutions through Egyptian eyes
Rabat — Political transformation in Egypt helped to trigger uprisings in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. In turn the Arab world has pumped fresh blood back into Egypt’s political veins; activists and political groups are rallying support for political transformation elsewhere in the region where the dictators’ bullets are mowing down those committed to bringing down dictatorships. And while support for the drive to topple regimes is almost unanimous across the political spectrum, different positions have nonetheless formed on each case.
(h/t Dibsa 8/26)-Osman Mirghani: The end of Qaddafi: A message to Syria and Yemen?
I do not know what feelings haunt those leaders who have fallen from power and are watching the people celebrate their departure; tearing apart their portraits, chanting against their regime, and generally witnessing the extent of the people’s hatred for their regime. I would imagine that they cannot believe the images that they are witnessing with their own eyes, because they were blinded by power, and their policies of oppression and suppression ensured that they only heard the voices of those closest to them, the climbers and opportunists who said that their people loved them and were willing to die for them. This is why they fail to understand the message their people are trying to send them when they rise up and revolt, and why they fail to learn their lesson from the experience of other leaders. Instead, they insist on viewing the people’s uprising as part of a conspiracy that must be crushed by their security and military apparatus
ALGERIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/9) - Algerian Islamists launch new party
Long-time Algerian Islamist Abdellah Djaballah recently created a new political party, shaking up the conservative political landscape
BAHRAIN
h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Russia Strikes First Bahrain Arms Deal
Russia for the first time is selling weapons to Bahrain after the U.K. and France banned deliveries of security equipment to the Gulf monarchy because of its crackdown on protesters
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Bahrain cleric to rulers: Reform or risk ouster
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain's most senior Shiite cleric warned the Gulf kingdom's rulers Friday to either ease their grip on power or risk joining Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and other Arab leaders swept aside by uprisings
BURKINA FASO
(h/t Dibsa 8/25 ) - Burkina Students Relieved Over Zongo Verdict But Not Happy
Ouagadougou — In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, a verdict was finally delivered in the Justin Zongo case, named after a student whose controversial death raised concerns over police brutality. The case sparked a series of protests that plunged the country into months of social unrest. Students expected a heavier sentence
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Burkina Faso sentencing upsets students
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A student protest leader in Burkina Faso said the sentencing of three policemen accused of brutality in the death of a detainee wasn't enough
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t Dibsa 8/26 ) - Top Gbagbo regime general detained
Abidjan - A general considered one of the most powerful officers in the regime of Ivory Coast's ex-strongman Laurent Gbagbo has been detained over alleged robbery and a probe into a mass grave, prosecutors said on Thursday
DJIBOUTI
(h/t Dibsa 6/22 ) - Djibouti Will Intensify Fight Against Poverty, Prime Minister Dileita Says
Djibouti’s government will intensify its fight against poverty, improve governance and implement renewable-energy projects to help spur economic growth, Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita said
EGYPT
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Islam in the new Egypt
Cairo - There’s a new Egypt now - an Egypt where public opinion actually matters. The country has gone through a tumultuous seven months, and Ramadan provides something of a break from politics, as Muslim communities engage in a month of fasting and spiritual contemplation
IRAN
(h/t Dibsa 8/17) - Iran's hard-liners seek payback in next election
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's internal power struggles are shifting into election mode with hard-line political forces banding together to groom candidates for next year's parliamentary elections and punish allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(h/t Dibsa 8/12) - “Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival” by Maziar Bahari with Aimee Molloy
For years after Iran’s 1979 revolution, Iranian journalists working for Western news organizations engaged in a balancing act when reporting from inside the Islamic republic. As Iranian citizens whose passports, language skills and social networks gave them greater access than other journalists had, they also faced harsher consequences if their reporting went too far. But as long as they avoided crossing certain “red lines,” in general they would experience nothing worse than harassment and intimidation. Some portion of the government still cared about Iran’s international image
IRAQ
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Iraq: How not to overthrow a dictator
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis who lived through the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein see eerie similarities in the scenes of Libyans parading through Tripoli ripping up posters of Moammar Gadhafi. But Iraqis also saw looting, bloodshed and bombings in the days and years since
ISRAEL
(h/t The Troubadour 8/27 ) - Israel's Massive Protests are BACK! 30,000 Marching After Week of Violence w/ Million March Next
With bombs falling in Gaza and rockets in Southern Israel, many feared violence would destroy Israel's protest movement. Tonight, Israelis are showing their resolve under the banner of "Until We Win" (עד שננצח), showing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the people refuse to back down on their demands for social justice.
JORDAN
(h/t Dibsa 8/15) - Jordan's King Abdullah welcomes limited reform plans
King Abdullah of Jordan has said proposals for limited reform of the constitution are a sign of political maturity among Jordanians
KUWAIT
(h/t JustJennifer 8/25) - Jailed for tweeting in Kuwait
Armed security officers wearing balaclavas led Nasser Abul, blindfolded and shackled, into a courtroom in downtown Kuwait City on July 19. Accused of crimes against the state, he answered the judge's questions from a wood-and-metal cage in the courtroom. His mother, watching the proceedings, hoped her 26-year-old eldest son would finally be released after nearly two months in detention. The judiciary has refused to grant her wish.
LEBANON
(h/t Dibsa 8/9) - Syria solidarity rally held in Beirut
Hundreds of people have rallied in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, in solidarity with the Syrian people, as the Syrian government intensified its crackdown on protesters
LIBYA
(h/t JustJennifer 8/27) - Gaddafi's African 'mercenaries' leaving Libya
The United Nations has called on all sides in the Libyan conflict to prevent acts of revenge.
(h/t JustJennifer 8/27) - Arab League recognises Libyan NTC
The Arab League has restored Libya's membership in the bloc, turning over the country's seat to the National Transitional Council (NTC), the rebels' political leadership.
(h/t JustJennifer 8/27) - Libyan rebels seize key border post
Libyan rebels have defeated Muammar Gaddafi loyalists at a border crossing with Tunisia, seizing control of a key checkpoint that could open supply routes into the country.
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 8/25) - Mauritania urged to revoke anti-slavery activists’ sentencing
The authorities in Mauritania must revoke jail sentences given to four anti-slavery activists who protested against the enslavement of a 10-year old girl, Amnesty International said today
MOROCCO
(h/t Dibsa 8/15 ) - Morocco picks early elections date
Morocco's government says it wants to hold early parliamentary elections in November, to follow through on a raft of constitutional reforms aimed at reducing the risk of an uprising
OMAN
(h/t Dibsa 8/15) - Three newspaper staff charged in Oman court
MUSCAT — The Omani public prosecutor's office called on Sunday for the conviction of three local newspaper employees on charges of insulting the justice minister and called for their daily to be shut down
PALESTINE
(h/t Dibsa 8/25) - China announces support for Palestinian UN statehood bid
China says it supports a Palestinian plan to seek full membership in the United Nations next month.
Negotiations with Israel on the terms of Palestinian statehood have been frozen since 2008. As an alternative, the Palestinians have decided to seek UN recognition of an independent "Palestine" in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Palestinians hope most UN members back statehood bid
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — A senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday that he hoped the great majority of countries would back a Palestinian membership application to the UN next month
(h/t Dibsa 8/24 ) - Palestinian statehood blocked, equality struggle ahead
As the start of the UN General Assembly's 66th Session quickly approaches, it seems that "statehood" has sucked the air out of every room where Palestine is discussed. Worse, in Washington, where the Obama Administration has taken a firm stance against the UN approach, the statehood bid is seen as a radical move
SAUDI ARABIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/25) - Saudi Arabia's Regional Reaction
The Arab Spring is not over. Anger at decades of corruption, oppression and tyranny continues to generate dissent across the Middle East and North Africa. But as vitalizing as the revolutionary moment has been, the forces of counterrevolution have been equally powerful. Entrenched regimes have unleashed a combination of measures aimed at either crushing the Arab Spring or minimizing its potential impact on the political and economic status quo
SYRIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Russia, China resist U.N. Syria sanctions push: envoys
(Reuters) - The U.S. and European push to impose U.N. Security Council sanctions on Syria for its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators is meeting fierce resistance from Russia and China, U.N. diplomats said
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Syrian gunmen break artist's hands as 'warning'
BEIRUT (AP) — A renowned political cartoonist whose drawings expressed Syrians' frustrated hopes for change was grabbed after he left his studio early Thursday and beaten by masked gunmen who broke his hands and dumped him on a road outside Damascus
TUNISIA
(h/t Dibsa 8/15) - Tunisia police use teargas to disperse protest
(Reuters) - Tunisian security forces used teargas and truncheons on Monday to disperse a crowd of protesters in the capital demanding the government step down for failing to prosecute supporters of the ousted president
(h/t Dibsa 8/12) - Tunisian court sentences 25 Ben Ali relatives to jail
TUNIS: A court sentenced 25 relatives of Tunisia's ousted leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to jail on Friday, most of whom were caught trying to flee with cash and jewels at the climax of January's revolution
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(h/t ninkasi23 8/10) - The United (but not Equal) Arab Emirates
While Abu Dhabi is awash with cranes working around the clock to raise a post modern city from the sand, and the skyline of Dubai is exploding with glass towers, in the northern emirates what one sees is a developing-world landscape.
WESTERN SAHARA
(h/t Dibsa 7/26) - Western Sahara talks end in impasse
The latest round of unofficial, UN-brokered Western Sahara negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario ended without agreement last week
(h/t Dibsa 7/25) - Western Sahara: Women Refugees Denounce Dictatorship, Corruption at Camps
MADRID / Association for the development of Saharawi Women, led by Salma Buha Mint Bubacar Lecuara, president of the association and Fatma Ahmed Essbiti, its secretary, held a conference on july 21, 2011 at The Emperor hotel in Madrid. Ana Camacho a senior journalist with El País intervened in support of the two speakers. Also attended the ceremony Mohamed Salem jaddou a member of the association
YEMEN
(h/t Dibsa 8/26) - Rival Rallies Unfold in Yemen
Thousands of protesters have rallied in towns across Yemen, calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Pro-government demonstrators also rallied, carrying pictures of Saleh and urging him to stay in office
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
WorldWideTahrirWorldwide 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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