15 April 2014
By Staff writer
Al Arabiya News
Authorities arrested a Jordanian on Monday after he threw a pair of
shoes at Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur, along with five cabinet
ministers, during a ceremony in the northern city of Jerash, an official
said.
“The prime minister was talking about the economy, when
Mefleh Mahasneh, 65, head of the Jerash countryside society that was
attending the event, stood up and told the prime minister: ‘You raised
the prices’,” the municipality official told Agence France-Presse.
“The
mayor told Mahasneh to stop because it was not his turn to talk.
Mahasneh, an army retiree, got angry and took off his shoe and threw it
towards the stage on which the prime minister and the ministers were
sitting.”
Mahasneh then took off his other shoe and threw it in
the same direction. “The pair of shoes landed on a table on the stage.
Police then arrested Mahasneh.
“I think he was detained for his
own protection because some attendees threatened to take action against
him,” added the official.
A wave of nationwide protests and strikes
were sparked after Nsur’s government raised fuel prices, including house
gas, by up to 52 percent in November 2012. The price surge was imposed
to help cut a government deficit of 3.5 billion dinars (around $5bn),
AFP reported.
Jordanians also took to the streets to protest
growing unemployment and poverty rates, and demanded political and
economic reforms in the kingdom as well as anti-corruption efforts.
Security
personnel present at the event gathered footage of the incident so as
to prevent its dissemination in the media, local news outlets reported.
(With AFP)
Link: .alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/04/15/Jordanian-throws-shoes-at-prime-minister-over-price-rise.html.
Showing posts with label protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protests. Show all posts
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Monday, September 10, 2012
Is this the start of Jordan’s Arab Spring? Protests spread through the capital
September 8th, 2012
Source: Albawaba
Late last night, around 1000 protestors gathered in central Amman calling for the entire Jordanian government to be dismissed and for King Abdullah II to step down.
It was the first real indication that the Arab Spring might finally be knocking on Jordan’s door. Previously, calls for reform have been lackadaisical at best with even the sternest of opposition pitching up for tea and shisha mid-way through demonstration. This time was different as an unprecedented number of protestors chanted: ‘Freedom from Allah, down down Abdullah,’ in scenes reminiscent of the start of the Egyptian revolution. It seems the tide could be turning for the Middle East’s safe haven.
As we made our way towards the protest in Jabal al Taj, the quiet streets gave no indication of the bitter crowd gathered at the bottom of the hill. But, enraged chants gradually began to fill the air.
Protest was sparked by the arrest of an activist in Tafila, but soon spread from the historically rebellious south into more obedient Amman after further arrests were made of activists from Hai al Tafaileh. In total nine out of Jordan’s 12 provinces saw their own anti-government rallies.
By the time we reached the scene of dissent in Amman, around 500 protestors filled the streets facing an intimidating wall of 50-armed policemen. There weren’t any obvious clashes between the crowd and the police but tensions were running high.
The crowd made their way to the bottom of the hill where they sat on the floor in an attempt to prove to the system “that the people calling for reforms are peaceful – the King is protecting the corrupt people.”
One of the protest leaders sat atop of a car chanting reformist slogans. Cheers broke out and protestors moved aside as an ambulance carrying a man who had been injured amidst the earlier commotion drove past the sit-in. The people we spoke to were keen to make their point as peacefully as possible.
Abdul was one of the protestors eager to speak to us about the issues that caused the gathering. He asked us to leave out his last name to avoid "retaliation from the secret police."
“We’re asking for freedom against a corrupt regime,” he said.
Protest leader Bara al Saoud explained: “The King isn’t serious about reform…he employs corrupt officials, arrests reformists and acts as a dictator.
“We want to find a resolution for the good of the country… We don’t want to topple the regime – we want reform!”
Yet, despite Saoud’s claims, the protestors we spoke to believed that last night marked the beginning of a growing movement of people uniting to overthrow the regime.
As pressure from the people mounts on the Jordanian government and particularly its prime minister, Fayez al-Tarawneh, and its King, this is just the latest example of an increasingly powerful culture of dissent in the country.
By Alice Cuddy and Helen Brooks
Source: Albawaba
Late last night, around 1000 protestors gathered in central Amman calling for the entire Jordanian government to be dismissed and for King Abdullah II to step down.
It was the first real indication that the Arab Spring might finally be knocking on Jordan’s door. Previously, calls for reform have been lackadaisical at best with even the sternest of opposition pitching up for tea and shisha mid-way through demonstration. This time was different as an unprecedented number of protestors chanted: ‘Freedom from Allah, down down Abdullah,’ in scenes reminiscent of the start of the Egyptian revolution. It seems the tide could be turning for the Middle East’s safe haven.
As we made our way towards the protest in Jabal al Taj, the quiet streets gave no indication of the bitter crowd gathered at the bottom of the hill. But, enraged chants gradually began to fill the air.
Protest was sparked by the arrest of an activist in Tafila, but soon spread from the historically rebellious south into more obedient Amman after further arrests were made of activists from Hai al Tafaileh. In total nine out of Jordan’s 12 provinces saw their own anti-government rallies.
By the time we reached the scene of dissent in Amman, around 500 protestors filled the streets facing an intimidating wall of 50-armed policemen. There weren’t any obvious clashes between the crowd and the police but tensions were running high.
The crowd made their way to the bottom of the hill where they sat on the floor in an attempt to prove to the system “that the people calling for reforms are peaceful – the King is protecting the corrupt people.”
One of the protest leaders sat atop of a car chanting reformist slogans. Cheers broke out and protestors moved aside as an ambulance carrying a man who had been injured amidst the earlier commotion drove past the sit-in. The people we spoke to were keen to make their point as peacefully as possible.
Abdul was one of the protestors eager to speak to us about the issues that caused the gathering. He asked us to leave out his last name to avoid "retaliation from the secret police."
“We’re asking for freedom against a corrupt regime,” he said.
Protest leader Bara al Saoud explained: “The King isn’t serious about reform…he employs corrupt officials, arrests reformists and acts as a dictator.
“We want to find a resolution for the good of the country… We don’t want to topple the regime – we want reform!”
Yet, despite Saoud’s claims, the protestors we spoke to believed that last night marked the beginning of a growing movement of people uniting to overthrow the regime.
As pressure from the people mounts on the Jordanian government and particularly its prime minister, Fayez al-Tarawneh, and its King, this is just the latest example of an increasingly powerful culture of dissent in the country.
By Alice Cuddy and Helen Brooks
Monday, February 6, 2012
Protests in Jordan garner some reforms, look for more gains
Mon 6 Feb 2012
Source: Egypt Independent
Amman--Amid the region’s revolutionary fervor, Jordanian dissent rose, with the opposition making political and economic demands and a monarchy attempting to appease protesters.
On Friday 25 February, some 10,000 Jordanians took to the streets of Amman to protest. More than 3,000 security forces had been deployed in the capital and the march went off without violence. Come early afternoon, protesters went home, leaving the city center empty.
Following the incident of 18 January, when eight protesters had been injured during clashes with pro-government supporters, relief was palpable. “The protest went without problems, nothing like the past week, and now it is finished. Here we don’t have a revolution like in Egypt and we don’t want to drive out the King” said Mustafa, a juice seller in the city center.
The Jordanian opposition has been calling for a constitutional monarchy in which the government would be appointed by the Parliament rather than by the King.
“Our demands are constitutional changes that relate to the elections and the supervision of the elections. We want a parliamentary government to be formed of the bloc that constitutes the majority of the parliament” Bani Ershed, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front party, the Muslim Brotherhood’s party, said.
Moreover, economic pleas have been expressed with growing disparities between rising prices and low incomes.
Many in Jordan affirmed that they are not for the king’s departure. Demonstrating with pictures of the king, people asked for constitutional reform. Muhammad who supports the demonstrations said, “We don’t want the King to step down but political reforms have to be implemented”.
“The King is the guarantor of domestic peace and national unity, it would be terrible if we were to follow Egyptian example,” said Fouad, a teacher.
Many Jordanians say that the king’s presence is key to preserving national unity between Jordanians of Palestinian and Bedouin origins.
Nonetheless, for Lina Ejeilat, editor of a Jordanian media initiative, 7iber.com, those fears are partly baseless. “The regime has managed to make people believe that Jordan is vulnerable… but I think these issues are overemphasized.”
Some argue that the lack of unified demands is a barrier to forming a popular base. “This split makes it very hard for popular mobilization” affirmed a Western diplomat in Amman who preferred to remain anonymous.
“Many people estimate that no democratic progress has been done and social inequalities are increasing… in addition, they point out to the lack of transparency of the state and want their demands to be answered by real measures and not appointments of new people,” added the diplomat.
According to analysts, citizens of Bedouin origins have been frustrated by the economic reforms implemented by King Abdallah that bolstered the private sector, mainly in Palestinian hands--38 out of 40 most important assets in Jordan are Palestinians.
On the other hand, Jordanians of Palestinian descent, who represent 60 percent to 70 percent of the country's population, are prevented from holding governmental and administrative positions.
Moussa, a Palestinian entrepreneur, complains that “there is no unity between Palestinians and Bedouins. Despite the fact that Palestinians have the same civil rights they don’t have access to the administration and army.”
In the meantime, despite the unprecedented number of participants and their growing demands, the movement does not gather a large support from the population.
“The situation is different in Jordan. It is not a popular initiative. Contrary to what occurred in Egypt, it is not people but political parties who are leading the movement,” said Fouad, who also said that people do not necessarily feel represented by the parties who mobilized those protests.
The protests were primarily mobilized by the Islamic Action Front and leftist parties.
Ejeilat agreed that some opponents to the government were not focusing on common demands, and that the pursuit of different demands is disturbing the unity of the movement.
But Ershed argued that the protests has not yet attained full momentum. “We are still in the beginning, we are planning to start an open strike in the capital. Next week will be a turning point if the demands are not met, there will be a major development in the number of protesters and the kind of events we organize”, he said.
For the western diplomat, “except from the Muslim Brotherhood there is no real proposal for reforms that could be widely accepted… But they are not strong enough to impose change”.
The king has adopted a reactive and soft approach to the events, in attempt to contain the situation. He appointed a new cabinet on 9 February and a committee to administer national dialogue had been formed in the immediate aftermath of the demonstrations.
Following the clashes that left eight persons injured, Jordanian police launched an investigation and arrested three suspects. The week after, no violence occurred and the demonstrations were heavily protected by police who even gave water and juice to demonstrators.
Nevertheless, the opposition insists that those measures are inefficient. “They are discussing legal changes while we want constitutional changes. The committee doesn’t have any power, it is a waste of time” said Ershed.
While economic reforms have long been an appeasement strategy, it appears insufficient amidst the growing revolutionary contagion in the region. “Jordan is in a delicate situation. People wait for the monarchy to implement democratic reforms by itself. But despite his reputation of economic reformer, King Abdallah has never step up political reforms,” added the diplomat.
Source: Egypt Independent
Amman--Amid the region’s revolutionary fervor, Jordanian dissent rose, with the opposition making political and economic demands and a monarchy attempting to appease protesters.
On Friday 25 February, some 10,000 Jordanians took to the streets of Amman to protest. More than 3,000 security forces had been deployed in the capital and the march went off without violence. Come early afternoon, protesters went home, leaving the city center empty.
Following the incident of 18 January, when eight protesters had been injured during clashes with pro-government supporters, relief was palpable. “The protest went without problems, nothing like the past week, and now it is finished. Here we don’t have a revolution like in Egypt and we don’t want to drive out the King” said Mustafa, a juice seller in the city center.
The Jordanian opposition has been calling for a constitutional monarchy in which the government would be appointed by the Parliament rather than by the King.
“Our demands are constitutional changes that relate to the elections and the supervision of the elections. We want a parliamentary government to be formed of the bloc that constitutes the majority of the parliament” Bani Ershed, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front party, the Muslim Brotherhood’s party, said.
Moreover, economic pleas have been expressed with growing disparities between rising prices and low incomes.
Many in Jordan affirmed that they are not for the king’s departure. Demonstrating with pictures of the king, people asked for constitutional reform. Muhammad who supports the demonstrations said, “We don’t want the King to step down but political reforms have to be implemented”.
“The King is the guarantor of domestic peace and national unity, it would be terrible if we were to follow Egyptian example,” said Fouad, a teacher.
Many Jordanians say that the king’s presence is key to preserving national unity between Jordanians of Palestinian and Bedouin origins.
Nonetheless, for Lina Ejeilat, editor of a Jordanian media initiative, 7iber.com, those fears are partly baseless. “The regime has managed to make people believe that Jordan is vulnerable… but I think these issues are overemphasized.”
Some argue that the lack of unified demands is a barrier to forming a popular base. “This split makes it very hard for popular mobilization” affirmed a Western diplomat in Amman who preferred to remain anonymous.
“Many people estimate that no democratic progress has been done and social inequalities are increasing… in addition, they point out to the lack of transparency of the state and want their demands to be answered by real measures and not appointments of new people,” added the diplomat.
According to analysts, citizens of Bedouin origins have been frustrated by the economic reforms implemented by King Abdallah that bolstered the private sector, mainly in Palestinian hands--38 out of 40 most important assets in Jordan are Palestinians.
On the other hand, Jordanians of Palestinian descent, who represent 60 percent to 70 percent of the country's population, are prevented from holding governmental and administrative positions.
Moussa, a Palestinian entrepreneur, complains that “there is no unity between Palestinians and Bedouins. Despite the fact that Palestinians have the same civil rights they don’t have access to the administration and army.”
In the meantime, despite the unprecedented number of participants and their growing demands, the movement does not gather a large support from the population.
“The situation is different in Jordan. It is not a popular initiative. Contrary to what occurred in Egypt, it is not people but political parties who are leading the movement,” said Fouad, who also said that people do not necessarily feel represented by the parties who mobilized those protests.
The protests were primarily mobilized by the Islamic Action Front and leftist parties.
Ejeilat agreed that some opponents to the government were not focusing on common demands, and that the pursuit of different demands is disturbing the unity of the movement.
But Ershed argued that the protests has not yet attained full momentum. “We are still in the beginning, we are planning to start an open strike in the capital. Next week will be a turning point if the demands are not met, there will be a major development in the number of protesters and the kind of events we organize”, he said.
For the western diplomat, “except from the Muslim Brotherhood there is no real proposal for reforms that could be widely accepted… But they are not strong enough to impose change”.
The king has adopted a reactive and soft approach to the events, in attempt to contain the situation. He appointed a new cabinet on 9 February and a committee to administer national dialogue had been formed in the immediate aftermath of the demonstrations.
Following the clashes that left eight persons injured, Jordanian police launched an investigation and arrested three suspects. The week after, no violence occurred and the demonstrations were heavily protected by police who even gave water and juice to demonstrators.
Nevertheless, the opposition insists that those measures are inefficient. “They are discussing legal changes while we want constitutional changes. The committee doesn’t have any power, it is a waste of time” said Ershed.
While economic reforms have long been an appeasement strategy, it appears insufficient amidst the growing revolutionary contagion in the region. “Jordan is in a delicate situation. People wait for the monarchy to implement democratic reforms by itself. But despite his reputation of economic reformer, King Abdallah has never step up political reforms,” added the diplomat.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Jordan’s Islamists call for ‘salvation gov’t’
December 17th, 2011
By Taylor Luck
Source: Jordan Times
THE JORDANIAN ISLAMIST movement has called for the formation of an emergency government to carry out “urgent reforms”, as the Muslim Brotherhood reiterated its demands for wider constitutional amendments.
Following a meeting of its executive branch late Wednesday, the Islamic Action Front (IMF), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political branch, called for a “national salvation government” to overcome political, economic and social “crises” currently facing the Kingdom.
Islamists urged Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh to head a government representing the interests of various political and social forces in the Kingdom to reduce the role of security services in public life, push through constitutional reform and draft a new elections law.
According to IAF politburo chief Zaki Bani Rsheid, the salvation government should be entrusted with “paving the way” for elections and wider political reforms which the movement claims have been “stalled” for nearly 11 months.
Islamist leaders claim that a recent spike in social violence and ongoing weekly protests are “warning signs” that the Kingdom cannot afford further delays in implementing political and economic reforms.
“If the government does not take immediate measures to alleviate the situation, we believe Jordan is entering a dangerous phase,” warned Hamzah Mansour, IAF secretary general.
“This is why we push for a national salvation government to restore the public’s trust in the political process.”
The demand marks the closest the movement has come to criticising the government of Awn Khasawneh, who reached out to the Muslim Brotherhood during the formation of his Cabinet in late October.
The statement comes amidst ongoing negotiations between Islamists and decision makers over its participation in the political process - widely viewed by officials and observers alike as key to the legitimacy of any upcoming elections.
Islamists have pinned their participation to a series of demands, including wider constitutional reforms guaranteeing an elected government, protecting the Lower House against dissolution, an elections law relying on proportional representation and the dissolution of the State Security Court.
According to the movement, the demand for a salvation government does not represent a break from its reform demands or criticism of the Khasawneh government, but rather a policy demand stemming from a growing “concern” for the domestic situation in Jordan.
“We are noticing that from the economy to the social sphere, the situation in Jordan is getting tenser day after day,” Bani Rsheid told The Jordan Times.
“We don’t want slogans or rhetoric, we want immediate action.”
In its statement, the movement also staked its position on the latest domestic and international issues, weighing in on issues ranging from the protection of Islamic sites in Jerusalem to the demands of disgruntled municipal employees in Jneid.
The movement expressed concerns over the minister of finance’s previously announced intentions to raise water, electricity and fuel tariffs, warning against measures that will affect average citizens which it claims are already facing the negative impact of a struggling economy.
“We need officials to find ways to raise funds other than raising the prices of basic goods that affect all citizens,” Mansour said.
The Islamist movement also welcomed the statements of His Majesty King Abdullah and Khasawneh earlier this month stressing that “no one is above the law”, urging for the Anti-Corruption Commission to refer all corruption cases to court in “transparency and justice”.
In its statement, the IAF condemned the attack on the home of MP Hamad Hajaya and the manner in which security services treated protesters who closed the Desert Highway in the Qatraneh area to demand the reclamation of wajihat - state-owned lands allocated for various tribes during the Ottoman era for grazing and habitation purposes.
The Islamist movement also called on the government to take action against Syrian embassy cadre in Amman who they claimed “broke the law and diplomatic norms” earlier this week by using physical force against Syrian nationals whom Damascus claimed stormed its embassy.
By Taylor Luck
Source: Jordan Times
THE JORDANIAN ISLAMIST movement has called for the formation of an emergency government to carry out “urgent reforms”, as the Muslim Brotherhood reiterated its demands for wider constitutional amendments.
Following a meeting of its executive branch late Wednesday, the Islamic Action Front (IMF), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political branch, called for a “national salvation government” to overcome political, economic and social “crises” currently facing the Kingdom.
Islamists urged Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh to head a government representing the interests of various political and social forces in the Kingdom to reduce the role of security services in public life, push through constitutional reform and draft a new elections law.
According to IAF politburo chief Zaki Bani Rsheid, the salvation government should be entrusted with “paving the way” for elections and wider political reforms which the movement claims have been “stalled” for nearly 11 months.
Islamist leaders claim that a recent spike in social violence and ongoing weekly protests are “warning signs” that the Kingdom cannot afford further delays in implementing political and economic reforms.
“If the government does not take immediate measures to alleviate the situation, we believe Jordan is entering a dangerous phase,” warned Hamzah Mansour, IAF secretary general.
“This is why we push for a national salvation government to restore the public’s trust in the political process.”
The demand marks the closest the movement has come to criticising the government of Awn Khasawneh, who reached out to the Muslim Brotherhood during the formation of his Cabinet in late October.
The statement comes amidst ongoing negotiations between Islamists and decision makers over its participation in the political process - widely viewed by officials and observers alike as key to the legitimacy of any upcoming elections.
Islamists have pinned their participation to a series of demands, including wider constitutional reforms guaranteeing an elected government, protecting the Lower House against dissolution, an elections law relying on proportional representation and the dissolution of the State Security Court.
According to the movement, the demand for a salvation government does not represent a break from its reform demands or criticism of the Khasawneh government, but rather a policy demand stemming from a growing “concern” for the domestic situation in Jordan.
“We are noticing that from the economy to the social sphere, the situation in Jordan is getting tenser day after day,” Bani Rsheid told The Jordan Times.
“We don’t want slogans or rhetoric, we want immediate action.”
In its statement, the movement also staked its position on the latest domestic and international issues, weighing in on issues ranging from the protection of Islamic sites in Jerusalem to the demands of disgruntled municipal employees in Jneid.
The movement expressed concerns over the minister of finance’s previously announced intentions to raise water, electricity and fuel tariffs, warning against measures that will affect average citizens which it claims are already facing the negative impact of a struggling economy.
“We need officials to find ways to raise funds other than raising the prices of basic goods that affect all citizens,” Mansour said.
The Islamist movement also welcomed the statements of His Majesty King Abdullah and Khasawneh earlier this month stressing that “no one is above the law”, urging for the Anti-Corruption Commission to refer all corruption cases to court in “transparency and justice”.
In its statement, the IAF condemned the attack on the home of MP Hamad Hajaya and the manner in which security services treated protesters who closed the Desert Highway in the Qatraneh area to demand the reclamation of wajihat - state-owned lands allocated for various tribes during the Ottoman era for grazing and habitation purposes.
The Islamist movement also called on the government to take action against Syrian embassy cadre in Amman who they claimed “broke the law and diplomatic norms” earlier this week by using physical force against Syrian nationals whom Damascus claimed stormed its embassy.
Arab League sees 'positive signs' from Syria
1 hour 32 minutes ago
By Sezayi Erken | AFP
Source:Yahoo News Maktoob
The Arab League expects the Damascus regime to sign up "soon" to an observer mission intended to monitor the protection of civilians, the bloc's number two Ahmed Ben Helli said on Saturday.
"There are positive signs... I expect the signing will happen soon," Ahmed Ben Helli told AFP ahead of a meeting of an Arab League ministerial commission in Qatar.
"It will not be today," he said, before the meeting, which had originally been scheduled to take place in Cairo alongside a now indefinitely postponed emergency foreign ministers' meeting.
Announcing the postponement late on Thursday, Ben Helli said negotiations would continue with the Syrian government to try to convince it to implement an Arab plan to end bloodshed which has raged for nine months since it unleashed a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The Arab League approved a raft of sanctions against the Damascus authorities on November 27 to punish their failure to heed an ultimatum to admit the observers but Syria said on Sunday that it would allow the mission in on certain conditions.
In a letter to the bloc's secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem set a number of terms, notably the withdrawal of the sanctions package.
Ben Helli said on Thursday that the League was still holding talks with Syria on its offer.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands turned out across Syria for rallies called under the slogan: "The Arab League is killing us -- enough deadlines," in protest at the bloc's failure to take a tougher stance.
By Sezayi Erken | AFP
Source:Yahoo News Maktoob
The Arab League expects the Damascus regime to sign up "soon" to an observer mission intended to monitor the protection of civilians, the bloc's number two Ahmed Ben Helli said on Saturday.
"There are positive signs... I expect the signing will happen soon," Ahmed Ben Helli told AFP ahead of a meeting of an Arab League ministerial commission in Qatar.
"It will not be today," he said, before the meeting, which had originally been scheduled to take place in Cairo alongside a now indefinitely postponed emergency foreign ministers' meeting.
Announcing the postponement late on Thursday, Ben Helli said negotiations would continue with the Syrian government to try to convince it to implement an Arab plan to end bloodshed which has raged for nine months since it unleashed a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The Arab League approved a raft of sanctions against the Damascus authorities on November 27 to punish their failure to heed an ultimatum to admit the observers but Syria said on Sunday that it would allow the mission in on certain conditions.
In a letter to the bloc's secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem set a number of terms, notably the withdrawal of the sanctions package.
Ben Helli said on Thursday that the League was still holding talks with Syria on its offer.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands turned out across Syria for rallies called under the slogan: "The Arab League is killing us -- enough deadlines," in protest at the bloc's failure to take a tougher stance.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Egypt Islamists vow mass protests over ‘declaration of basic principles’
2011-11-02
Source:Middle East Online
CAIRO - Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood threatened on Wednesday to bring its supporters out onto the streets over the military government's plans to set out the basics of a new constitution ahead of an elected People's Assembly.
The Brotherhood and other smaller parties, most of them also Islamist, said that one million people would protest nationwide on November 18 if the plans to pre-empt the promised People's Assembly to be elected early next year were not abandoned.
The Islamists were reacting to comments by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Salmi in Wednesday's edition of the state-owned daily Al-Ahram in which he said the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was "carefully considering" a plan for a "declaration of basic principles."
The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, called for Salmi's resignation.
"We call on Ali al-Salmi to step down and, if the government presses ahead with its plan, for all of its members to quit, because (this proposal) is a threat to Egypt's security," the party's vice chairman Saad al-Ketatni said.
"The national forces will not allow a small minority to impose its will on everyone," he said, reading a statement in the name of the party and its electoral allies.
He said that the government should "remember what happened to the system of the corrupt, all-powerful tyrant," a reference to the mass revolt which overthrew veteran president Hosni Mubarak's regime in February.
According to Al-Ahram, the declaration of principles being considered by the military government would state that "Egypt is a civil, democratic state which unites all of its citizens without distinction under the rule of law."
The clause is intended as a safeguard for Egypt's Coptic Christian minority which makes up between six and eight percent of the 80 million population.
The basic principles would also state that "sharia (Islamic law) is the main source of legislation," but not the sole one.
Source:Middle East Online
CAIRO - Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood threatened on Wednesday to bring its supporters out onto the streets over the military government's plans to set out the basics of a new constitution ahead of an elected People's Assembly.
The Brotherhood and other smaller parties, most of them also Islamist, said that one million people would protest nationwide on November 18 if the plans to pre-empt the promised People's Assembly to be elected early next year were not abandoned.
The Islamists were reacting to comments by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Salmi in Wednesday's edition of the state-owned daily Al-Ahram in which he said the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was "carefully considering" a plan for a "declaration of basic principles."
The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, called for Salmi's resignation.
"We call on Ali al-Salmi to step down and, if the government presses ahead with its plan, for all of its members to quit, because (this proposal) is a threat to Egypt's security," the party's vice chairman Saad al-Ketatni said.
"The national forces will not allow a small minority to impose its will on everyone," he said, reading a statement in the name of the party and its electoral allies.
He said that the government should "remember what happened to the system of the corrupt, all-powerful tyrant," a reference to the mass revolt which overthrew veteran president Hosni Mubarak's regime in February.
According to Al-Ahram, the declaration of principles being considered by the military government would state that "Egypt is a civil, democratic state which unites all of its citizens without distinction under the rule of law."
The clause is intended as a safeguard for Egypt's Coptic Christian minority which makes up between six and eight percent of the 80 million population.
The basic principles would also state that "sharia (Islamic law) is the main source of legislation," but not the sole one.
Islamists step up reform demands
November 6th, 2011
By Taylor Luck
Source:Jordan Times
AMMAN - The Islamist movement rolled out new reform demands on Friday, urging a series of changes to the Kingdom’s political and economic institutions.
In a speech delivered at the Islamists’ first public rally since turning down Cabinet posts last month, Islamic Action Front (IAF) Secretary General Hamzah Mansour unveiled a list of demands to change the “politics” of the Kingdom.
The speech was widely viewed by observers as the Muslim Brotherhood’s response to Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh’s overtures, built upon previous conditions set by the movement for its participation in municipal elections.
Mansour reiterated the movement’s calls for constitutional amendments ensuring “the right of the people to form governments on the basis of a parliamentary majority” and protecting the Lower House against dissolution or early elections.
During the rally, held near the capital’s Interior Ministry Circle, Mansour also called for the release of all “political prisoners” and all citizens being held without charges along with the dissolution of the State Security Court.
The Islamist movement demanded an end to security services’ “intrusion” into public life, reiterating claims that “interference” has marred the political process in the Kingdom.
“We say enough of the security services’ interference in political and public life,” he said.
Mansour also demanded an immediate end to “political thuggery” - referring to the spate of attacks and threats against pro-reform activists that have increased since the beginning of the year and have largely gone unprosecuted.
On the economic front, the Islamist movement called for increased budget oversight and transparency in the use of public funds.
In addition, the IAF secretary general urged authorities to combat poverty and unemployment, linking citizens’ difficult living conditions with the need for tougher anti-corruption measures.
The former MP insisted that the demands are not Islamists’ pre-conditions for future cooperation with authorities, but rather the standards by which the current and future governments will be judged.
“These are not only our demands - these are the demands of the Jordanian people,” Mansour told The Jordan Times.
National unity was a common theme in Friday’s event, attended by some 1,000 independent activists and Islamist supporters, as speakers stressed that Jordanians from cities, camps, villages and the badia would all benefit from greater democratic reforms.
Ghaleb Abu Summaqa of the Tribal Coalition for Reform - a grouping of activists from the Bani Hassan, Bani Sakher, Daaja and Ajarmeh tribes - said calls for political and economic change are not restricted to single segment of Jordanian society.
“Many people say tribes are against reform, but we are here to say that they are wrong: we want change and we want change now,” Abu Summaqa told The Jordan Times.
“We are the foundations of this country, so we believe reform should start with us.”
Abu Summaqa dismissed any ideological or social barriers preventing tribes from partnering with the Islamist movement, claiming that independents, Islamists, leftists and conservatives are united in their pro-reform demands.
“We are all Jordanians and we will gladly work with anyone to improve the situation in our country,” he said.
The two-hour rally, which also featured speeches by Rahi Suleimat of the Bani Hamida tribe and Hamzeh Issa of the Popular Youth Movement, was noticeably devoid of Islamist rhetoric, with speakers choosing to focus on domestic issues rather than regional or moral concerns.
According to observers, the tone of Friday’s rally is in line with a strategic shift within the Islamist movement to distance itself from its traditional focus on the Palestinian cause and concentrate on local social, economic and political issues.
The event ended the Islamists’ three-week absence from the streets, which according to sources was prompted largely by an internal debate within the movement over its stance on the new government.
By Taylor Luck
Source:Jordan Times
AMMAN - The Islamist movement rolled out new reform demands on Friday, urging a series of changes to the Kingdom’s political and economic institutions.
In a speech delivered at the Islamists’ first public rally since turning down Cabinet posts last month, Islamic Action Front (IAF) Secretary General Hamzah Mansour unveiled a list of demands to change the “politics” of the Kingdom.
The speech was widely viewed by observers as the Muslim Brotherhood’s response to Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh’s overtures, built upon previous conditions set by the movement for its participation in municipal elections.
Mansour reiterated the movement’s calls for constitutional amendments ensuring “the right of the people to form governments on the basis of a parliamentary majority” and protecting the Lower House against dissolution or early elections.
During the rally, held near the capital’s Interior Ministry Circle, Mansour also called for the release of all “political prisoners” and all citizens being held without charges along with the dissolution of the State Security Court.
The Islamist movement demanded an end to security services’ “intrusion” into public life, reiterating claims that “interference” has marred the political process in the Kingdom.
“We say enough of the security services’ interference in political and public life,” he said.
Mansour also demanded an immediate end to “political thuggery” - referring to the spate of attacks and threats against pro-reform activists that have increased since the beginning of the year and have largely gone unprosecuted.
On the economic front, the Islamist movement called for increased budget oversight and transparency in the use of public funds.
In addition, the IAF secretary general urged authorities to combat poverty and unemployment, linking citizens’ difficult living conditions with the need for tougher anti-corruption measures.
The former MP insisted that the demands are not Islamists’ pre-conditions for future cooperation with authorities, but rather the standards by which the current and future governments will be judged.
“These are not only our demands - these are the demands of the Jordanian people,” Mansour told The Jordan Times.
National unity was a common theme in Friday’s event, attended by some 1,000 independent activists and Islamist supporters, as speakers stressed that Jordanians from cities, camps, villages and the badia would all benefit from greater democratic reforms.
Ghaleb Abu Summaqa of the Tribal Coalition for Reform - a grouping of activists from the Bani Hassan, Bani Sakher, Daaja and Ajarmeh tribes - said calls for political and economic change are not restricted to single segment of Jordanian society.
“Many people say tribes are against reform, but we are here to say that they are wrong: we want change and we want change now,” Abu Summaqa told The Jordan Times.
“We are the foundations of this country, so we believe reform should start with us.”
Abu Summaqa dismissed any ideological or social barriers preventing tribes from partnering with the Islamist movement, claiming that independents, Islamists, leftists and conservatives are united in their pro-reform demands.
“We are all Jordanians and we will gladly work with anyone to improve the situation in our country,” he said.
The two-hour rally, which also featured speeches by Rahi Suleimat of the Bani Hamida tribe and Hamzeh Issa of the Popular Youth Movement, was noticeably devoid of Islamist rhetoric, with speakers choosing to focus on domestic issues rather than regional or moral concerns.
According to observers, the tone of Friday’s rally is in line with a strategic shift within the Islamist movement to distance itself from its traditional focus on the Palestinian cause and concentrate on local social, economic and political issues.
The event ended the Islamists’ three-week absence from the streets, which according to sources was prompted largely by an internal debate within the movement over its stance on the new government.
Pro-reform protesters single out security services
November 6th, 2011
By Taylor Luck
Source: Jordan Times
AMMAN - As weekly pro-reform protests entered their 11th month on Friday, activists across the country hit the streets to reject what they claimed as security services’ “hold” on public life.
In a demonstration at Al Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman held under the slogan “no reform under the grip of security agencies”, dozens of youths and leftist activists called for an end to “interference” by intelligence agencies in political life.
Fakher Daas, head of the Wihda Party youth branch and protest organiser, said the demonstration aimed to send the message that although the head of the government may have changed, obstacles facing reform efforts remain.
“Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh is just one person, we are here to change the whole system - and that starts with rolling back the influence of security services in all aspects of life,” he said.
“Until security services exit from all aspects of public life, reform in Jordan will be impossible,” Daas added.
Activists insisted that ongoing weekly demands for reform are an indictment of the way the political system operates, not a referendum of a specific government’s performance.
“We never had anything against Marouf Bakhit or Samir Rifai personally, and we are not against Awn Khasawneh,” said Amjad Qasawneh, a member of the Popular Youth Movement Coalition for Change.
“What we are rejecting is the political system itself - it is broken and until we fix it, we cannot tackle corruption or ensure public freedoms,” the Al al Bayt University student added.
Amjad Ouran, a member of the Hay Al Tafaileh Freedom Movement, said activists are driven by frustration over a stalled economy, limited transparency and a lack of progress in tackling corruption.
“Who really profited from the privatisation process? Where are all the public funds going? Why haven’t any senior officials been brought to justice?” he remarked.
“The same questions we had 11 months ago still haven’t been answered, so we are going to keep pressure on decision makers.”
A few metres away from Al Husseini Mosque, some two-dozen so-called government loyalists staged a counter-demonstration, rejecting calls for elected governments and labelling pro-reform activists as “Iranian agents”.
Ibrahim Taher said he was driven by a “patriotic duty” to brave rainy weather and raise banners denouncing the reformists’ demands.
“I have no money, I have nothing to eat - the only people who will look after me is the Hashemite leadership and I will die before anyone threatens them,” he said.
Both the sit-in and the counter-demonstration, which lasted less than a half-hour, ended without incident.
Not all in downtown Amman were impressed with Friday’s civic activism, pro-reform or otherwise.
Saleh Zawahreh, a sweets vendor located across from Al Husseini Mosque, said traders have grown wary of weekly demonstrations which they claim have driven away customers in droves.
“When people think of downtown Amman, now all they think of is two words: marches and protests.”
Traders questioned the wisdom of activists’ selection of the Friday ahead of Eid Al Adha, one of the major shopping days of the year, to make their voices heard.
“Why this Friday? This is the one day that the whole of downtown comes to life,” Zawahreh remarked.
Ibrahim, a garment vendor stationed next to Al Husseini Mosque, which has served as the launching point for weekly demos, claimed sales have plummeted over the past several months, adding that this holiday season’s revenues pale in comparisons to past Eid Al Adhas.
“I can’t afford to make a sacrifice this year and they are stopping traffic to demand economic reform,” the 24-year-old said.
Meanwhile in Karak, three separate pro-reform marches were held across the governorate while tens of activists hit the streets in Jerash and Tafileh, demanding the dismissal of the Lower House and Senate and the formation of elected governments.
Friday’s protests, the second since the selection of Khasawneh as prime minister last month, were marked by a lack of slogans calling for the government’s ouster.
Jordan’s pro-reform movement dates back to a small-scale January protest in the town of Theeban, south of Madaba, calling for economic reforms and the resignation of the Samir Rifai government.
Eleven months and two governments later, the protest movement has branched out across the Kingdom along with the rise of so-called popular movements, adopting various causes ranging from municipal services to an end to privatisation.
With participants often numbering in the hundreds, the demonstrations have been largely peaceful; the vast majority of the some 700-odd protests and marches that have taken place in the Kingdom this year have ended without incident.
By Taylor Luck
Source: Jordan Times
AMMAN - As weekly pro-reform protests entered their 11th month on Friday, activists across the country hit the streets to reject what they claimed as security services’ “hold” on public life.
In a demonstration at Al Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman held under the slogan “no reform under the grip of security agencies”, dozens of youths and leftist activists called for an end to “interference” by intelligence agencies in political life.
Fakher Daas, head of the Wihda Party youth branch and protest organiser, said the demonstration aimed to send the message that although the head of the government may have changed, obstacles facing reform efforts remain.
“Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh is just one person, we are here to change the whole system - and that starts with rolling back the influence of security services in all aspects of life,” he said.
“Until security services exit from all aspects of public life, reform in Jordan will be impossible,” Daas added.
Activists insisted that ongoing weekly demands for reform are an indictment of the way the political system operates, not a referendum of a specific government’s performance.
“We never had anything against Marouf Bakhit or Samir Rifai personally, and we are not against Awn Khasawneh,” said Amjad Qasawneh, a member of the Popular Youth Movement Coalition for Change.
“What we are rejecting is the political system itself - it is broken and until we fix it, we cannot tackle corruption or ensure public freedoms,” the Al al Bayt University student added.
Amjad Ouran, a member of the Hay Al Tafaileh Freedom Movement, said activists are driven by frustration over a stalled economy, limited transparency and a lack of progress in tackling corruption.
“Who really profited from the privatisation process? Where are all the public funds going? Why haven’t any senior officials been brought to justice?” he remarked.
“The same questions we had 11 months ago still haven’t been answered, so we are going to keep pressure on decision makers.”
A few metres away from Al Husseini Mosque, some two-dozen so-called government loyalists staged a counter-demonstration, rejecting calls for elected governments and labelling pro-reform activists as “Iranian agents”.
Ibrahim Taher said he was driven by a “patriotic duty” to brave rainy weather and raise banners denouncing the reformists’ demands.
“I have no money, I have nothing to eat - the only people who will look after me is the Hashemite leadership and I will die before anyone threatens them,” he said.
Both the sit-in and the counter-demonstration, which lasted less than a half-hour, ended without incident.
Not all in downtown Amman were impressed with Friday’s civic activism, pro-reform or otherwise.
Saleh Zawahreh, a sweets vendor located across from Al Husseini Mosque, said traders have grown wary of weekly demonstrations which they claim have driven away customers in droves.
“When people think of downtown Amman, now all they think of is two words: marches and protests.”
Traders questioned the wisdom of activists’ selection of the Friday ahead of Eid Al Adha, one of the major shopping days of the year, to make their voices heard.
“Why this Friday? This is the one day that the whole of downtown comes to life,” Zawahreh remarked.
Ibrahim, a garment vendor stationed next to Al Husseini Mosque, which has served as the launching point for weekly demos, claimed sales have plummeted over the past several months, adding that this holiday season’s revenues pale in comparisons to past Eid Al Adhas.
“I can’t afford to make a sacrifice this year and they are stopping traffic to demand economic reform,” the 24-year-old said.
Meanwhile in Karak, three separate pro-reform marches were held across the governorate while tens of activists hit the streets in Jerash and Tafileh, demanding the dismissal of the Lower House and Senate and the formation of elected governments.
Friday’s protests, the second since the selection of Khasawneh as prime minister last month, were marked by a lack of slogans calling for the government’s ouster.
Jordan’s pro-reform movement dates back to a small-scale January protest in the town of Theeban, south of Madaba, calling for economic reforms and the resignation of the Samir Rifai government.
Eleven months and two governments later, the protest movement has branched out across the Kingdom along with the rise of so-called popular movements, adopting various causes ranging from municipal services to an end to privatisation.
With participants often numbering in the hundreds, the demonstrations have been largely peaceful; the vast majority of the some 700-odd protests and marches that have taken place in the Kingdom this year have ended without incident.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tenn. protesters defy curfew a 3rd time
10 mins ago
By KRISTIN M. HALL - Associated Press
Source:Yahoo News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Occupy Wall Street protesters chanted slogans, danced to stay warm and defiantly protested into the early hours Sunday near Tennessee's Capitol building, squaring off for the third consecutive night against state authorities.
"Whose plaza? Our plaza!" about 50 demonstrators chanted early Sunday in defiance of an official curfew.
Capitol police sporadically made their rounds and a state trooper occasionally walked past the protest in the pre-dawn hours, but authorities signaled no immediate attempt to make arrests as law enforcement agents had done on the two previous nights.
Elizabeth Sharpe, 20, took part Sunday and said she was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement after seeing a 2003 documentary called "The Corporation." She said she felt the need to be an activist in the movement that expresses opposition to perceived greed on Wall Street and across corporate America.
"How can I as an individual change this?" she asked, speaking with an Associated Press reporter. With the Occupy moment's far-flung reach across American cities, she said she felt there was strength in numbers, adding, ""I got for the first time a glimpse of hope."
Some danced to keep warm on a chilly morning and others shivered in the frosty air, huddling under blankets.
The protesters have been galvanized by the friction between state officials and the local magistrate. Several new demonstrators showed up at the state-owned plaza near the Capitol for the first time earlier in the day.
As many as 75 people initially remained after the curfew that started at 10 p.m. CDT and runs until 6 a.m. But by early morning only about 50 people remained and police did not make any immediate attempt to disband the protest.
On previous nights, the defiance had triggered arrests. Earlier Nashville arrests came after a week of police crackdowns nationwide on Occupy Wall Street activists. Clashes have occurred in other cities, including Oakland, Calif., Denver and Atlanta.
In Oakland, Calif., an Iraq War veteran was seriously injured during a protest clash with police Tuesday night. In Atlanta, helicopters hovered overhead Wednesday as officers in riot gear arrested more than 50 protesters at a downtown park. In San Diego, police arrested a similar number of people who occupied the Civic Center Plaza and Children's Park for three weeks. And in Denver on Saturday evening, authorities moved into an encampment of protesters and began arresting demonstrators just hours after a standoff near the steps of the Colorado Capitol turned into a skirmish that ended in police force, including pepper spray and reports of rubber bullets.
Nashville magistrate Tom Nelson has said recently that there's no legal reason in his city to keep the demonstrators behind bars and he has released them after each arrest. He has refused each night to sign off on arrest warrants for more than two dozen people taken into custody.
Some legal experts agreed with the judge.
The arrests appeared to be a violation of First Amendment rights that allow for people to peacefully assemble, said attorney David Raybin, a former prosecutor. He and others said the nature of the arrests, coupled with the judge's refusal to sign off on the warrants, could become ammunition for lawsuits.
"The government is exposing itself to serious liability here by doing this," Raybin said.
Nelson did not return an email seeking and a phone number for him could not be found.
State troopers had begun enforcing the curfew at the Legislative Plaza on Thursday night.
Others questioned the timing of the curfew. The protesters had been demonstrating for about three weeks before it took effect, a point that Nelson said he factored into his decision.
"You can't pass a curfew mid-protest because you disagree with this group of protesters," said criminal defense attorney Patrick Frogge, who is representing some of those arrested.
The state Department of Safety has been carrying out the arrests. Commissioner Bill Gibbons, who until he joined the Haslam administration was the district attorney in Memphis, said he didn't have a role in developing the curfew but assured Haslam his department could enforce it.
Gibbons developed a reputation as an able and tough prosecutor in Memphis, where gang and drug violence have been problems for years. He ran against Haslam for governor in the GOP primary, touting his law-and-order credential and sharply attacking his multi-million-dollar opponent for refusing to divulge how much income he gets from the family-owned chain of Pilot truck stops.
By KRISTIN M. HALL - Associated Press
Source:Yahoo News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Occupy Wall Street protesters chanted slogans, danced to stay warm and defiantly protested into the early hours Sunday near Tennessee's Capitol building, squaring off for the third consecutive night against state authorities.
"Whose plaza? Our plaza!" about 50 demonstrators chanted early Sunday in defiance of an official curfew.
Capitol police sporadically made their rounds and a state trooper occasionally walked past the protest in the pre-dawn hours, but authorities signaled no immediate attempt to make arrests as law enforcement agents had done on the two previous nights.
Elizabeth Sharpe, 20, took part Sunday and said she was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement after seeing a 2003 documentary called "The Corporation." She said she felt the need to be an activist in the movement that expresses opposition to perceived greed on Wall Street and across corporate America.
"How can I as an individual change this?" she asked, speaking with an Associated Press reporter. With the Occupy moment's far-flung reach across American cities, she said she felt there was strength in numbers, adding, ""I got for the first time a glimpse of hope."
Some danced to keep warm on a chilly morning and others shivered in the frosty air, huddling under blankets.
The protesters have been galvanized by the friction between state officials and the local magistrate. Several new demonstrators showed up at the state-owned plaza near the Capitol for the first time earlier in the day.
As many as 75 people initially remained after the curfew that started at 10 p.m. CDT and runs until 6 a.m. But by early morning only about 50 people remained and police did not make any immediate attempt to disband the protest.
On previous nights, the defiance had triggered arrests. Earlier Nashville arrests came after a week of police crackdowns nationwide on Occupy Wall Street activists. Clashes have occurred in other cities, including Oakland, Calif., Denver and Atlanta.
In Oakland, Calif., an Iraq War veteran was seriously injured during a protest clash with police Tuesday night. In Atlanta, helicopters hovered overhead Wednesday as officers in riot gear arrested more than 50 protesters at a downtown park. In San Diego, police arrested a similar number of people who occupied the Civic Center Plaza and Children's Park for three weeks. And in Denver on Saturday evening, authorities moved into an encampment of protesters and began arresting demonstrators just hours after a standoff near the steps of the Colorado Capitol turned into a skirmish that ended in police force, including pepper spray and reports of rubber bullets.
Nashville magistrate Tom Nelson has said recently that there's no legal reason in his city to keep the demonstrators behind bars and he has released them after each arrest. He has refused each night to sign off on arrest warrants for more than two dozen people taken into custody.
Some legal experts agreed with the judge.
The arrests appeared to be a violation of First Amendment rights that allow for people to peacefully assemble, said attorney David Raybin, a former prosecutor. He and others said the nature of the arrests, coupled with the judge's refusal to sign off on the warrants, could become ammunition for lawsuits.
"The government is exposing itself to serious liability here by doing this," Raybin said.
Nelson did not return an email seeking and a phone number for him could not be found.
State troopers had begun enforcing the curfew at the Legislative Plaza on Thursday night.
Others questioned the timing of the curfew. The protesters had been demonstrating for about three weeks before it took effect, a point that Nelson said he factored into his decision.
"You can't pass a curfew mid-protest because you disagree with this group of protesters," said criminal defense attorney Patrick Frogge, who is representing some of those arrested.
The state Department of Safety has been carrying out the arrests. Commissioner Bill Gibbons, who until he joined the Haslam administration was the district attorney in Memphis, said he didn't have a role in developing the curfew but assured Haslam his department could enforce it.
Gibbons developed a reputation as an able and tough prosecutor in Memphis, where gang and drug violence have been problems for years. He ran against Haslam for governor in the GOP primary, touting his law-and-order credential and sharply attacking his multi-million-dollar opponent for refusing to divulge how much income he gets from the family-owned chain of Pilot truck stops.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Egyptian PM: Deadly riots a setback to transition
53 mins ago
By MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press
Source: Yahoo News
CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes between angry Christians, Muslims and security forces have dealt a serious setback to Egypt's transition to civilian rule, the country's prime minister said Monday, hours after 24 people were killed in the worst violence since the February ouster of Hosni Mubarak.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said the violence, which also left 272 wounded, was part of a "dirty conspiracy" and called on Egyptians to unite in the face of what he called meddling by foreign and domestic hands in their nation's affairs.
"These events have taken us back several steps," Sharaf said in a televised address. "Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands — domestic and foreign — that meddle with the country's security and safety."
A military council led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, defense minister of 20 years under the former regime, took over after an 18-day popular uprising forced Mubarak to step down. The military initially pledged to hand back power to a civilian administration in six months, but that deadline has gone by, with parliamentary elections now scheduled to start in late November. According to a timetable floated by the generals, presidential elections could be held late next year.
Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people, blame the country's ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster. As Egypt undergoes a chaotic power transition and security vacuum in the wake of the uprising, the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about the show of force by ultraconservative Islamists.
Sunday's violence will likely prompt the military to further tighten its grip on power. Already, it said it had no intention to lift the widely hated emergency laws in place since Mubarak first took office in 1981. Tension also has been growing between the military and the youth groups that engineered the uprising, with activists blaming the generals for mishandling the transition period, human rights violations and driving a wedge between them and ordinary Egyptians.
The European Union condemned the violence, with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton saying it was for Egypt "to protect your people, whoever they are, wherever they come from or whatever belief or faith they have."
Egypt's official news agency, meanwhile, reported that dozens of "instigators of chaos" have been arrested following Sunday's violence, sparked by a recent attack on a church in southern Egypt.
The MENA news agency did not say whether those arrested were Christians or Muslims, but security officials said most of the 24 killed were Christians and that they may have included one or two Muslims. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Egypt's state television said authorities on Monday stepped up security at vital installations in anticipation of renewed unrest, deploying additional troops outside parliament and the Cabinet. Riot police were also stationed outside the Coptic hospital where most of the victims' bodies are kept. Funeral services are due in the afternoon at the main Coptic Cathedral in Cairo.
The rioting in downtown Cairo had lasted until late into the night, bringing out more than 1,000 security forces and armored vehicles to defend the Nile-side state television building where the trouble began.
The clashes spread from outside the TV building to nearby Tahrir Square, drawing thousands of people to the vast plaza that served as the epicenter of the protests that ousted Mubarak. On Sunday night, they battled each other with rocks and firebombs, some tearing up pavement for ammunition and others collecting stones in boxes.
The clashes did not appear to be exclusively sectarian.
State TV, which has increasingly become loyal to the military, appealed on "honorable" Egyptians to protect the army against attacks as news spread of clashes between the Christian protesters and the troops outside the TV building. Soon afterward, bands of young men armed with sticks, rocks, swords and firebombs began to roam central Cairo, attacking Christians. Troops and riot police did not intervene to stop the attacks on Christians.
Throughout the night, the station cast the Christian protesters as a violent mob attacking the army and public property. At one point, Information Minister Osama Heikal went on the air to deny that the station's coverage had a sectarian slant, but acknowledged that its presenters acted "emotionally."
At one point, an armored army van sped into the crowd, striking several protesters and throwing some into the air. Protesters retaliated by setting fire to military vehicles, a bus and private cars, sending flames rising into the night sky.
The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the TV building. Then, the protesters said, they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.
"The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual," said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross on it. "Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them."
Khalili said protesters set fire to army vehicles when they saw them hitting the protesters.
Ahmed Yahia, a Muslim resident who lives near the TV building, said he saw the military vehicle plow into protesters. "I saw a man's head split into two halves and a second body flattened when the armored vehicle ran over it. When some Muslims saw the blood they joined the Christians against the army," he said.
Television footage showed the military vehicle slamming into the crowd. Coptic protesters were shown attacking a soldier, while a priest tried to protect him.
In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis that a cross and bells be removed from the building.
Aswan's governor, Gen. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, further raised tensions by suggesting to the media that the church construction was illegal.
Protesters said the Copts are demanding the ouster of the governor, reconstruction of the church, compensation for people whose houses were set on fire and prosecution of those behind the riots and attacks on the church.
By MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press
Source: Yahoo News
CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes between angry Christians, Muslims and security forces have dealt a serious setback to Egypt's transition to civilian rule, the country's prime minister said Monday, hours after 24 people were killed in the worst violence since the February ouster of Hosni Mubarak.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said the violence, which also left 272 wounded, was part of a "dirty conspiracy" and called on Egyptians to unite in the face of what he called meddling by foreign and domestic hands in their nation's affairs.
"These events have taken us back several steps," Sharaf said in a televised address. "Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands — domestic and foreign — that meddle with the country's security and safety."
A military council led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, defense minister of 20 years under the former regime, took over after an 18-day popular uprising forced Mubarak to step down. The military initially pledged to hand back power to a civilian administration in six months, but that deadline has gone by, with parliamentary elections now scheduled to start in late November. According to a timetable floated by the generals, presidential elections could be held late next year.
Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people, blame the country's ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster. As Egypt undergoes a chaotic power transition and security vacuum in the wake of the uprising, the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about the show of force by ultraconservative Islamists.
Sunday's violence will likely prompt the military to further tighten its grip on power. Already, it said it had no intention to lift the widely hated emergency laws in place since Mubarak first took office in 1981. Tension also has been growing between the military and the youth groups that engineered the uprising, with activists blaming the generals for mishandling the transition period, human rights violations and driving a wedge between them and ordinary Egyptians.
The European Union condemned the violence, with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton saying it was for Egypt "to protect your people, whoever they are, wherever they come from or whatever belief or faith they have."
Egypt's official news agency, meanwhile, reported that dozens of "instigators of chaos" have been arrested following Sunday's violence, sparked by a recent attack on a church in southern Egypt.
The MENA news agency did not say whether those arrested were Christians or Muslims, but security officials said most of the 24 killed were Christians and that they may have included one or two Muslims. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Egypt's state television said authorities on Monday stepped up security at vital installations in anticipation of renewed unrest, deploying additional troops outside parliament and the Cabinet. Riot police were also stationed outside the Coptic hospital where most of the victims' bodies are kept. Funeral services are due in the afternoon at the main Coptic Cathedral in Cairo.
The rioting in downtown Cairo had lasted until late into the night, bringing out more than 1,000 security forces and armored vehicles to defend the Nile-side state television building where the trouble began.
The clashes spread from outside the TV building to nearby Tahrir Square, drawing thousands of people to the vast plaza that served as the epicenter of the protests that ousted Mubarak. On Sunday night, they battled each other with rocks and firebombs, some tearing up pavement for ammunition and others collecting stones in boxes.
The clashes did not appear to be exclusively sectarian.
State TV, which has increasingly become loyal to the military, appealed on "honorable" Egyptians to protect the army against attacks as news spread of clashes between the Christian protesters and the troops outside the TV building. Soon afterward, bands of young men armed with sticks, rocks, swords and firebombs began to roam central Cairo, attacking Christians. Troops and riot police did not intervene to stop the attacks on Christians.
Throughout the night, the station cast the Christian protesters as a violent mob attacking the army and public property. At one point, Information Minister Osama Heikal went on the air to deny that the station's coverage had a sectarian slant, but acknowledged that its presenters acted "emotionally."
At one point, an armored army van sped into the crowd, striking several protesters and throwing some into the air. Protesters retaliated by setting fire to military vehicles, a bus and private cars, sending flames rising into the night sky.
The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the TV building. Then, the protesters said, they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.
"The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual," said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross on it. "Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them."
Khalili said protesters set fire to army vehicles when they saw them hitting the protesters.
Ahmed Yahia, a Muslim resident who lives near the TV building, said he saw the military vehicle plow into protesters. "I saw a man's head split into two halves and a second body flattened when the armored vehicle ran over it. When some Muslims saw the blood they joined the Christians against the army," he said.
Television footage showed the military vehicle slamming into the crowd. Coptic protesters were shown attacking a soldier, while a priest tried to protect him.
In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis that a cross and bells be removed from the building.
Aswan's governor, Gen. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, further raised tensions by suggesting to the media that the church construction was illegal.
Protesters said the Copts are demanding the ouster of the governor, reconstruction of the church, compensation for people whose houses were set on fire and prosecution of those behind the riots and attacks on the church.
Egypt cabinet in crisis talks as 24 die in unrest
Oct 10, 2011
By Jailan Zayan, AFP
Source: Yahoo News
CAIRO (AFP) - The Egyptian government was set for crisis talks on Monday after clashes left 24 people dead, raising fears of widespread sectarian unrest that threatens to widen the cracks in an already fragile transition from Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was to convene an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon, state television reported.
The meeting came as at least 40 people were arrested in central Cairo overnight after a demonstration by Copts in the Maspero district degenerated into deadly clashes that left more than 200 people wounded, a security official told AFP.
It was not immediately clear how many of those detained were Muslim or Christian.
A curfew was imposed overnight in parts of the Egyptian capital following the clashes.
Coptic Christians had been holding a demonstration to protest against a recent attack on a church in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan when the clashes started, sparking further fighting later near the hospital housing the mortuary.
In a late night address, Sharaf called on Egyptians "not to give in to sedition", warning that Egypt is "in danger."
At least five of the dead were mown down by a speeding army vehicle, a priest from the minority Coptic community said, while an AFP correspondent saw other bodies with gunshot wounds.
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Tayyeb called for crisis talks between Muslim and Christian leaders later on Monday "in a bid to contain the crisis", state television said.
"A black night for Egypt's revolution," thundered the independent daily al-Shorouk in its front-page headline.
The independent Al-Masry al-Youm simply wrote "Egypt", with the letters bleeding into pictures of clashes and destruction in central Cairo.
Some warned of an all-out civil war if the root causes of the clashes were not addressed.
"There needs to be serious action from the leaders to resolve the root causes. Otherwise this could lead to civil war," said Fuad Allam, who headed Egypt's security services for two decades.
He told Al-Arabiya satellite television that discriminatory religious laws had to be amended.
But others say the clashes were not merely sectarian in nature, but fuelled by the anger towards security services and the ruling military council.
Some activists blamed government-backed provocation for the bloodshed which has triggered fears of worsening sectarian strife.
Users of social networking sites such as Twitter said the earlier clashes were provoked by "thugs" at the scene, while state television was accused of fanning anti-Coptic sentiment.
As the military police gave assurances that calm had returned to the capital, Sharaf warned on public television that Egypt was "in danger" following the most serious clashes since Mubarak was ousted in February.
Sharaf, appointed by the military council that took power after mass protests led to Mubarak's downfall, heads a caretaker government ahead of elections the council has pledged will be democratic.
A 2:00 am (0000 GMT) to 7:00 am curfew was declared in the area from Maspero to Abbassiya Square, while security was stepped up around parliament and other official buildings in central Cairo.
"These events have brought us backwards... instead of moving forward to construct a modern state on a healthy democratic basis," Sharaf said.
The protesters clashed with anti-riot police and soldiers guarding the state television building, after thousands took part in a protest march from the Shobra district.
A standoff degenerated as the demonstrators started hurling stones and set fire to two cars, an AFP correspondent said. The television channel said that an army vehicle was burnt.
Security forces fired into the air to disperse the crowd, and dozens of people fled.
"Down with the marshal," the demonstrators chanted on the march to Maspero, referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council.
On Sunday night, amid scenes of mayhem at the hospital which was filled with grieving relatives, a priest named Daud told AFP at least five of those killed were mowed down by an army vehicle.
Other bodies bore gunshot wounds.
State television reported that three soldiers were shot dead and dozens of their comrades wounded.
Later on Sunday night, hundreds of Muslims and Coptic Christians exchanged blows and threw stones at the hospital treating the wounded from the earlier clashes, an AFP journalist witnessed.
The hospital mortuary housed the bodies of those killed.
Copts complain of systematic discrimination, but since Mubarak's fall, tensions have also mounted between the military -- initially hailed for not siding with Mubarak -- and groups that spearheaded the revolt, which say the army is reluctant to carry out genuine reforms.
By Jailan Zayan, AFP
Source: Yahoo News
CAIRO (AFP) - The Egyptian government was set for crisis talks on Monday after clashes left 24 people dead, raising fears of widespread sectarian unrest that threatens to widen the cracks in an already fragile transition from Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was to convene an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon, state television reported.
The meeting came as at least 40 people were arrested in central Cairo overnight after a demonstration by Copts in the Maspero district degenerated into deadly clashes that left more than 200 people wounded, a security official told AFP.
It was not immediately clear how many of those detained were Muslim or Christian.
A curfew was imposed overnight in parts of the Egyptian capital following the clashes.
Coptic Christians had been holding a demonstration to protest against a recent attack on a church in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan when the clashes started, sparking further fighting later near the hospital housing the mortuary.
In a late night address, Sharaf called on Egyptians "not to give in to sedition", warning that Egypt is "in danger."
At least five of the dead were mown down by a speeding army vehicle, a priest from the minority Coptic community said, while an AFP correspondent saw other bodies with gunshot wounds.
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Tayyeb called for crisis talks between Muslim and Christian leaders later on Monday "in a bid to contain the crisis", state television said.
"A black night for Egypt's revolution," thundered the independent daily al-Shorouk in its front-page headline.
The independent Al-Masry al-Youm simply wrote "Egypt", with the letters bleeding into pictures of clashes and destruction in central Cairo.
Some warned of an all-out civil war if the root causes of the clashes were not addressed.
"There needs to be serious action from the leaders to resolve the root causes. Otherwise this could lead to civil war," said Fuad Allam, who headed Egypt's security services for two decades.
He told Al-Arabiya satellite television that discriminatory religious laws had to be amended.
But others say the clashes were not merely sectarian in nature, but fuelled by the anger towards security services and the ruling military council.
Some activists blamed government-backed provocation for the bloodshed which has triggered fears of worsening sectarian strife.
Users of social networking sites such as Twitter said the earlier clashes were provoked by "thugs" at the scene, while state television was accused of fanning anti-Coptic sentiment.
As the military police gave assurances that calm had returned to the capital, Sharaf warned on public television that Egypt was "in danger" following the most serious clashes since Mubarak was ousted in February.
Sharaf, appointed by the military council that took power after mass protests led to Mubarak's downfall, heads a caretaker government ahead of elections the council has pledged will be democratic.
A 2:00 am (0000 GMT) to 7:00 am curfew was declared in the area from Maspero to Abbassiya Square, while security was stepped up around parliament and other official buildings in central Cairo.
"These events have brought us backwards... instead of moving forward to construct a modern state on a healthy democratic basis," Sharaf said.
The protesters clashed with anti-riot police and soldiers guarding the state television building, after thousands took part in a protest march from the Shobra district.
A standoff degenerated as the demonstrators started hurling stones and set fire to two cars, an AFP correspondent said. The television channel said that an army vehicle was burnt.
Security forces fired into the air to disperse the crowd, and dozens of people fled.
"Down with the marshal," the demonstrators chanted on the march to Maspero, referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council.
On Sunday night, amid scenes of mayhem at the hospital which was filled with grieving relatives, a priest named Daud told AFP at least five of those killed were mowed down by an army vehicle.
Other bodies bore gunshot wounds.
State television reported that three soldiers were shot dead and dozens of their comrades wounded.
Later on Sunday night, hundreds of Muslims and Coptic Christians exchanged blows and threw stones at the hospital treating the wounded from the earlier clashes, an AFP journalist witnessed.
The hospital mortuary housed the bodies of those killed.
Copts complain of systematic discrimination, but since Mubarak's fall, tensions have also mounted between the military -- initially hailed for not siding with Mubarak -- and groups that spearheaded the revolt, which say the army is reluctant to carry out genuine reforms.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
#OccupyWallStreet: Searching for Hope in America
September 20, 2011
by Allison Kilkenny
Source: Common Dreams
Adbusters, the non-profit, anti-consumerist organization, made the first call for an occupation of Wall Street back in July when they posted an article on their website titled, “#OCCUPYWALLSTREET.” The rallying cry proposed a massive occupation of Wall Street – some 20,000 individuals – a “fusion of Tahrir with the acampadas of Spain.” The group declared: “It’s time for DEMOCRACY NOT CORPORATOCRACY."
Adbusters latched on to the idea of an American Tahrir, also adopting the concept of new media protest at the genesis of the movement, even opting to include Twitter’s now famous hashtag in its branding campaign.
Two months later, the protest came to fruition. A hallmark of leftist activism is the amalgam of diverse movements present at protests. Alexa O’Brien, a spokesperson for US Day of Rage, one of the groups participating in the protest, says they are focused on reinforcing the first amendment: the rights to peaceably assemble and to free speech on public sidewalks.
Other protesters carried signs in solidarity with Troy Davis, while another group, The Platypus Affiliated Society, explained it’s an educational group focused on problems and tasks inherited from the old Left. But all parties agreed that Wall Street, and particularly the class divide, are bad for America.
“Corporate greed is bankrupting America,” says Chris Priest, a representative from US Uncut. “Wall Street is the pinnacle of corporate greed that bankrupted the country, and is imposing severe cuts on the middle- and working-class. They’ve seen no consequence for the financial depression they caused.”
A protester named Larry says that he joined the movement to protest the pitiful conditions of workers, particularly black and Hispanic employees. He fears the budget cutbacks will disproportionately affect the poor majority. “Wall Street makes its money off of exploitation,” he says. “We’ve sacrificed enough. That’s how they’ve got their billions.”
Spurring a Tahrir or Spanish revolution was an incredibly lofty goal, and all told, about a thousand protesters made it down to Wall Street. It seems some element –some unseen ingredient—is missing from America’s climate to spur the great cultural revolution seen in the Arab world. Of course, everyone has a different diagnosis for why the anti-establishment mass protests haven’t hit America’s shores yet.
Austin Mackell, an independent journalist stationed in Egypt, explains that the Arab Spring was a mixture of urban youth and traditional industrial activism. “Many credit the general strike that took place in the last few days before Mubarak’s ouster as critical in amping up the pressure on him.” Basically, he explains, a country needs the newer, sexier image of a young revolution, but it also needs the basic tools of organized, older labor to keep things focused.
Mia Foster says she was curious to check out the Wall Street protest because she was present at the ongoing massive Spanish protests that began in May. RTVE, the Spanish public broadcasting company, estimates that between 6.5 and 8 million Spaniards have participated in the protests thus far. Often compared to the Arab Spring, the Spanish protests demanded radical changes in Spanish politics, and are being waged in response to high unemployment, welfare cuts, Capitalism, and what is perceived as a two-party political duopoly.
“It was organized through Facebook. Then the people decided to stay in [Puerta del Sol] square. We were inspired by the Arab Spring,” she says. “We want real democracy now. It’s a very radical demand. Eighty percent of the population supported the protests, even the right wing. We have worse labor conditions, we don’t have access to houses, and we have twenty percent unemployment.” Incredibly, 125 days later, the protests and occupations in Spain are ongoing.
Of course, Occupy Wall Street didn’t live up to the legacy of Tahrir or Spain. Mia glances around the square where a group of protesters have now gathered to do some yoga and half-heartedly smiles, “I am sure in Spain there are more people in solidarity with this action than are here.”
Matthew Prowless says he doesn’t mind the mixture of causes and affectations –what he calls “window-dressing”– for a far more serious cause. Unlike the majority of the college-aged activists, Matthew is a 40-year-old father of two who says he is attending the protest because he had no other recourse.
“My home has been seized, I’m unemployed, there’s no job prospects on the horizon. I have two children and I don’t see a future for them. This is the only way I see to effect change,” he says. “This isn’t a Progressive issue. This is an American issue. We’re here to take our country back from the corporations,” adding he fears for the future of the United States where corporations can now spend unlimited, anonymous dollars to elect the candidates of their choices.
As for activist yoga, Matthew laughs, saying he likes it. “I’m not here to change every aspect of the world. I’m just here to change the most important part of the world, and that’s elections. The yoga people bring attention to it, and they support our cause.”
Of course, it’s become a cliché to pine for an American Tahrir. Nowhere is it written that a revolution must follow a specific formula in order to be effective. Perhaps America’s revolution won’t happen with a bang as it did in the case of the Arab Spring. It might have already arrived in the form of a gradual drip that began in Wisconsin, and then Ohio, and will arrive tomorrow as a flood in 48 other states.
Copyright © 2011 The Nation
by Allison Kilkenny
Source: Common Dreams
Adbusters, the non-profit, anti-consumerist organization, made the first call for an occupation of Wall Street back in July when they posted an article on their website titled, “#OCCUPYWALLSTREET.” The rallying cry proposed a massive occupation of Wall Street – some 20,000 individuals – a “fusion of Tahrir with the acampadas of Spain.” The group declared: “It’s time for DEMOCRACY NOT CORPORATOCRACY."
Adbusters latched on to the idea of an American Tahrir, also adopting the concept of new media protest at the genesis of the movement, even opting to include Twitter’s now famous hashtag in its branding campaign.
Two months later, the protest came to fruition. A hallmark of leftist activism is the amalgam of diverse movements present at protests. Alexa O’Brien, a spokesperson for US Day of Rage, one of the groups participating in the protest, says they are focused on reinforcing the first amendment: the rights to peaceably assemble and to free speech on public sidewalks.
Other protesters carried signs in solidarity with Troy Davis, while another group, The Platypus Affiliated Society, explained it’s an educational group focused on problems and tasks inherited from the old Left. But all parties agreed that Wall Street, and particularly the class divide, are bad for America.
“Corporate greed is bankrupting America,” says Chris Priest, a representative from US Uncut. “Wall Street is the pinnacle of corporate greed that bankrupted the country, and is imposing severe cuts on the middle- and working-class. They’ve seen no consequence for the financial depression they caused.”
A protester named Larry says that he joined the movement to protest the pitiful conditions of workers, particularly black and Hispanic employees. He fears the budget cutbacks will disproportionately affect the poor majority. “Wall Street makes its money off of exploitation,” he says. “We’ve sacrificed enough. That’s how they’ve got their billions.”
Spurring a Tahrir or Spanish revolution was an incredibly lofty goal, and all told, about a thousand protesters made it down to Wall Street. It seems some element –some unseen ingredient—is missing from America’s climate to spur the great cultural revolution seen in the Arab world. Of course, everyone has a different diagnosis for why the anti-establishment mass protests haven’t hit America’s shores yet.
Austin Mackell, an independent journalist stationed in Egypt, explains that the Arab Spring was a mixture of urban youth and traditional industrial activism. “Many credit the general strike that took place in the last few days before Mubarak’s ouster as critical in amping up the pressure on him.” Basically, he explains, a country needs the newer, sexier image of a young revolution, but it also needs the basic tools of organized, older labor to keep things focused.
Mia Foster says she was curious to check out the Wall Street protest because she was present at the ongoing massive Spanish protests that began in May. RTVE, the Spanish public broadcasting company, estimates that between 6.5 and 8 million Spaniards have participated in the protests thus far. Often compared to the Arab Spring, the Spanish protests demanded radical changes in Spanish politics, and are being waged in response to high unemployment, welfare cuts, Capitalism, and what is perceived as a two-party political duopoly.
“It was organized through Facebook. Then the people decided to stay in [Puerta del Sol] square. We were inspired by the Arab Spring,” she says. “We want real democracy now. It’s a very radical demand. Eighty percent of the population supported the protests, even the right wing. We have worse labor conditions, we don’t have access to houses, and we have twenty percent unemployment.” Incredibly, 125 days later, the protests and occupations in Spain are ongoing.
Of course, Occupy Wall Street didn’t live up to the legacy of Tahrir or Spain. Mia glances around the square where a group of protesters have now gathered to do some yoga and half-heartedly smiles, “I am sure in Spain there are more people in solidarity with this action than are here.”
Matthew Prowless says he doesn’t mind the mixture of causes and affectations –what he calls “window-dressing”– for a far more serious cause. Unlike the majority of the college-aged activists, Matthew is a 40-year-old father of two who says he is attending the protest because he had no other recourse.
“My home has been seized, I’m unemployed, there’s no job prospects on the horizon. I have two children and I don’t see a future for them. This is the only way I see to effect change,” he says. “This isn’t a Progressive issue. This is an American issue. We’re here to take our country back from the corporations,” adding he fears for the future of the United States where corporations can now spend unlimited, anonymous dollars to elect the candidates of their choices.
As for activist yoga, Matthew laughs, saying he likes it. “I’m not here to change every aspect of the world. I’m just here to change the most important part of the world, and that’s elections. The yoga people bring attention to it, and they support our cause.”
Of course, it’s become a cliché to pine for an American Tahrir. Nowhere is it written that a revolution must follow a specific formula in order to be effective. Perhaps America’s revolution won’t happen with a bang as it did in the case of the Arab Spring. It might have already arrived in the form of a gradual drip that began in Wisconsin, and then Ohio, and will arrive tomorrow as a flood in 48 other states.
Copyright © 2011 The Nation
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Israel evacuates ambassador to Egypt after embassy attack
10 September 2011
David Batty and agencies
Source:guardian.co.uk
Israel has evacuated its Egyptian ambassador after crowds stormed the embassy in Cairo, plunging Egypt's ruling army deeper into its worst diplomatic crisis since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian prime minister Essam Sharaf is holding a crisis cabinet meeting and a state of alert has been declared as protesters remain on the streets following the violence on Friday, burning tyres and chanting slogans against the governing military council.
A senior Egyptian official says at least three people died and more than 1,000 were hurt during street clashes with police and army troops after an angry mob attacked the embassy building.
Deputy health minister, Hamid Abaza, says one of the three fatalities in the violence late on Friday was a man who died of a heart attack.
Abaza told The Associated Press on Saturday he doesn't know the cause of the other two deaths. He says at least 1,093 people were injured in the clashes.
The protesters pelted the police and the military with rocks, prompting the troops to fire tear gas and shoot into the air. Only 38 of the injured remained in hospital.
Earlier, the protesters tore down a security wall outside the Israeli mission and stormed the embassy's offices.
Police fired shots in the air and teargas to disperse the crowd. Early on Saturday morning around 500 demonstrators remained near the embassy, which overlooks the Nile, and a few threw stones at police and army vehicles. But police gradually pushed them back and secured the area.
An Israeli official said the rampage marked a further deterioration of diplomatic ties between Israel and Egypt since the fall of Mubarak.
The Israeli ambassador, Yitzhak Levanon, his family and most of the staff and their dependents some 80 people were evacuated out of the country by military aircraft overnight, the official added. Only the deputy ambassador remains in Egypt.
"That the government of Egypt ultimately acted to rescue our people is noteworthy and we are thankful," the official said. "But what happened is a blow to the peaceful relations, and of course, a grave violation of accepted diplomatic behaviour between sovereign states."
The incident was the second major eruption of violence at the embassy since five Egyptian border guards were killed last month during an Israeli operation against gunmen. That incident prompted Egypt briefly to threaten to withdraw its envoy.
"This action shows the state of anger and frustration the young Egyptian revolutionaries feel against Israel especially after the recent Israeli attacks on the Egyptian borders that led to the killing of Egyptian soldiers," Egyptian political analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah said.
Israel is already embroiled in a diplomatic feud with Turkey, formerly one of its closest allies, over Israel's armed assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine people were killed.
Presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy called for the army to take a "serious stance matching the public anger" towards Israel but said violence sullied the image of Egypt's uprising.
Last month a man climbed up a flagpole on the Israeli embassy and took down the flag, replacing it with the Egyptian flag. Protests continued until Friday's violence.
David Batty and agencies
Source:guardian.co.uk
Israel has evacuated its Egyptian ambassador after crowds stormed the embassy in Cairo, plunging Egypt's ruling army deeper into its worst diplomatic crisis since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian prime minister Essam Sharaf is holding a crisis cabinet meeting and a state of alert has been declared as protesters remain on the streets following the violence on Friday, burning tyres and chanting slogans against the governing military council.
A senior Egyptian official says at least three people died and more than 1,000 were hurt during street clashes with police and army troops after an angry mob attacked the embassy building.
Deputy health minister, Hamid Abaza, says one of the three fatalities in the violence late on Friday was a man who died of a heart attack.
Abaza told The Associated Press on Saturday he doesn't know the cause of the other two deaths. He says at least 1,093 people were injured in the clashes.
The protesters pelted the police and the military with rocks, prompting the troops to fire tear gas and shoot into the air. Only 38 of the injured remained in hospital.
Earlier, the protesters tore down a security wall outside the Israeli mission and stormed the embassy's offices.
Police fired shots in the air and teargas to disperse the crowd. Early on Saturday morning around 500 demonstrators remained near the embassy, which overlooks the Nile, and a few threw stones at police and army vehicles. But police gradually pushed them back and secured the area.
An Israeli official said the rampage marked a further deterioration of diplomatic ties between Israel and Egypt since the fall of Mubarak.
The Israeli ambassador, Yitzhak Levanon, his family and most of the staff and their dependents some 80 people were evacuated out of the country by military aircraft overnight, the official added. Only the deputy ambassador remains in Egypt.
"That the government of Egypt ultimately acted to rescue our people is noteworthy and we are thankful," the official said. "But what happened is a blow to the peaceful relations, and of course, a grave violation of accepted diplomatic behaviour between sovereign states."
The incident was the second major eruption of violence at the embassy since five Egyptian border guards were killed last month during an Israeli operation against gunmen. That incident prompted Egypt briefly to threaten to withdraw its envoy.
"This action shows the state of anger and frustration the young Egyptian revolutionaries feel against Israel especially after the recent Israeli attacks on the Egyptian borders that led to the killing of Egyptian soldiers," Egyptian political analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah said.
Israel is already embroiled in a diplomatic feud with Turkey, formerly one of its closest allies, over Israel's armed assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine people were killed.
Presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy called for the army to take a "serious stance matching the public anger" towards Israel but said violence sullied the image of Egypt's uprising.
Last month a man climbed up a flagpole on the Israeli embassy and took down the flag, replacing it with the Egyptian flag. Protests continued until Friday's violence.
* News * World news * Libya Libyan commander demands apology over MI6 and CIA plot
4 September 2011
Martin Chulov in Tripoli, Nick Hopkins and Richard Norton-Taylor
Source: guardian.co.uk
One of Libya's senior rebel commanders has demanded an apology from the British and American governments following the discovery of secret documents which show MI6 and the CIA were involved in a plot that led to his capture and torture.
Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the security commander in Tripoli, told the Guardian he was considering suing over the episode, which raises further damaging questions over Britain's knowledge of the rendition and ill-treatment of prisoners.
One document found in a treasure trove of abandoned papers shows a senior MI6 officer boasting to the Libyans about how British intelligence led to Belhaj being captured on 6 March 2004.
Then a leading dissident member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), Belhaj was seized in Bangkok and handed over to the CIA, who he alleges tortured him and injected him with truth serum before flying him back to Tripoli for interrogation.
Documents show that five days before he was taken back to Tripoli, MI6 gave Libya Belhaj's French and Moroccan aliases, and told them he was in detention in Sepang, Malaysia.
Belhaj told the Guardian that British spies were among the first to interrogate him after he was returned to Tripoli, and that he was very "surprised that the British got involved in what was a very painful period in my life".
"I wasn't allowed a bath for three years and I didn't see the sun for one year," he told the Guardian. "They hung me from the wall and kept me in an isolation cell. I was regularly tortured."
Belhaj was released from the Libyan version of Abu Ghraib, Abu Selim prison, earlier this year after an amnesty announced by Gaddafi. He quickly took a lead role in the anti-government rebellion that ousted Gaddafi two weeks ago.
"This will not stop the new Libya having orderly relations with the United States and Britain," he said. "But it did not need to happen."
Scores of files, which were found abandoned at the British embassy and in the offices of senior members of the former regime, not only point to direct involvement of MI6 in this case, they also set out in sometimes excruciating detail how closely UK agencies were working with Libyan officials after Gaddafi came in from the diplomatic cold in 2004.
The papers also show how MI5 appeared to seek a trade of information about Libyan dissidents in London for morsels of intelligence gleaned from Tripoli – despite Libya's reputation for torturing prisoners.
Whitehall officials defended the links with Libya, saying the agencies were conducting themselves in line with "ministerially authorised government policy". But the material in Tripoli casts remarkable light on the capricious nature of intelligence work and the grubby deals that are struck in the name of national security – as well as raising disturbing questions about the UK's complicity in and knowledge of torture.
The Belhaj episode will be particularly discomforting for MI6, and may form part of a forthcoming inquiry chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, which is set to investigate the UK's role in rendition and the security services' knowledge of the torture and mistreatment of terrorist suspects.
The documents set out how MI6 believed it had played a crucial role in the capture of Belhaj seven years ago.
On Sunday he told the Guardian how he was tortured in Bangkok by two CIA agents, before being returned to Libya, where he was tortured again.
"I was injected with something, hung from a wall by my arms and legs and put in a container surrounded by ice," he said. "They did not let me sleep and there was noise all the time. And then they sent me to my enemy." Back in Libya, interrogators hung him from a wall every week and kept him in isolation for seven years.
MI6 knew of his whereabouts because Belhaj was attempting to seek asylum in the UK – information that British officials appear to have used to get him arrested.
The agency was interested in Belhaj because of his group's alleged links to al-Qaida – and the correspondence between the UK and Libya makes clear that MI6 wanted to ensure any information the Libyans gleaned from him went straight to Britain, and not through the Americans.
Referring to Belhaj by his nom de guerre, the MI6 officer, Mark Allen, sent a note to Moussa Koussa, then Gaddafi's head of external security, saying: "[His] information on the situation in this country is of urgent importance to us.
"Amusingly, we got a request from the Americans to channel requests for information from Abu Abd Allah through the Americans. I have no intention of doing any such thing. The intelligence about Abu Abd Allah was British."
The papers indicate that, in all, eight prisoners were captured and put on CIA "rendition" flights back to Libya during this period. They also reveal how MI5 sent a delegation to Tripoli in 2005, seemingly to cement relations at a time when one of the service's main concerns was the potential threat posed to British security by other dissident members of LIFG living in the UK.
One document, headed "UK/Libya eyes only", shows the security service gave the Libyans the names, personal details and addresses of 50 LIFG members living in the UK. One chart recovered from the British embassy identifies 17 LIFG members in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Wales. The information was being provided for "research and analysis purposes only".
In return, an MI5 report requested co-operation from the Libyans "to achieve our shared objectives".
"Such intelligence – particularly information relating to any financial transactions or to actual operational activity – is key to the security service working with the police to prosecute members of the group. The more timely information the better." MI5 said such intelligence could "shed important new light on current LIFG activities in the UK".
It would have been unthinkable for the UK to provide this kind of information to Libya in the 1980s – at the time, Gaddafi was running a covert assassination campaign to kill Libyan dissidents in Britain.
Whitehall officials defended MI5 on Monday, insisting that the security service had legitimate reason to seek information on LIFG members, because it believed the group had links with Islamic extremists – ties that were not severed until 2009. They said there was a potential threat to national security, and that in such circumstances agencies could not always pick and choose who they dealt with.
Nevertheless, it is quite possible that some of the dissidents reported on by MI5, like Belhaj, are now key members of the rebel forces that have toppled Gaddafi, and have been feted by the British government.
The foreign secretary, William Hague, tried to sidestep the controversy surrounding the documents, saying that they "relate to a period under the previous government, so I have no knowledge of those, of what was happening behind the scenes at that time".
However, Whitehall officials seemed perplexed by Hague's remarks, saying the coalition government had the same problems as those faced by Labour – how to deal with countries where torture and abuse was common, but that might still provide valuable information for British counter-terrorism efforts.
The Ministry of Defence was forced on the defensive too, after the papers showed that two of Gaddafi's sons were invited to visit the SAS headquarters in July 2006.
Khamis and Saadi Gaddafi were to see demonstrations of the work of the SAS and the SBS, and were then to be given confidential briefings by, among others, the chief of the defence staff, General Sir Michael Jackson. UK defence companies were also to be introduced to the two brothers. Though the trip did not go ahead, the efforts that the MoD were prepared to go to – at the behest of the government – will embarrass military officials who are now involved in the hunt for Gaddafi and his relatives.
By coincidence, the government's new anti-terrorist measures are to be debated in the Commons on Monday.
"When MPs vote in the Commons they should bear in mind we asked Libya for detainee briefs and the exchange of information on individuals," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty. "There is no way the Gibson process, effectively an internal Cabinet Office one, can be adequate to deal with the unfolding scandal of this magnitude."
Martin Chulov in Tripoli, Nick Hopkins and Richard Norton-Taylor
Source: guardian.co.uk
One of Libya's senior rebel commanders has demanded an apology from the British and American governments following the discovery of secret documents which show MI6 and the CIA were involved in a plot that led to his capture and torture.
Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the security commander in Tripoli, told the Guardian he was considering suing over the episode, which raises further damaging questions over Britain's knowledge of the rendition and ill-treatment of prisoners.
One document found in a treasure trove of abandoned papers shows a senior MI6 officer boasting to the Libyans about how British intelligence led to Belhaj being captured on 6 March 2004.
Then a leading dissident member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), Belhaj was seized in Bangkok and handed over to the CIA, who he alleges tortured him and injected him with truth serum before flying him back to Tripoli for interrogation.
Documents show that five days before he was taken back to Tripoli, MI6 gave Libya Belhaj's French and Moroccan aliases, and told them he was in detention in Sepang, Malaysia.
Belhaj told the Guardian that British spies were among the first to interrogate him after he was returned to Tripoli, and that he was very "surprised that the British got involved in what was a very painful period in my life".
"I wasn't allowed a bath for three years and I didn't see the sun for one year," he told the Guardian. "They hung me from the wall and kept me in an isolation cell. I was regularly tortured."
Belhaj was released from the Libyan version of Abu Ghraib, Abu Selim prison, earlier this year after an amnesty announced by Gaddafi. He quickly took a lead role in the anti-government rebellion that ousted Gaddafi two weeks ago.
"This will not stop the new Libya having orderly relations with the United States and Britain," he said. "But it did not need to happen."
Scores of files, which were found abandoned at the British embassy and in the offices of senior members of the former regime, not only point to direct involvement of MI6 in this case, they also set out in sometimes excruciating detail how closely UK agencies were working with Libyan officials after Gaddafi came in from the diplomatic cold in 2004.
The papers also show how MI5 appeared to seek a trade of information about Libyan dissidents in London for morsels of intelligence gleaned from Tripoli – despite Libya's reputation for torturing prisoners.
Whitehall officials defended the links with Libya, saying the agencies were conducting themselves in line with "ministerially authorised government policy". But the material in Tripoli casts remarkable light on the capricious nature of intelligence work and the grubby deals that are struck in the name of national security – as well as raising disturbing questions about the UK's complicity in and knowledge of torture.
The Belhaj episode will be particularly discomforting for MI6, and may form part of a forthcoming inquiry chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, which is set to investigate the UK's role in rendition and the security services' knowledge of the torture and mistreatment of terrorist suspects.
The documents set out how MI6 believed it had played a crucial role in the capture of Belhaj seven years ago.
On Sunday he told the Guardian how he was tortured in Bangkok by two CIA agents, before being returned to Libya, where he was tortured again.
"I was injected with something, hung from a wall by my arms and legs and put in a container surrounded by ice," he said. "They did not let me sleep and there was noise all the time. And then they sent me to my enemy." Back in Libya, interrogators hung him from a wall every week and kept him in isolation for seven years.
MI6 knew of his whereabouts because Belhaj was attempting to seek asylum in the UK – information that British officials appear to have used to get him arrested.
The agency was interested in Belhaj because of his group's alleged links to al-Qaida – and the correspondence between the UK and Libya makes clear that MI6 wanted to ensure any information the Libyans gleaned from him went straight to Britain, and not through the Americans.
Referring to Belhaj by his nom de guerre, the MI6 officer, Mark Allen, sent a note to Moussa Koussa, then Gaddafi's head of external security, saying: "[His] information on the situation in this country is of urgent importance to us.
"Amusingly, we got a request from the Americans to channel requests for information from Abu Abd Allah through the Americans. I have no intention of doing any such thing. The intelligence about Abu Abd Allah was British."
The papers indicate that, in all, eight prisoners were captured and put on CIA "rendition" flights back to Libya during this period. They also reveal how MI5 sent a delegation to Tripoli in 2005, seemingly to cement relations at a time when one of the service's main concerns was the potential threat posed to British security by other dissident members of LIFG living in the UK.
One document, headed "UK/Libya eyes only", shows the security service gave the Libyans the names, personal details and addresses of 50 LIFG members living in the UK. One chart recovered from the British embassy identifies 17 LIFG members in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Wales. The information was being provided for "research and analysis purposes only".
In return, an MI5 report requested co-operation from the Libyans "to achieve our shared objectives".
"Such intelligence – particularly information relating to any financial transactions or to actual operational activity – is key to the security service working with the police to prosecute members of the group. The more timely information the better." MI5 said such intelligence could "shed important new light on current LIFG activities in the UK".
It would have been unthinkable for the UK to provide this kind of information to Libya in the 1980s – at the time, Gaddafi was running a covert assassination campaign to kill Libyan dissidents in Britain.
Whitehall officials defended MI5 on Monday, insisting that the security service had legitimate reason to seek information on LIFG members, because it believed the group had links with Islamic extremists – ties that were not severed until 2009. They said there was a potential threat to national security, and that in such circumstances agencies could not always pick and choose who they dealt with.
Nevertheless, it is quite possible that some of the dissidents reported on by MI5, like Belhaj, are now key members of the rebel forces that have toppled Gaddafi, and have been feted by the British government.
The foreign secretary, William Hague, tried to sidestep the controversy surrounding the documents, saying that they "relate to a period under the previous government, so I have no knowledge of those, of what was happening behind the scenes at that time".
However, Whitehall officials seemed perplexed by Hague's remarks, saying the coalition government had the same problems as those faced by Labour – how to deal with countries where torture and abuse was common, but that might still provide valuable information for British counter-terrorism efforts.
The Ministry of Defence was forced on the defensive too, after the papers showed that two of Gaddafi's sons were invited to visit the SAS headquarters in July 2006.
Khamis and Saadi Gaddafi were to see demonstrations of the work of the SAS and the SBS, and were then to be given confidential briefings by, among others, the chief of the defence staff, General Sir Michael Jackson. UK defence companies were also to be introduced to the two brothers. Though the trip did not go ahead, the efforts that the MoD were prepared to go to – at the behest of the government – will embarrass military officials who are now involved in the hunt for Gaddafi and his relatives.
By coincidence, the government's new anti-terrorist measures are to be debated in the Commons on Monday.
"When MPs vote in the Commons they should bear in mind we asked Libya for detainee briefs and the exchange of information on individuals," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty. "There is no way the Gibson process, effectively an internal Cabinet Office one, can be adequate to deal with the unfolding scandal of this magnitude."
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Jordanians demand new constitution
Sep 2, 2011
Source: PressTV
Hundreds of anti-government protesters have poured into the streets across Jordan to demand reforms and a new constitution, Press TV has learned.
Witnesses say protest rallies were held in several cities, including the southern city of Tafileh, following the Friday Prayers.
Chanting anti-government slogans, the demonstrators called for the replacement of country's constitution with the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an.
Protesters have also demanded an end to corruption in the country.
They have named this Friday as "Friday of Resolve."
Meanwhile, Jordanian activists have called for a protest rally in front of the Bahraini Embassy in the capital Amman to condemn Manama's brutal crackdown on peaceful anti-government protesters.
Jordan has been faced with anti-government rallies demanding reforms and an end to corruption since January.
In June, in a bid to appease protesters, King Abdullah II announced a number of concessions, including the formation of future governments that were based on an elected parliamentary majority rather than one appointed by the monarch.
He later said it may take two to three years to put an elected government in place.
Source: PressTV
Hundreds of anti-government protesters have poured into the streets across Jordan to demand reforms and a new constitution, Press TV has learned.
Witnesses say protest rallies were held in several cities, including the southern city of Tafileh, following the Friday Prayers.
Chanting anti-government slogans, the demonstrators called for the replacement of country's constitution with the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an.
Protesters have also demanded an end to corruption in the country.
They have named this Friday as "Friday of Resolve."
Meanwhile, Jordanian activists have called for a protest rally in front of the Bahraini Embassy in the capital Amman to condemn Manama's brutal crackdown on peaceful anti-government protesters.
Jordan has been faced with anti-government rallies demanding reforms and an end to corruption since January.
In June, in a bid to appease protesters, King Abdullah II announced a number of concessions, including the formation of future governments that were based on an elected parliamentary majority rather than one appointed by the monarch.
He later said it may take two to three years to put an elected government in place.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Syrian troops raid Hama homes, residents say
Aug 31, 2011
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters
Source: Yahoo News
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops backed by tanks raided houses in the city of Hama on Wednesday, searching for activists behind five months of protest against President Bashar al-Assad, residents said.
The raids took place a day after security forces killed at least four people among crowds of demonstrators pouring out of mosques in Syria after marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month in which Assad intensified a crackdown on protests.
Troops swept through several cities in Ramadan, killing scores of people and triggering Western sanctions and Arab criticism, without crushing the unrest in which the United Nations says 2,000 civilians have been killed.
The protesters have also failed to unseat Assad, but they have been encouraged by the fall of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and rising international pressure on Syria, including a planned European Union embargo on the oil industry, which would disrupt vital inflows of foreign currency at Assad's disposal.
President Barack Obama's administration, which has already imposed sanctions on Syria's oil industry and a state-owned bank, froze the U.S. assets of Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and two other Syrian officials on Tuesday.
Hama has seen some of the biggest protests against 41 years of Assad family rule and was the first city assaulted during Ramadan. Authorities said the army withdrew by mid-August, but residents reported a significant military presence on Wednesday.
"Several light tanks and dozens of buses parked at al-Hadid bridge at the eastern entrance of Hama. Hundreds of troops then went on foot into al-Qusour and Hamidiya neighborhoods. The sound of gunfire is being heard," Abdelrahman, a local activist, told Reuters by phone.
"These neighborhoods have been among the most active in staging protests," he added.
Another resident said Toyota pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns and buses full of troops also assembled overnight near al-Dahiriya district at the northern entrance of Hama, 205 km (130 miles) north of the capital Damascus.
"The people want the execution of the president," a YouTube video showed dozens of protesters chanting in Hamidiya after night prayers, shortly before the raid on the district.
Most foreign media were expelled from Syria after the uprising began in March, making it hard to verify reports.
Hama was scene of a 1982 massacre by the military, sent by Assad's father Hafez al-Assad to crush an Islamist uprising.
Assad, from Syria's minority Alawite sect, has repeatedly said force is necessary to defeat what he calls a foreign plot to divide Syria, which is majority Sunni Muslim. Authorities blame armed groups for the violence and say more than 500 soldiers and police have been killed.
Activists from Syria's Kurdish minority will hold a conference in Sweden on September 3 to unify efforts against Assad, organizers said.
Massoud Akko, a Kurdish writer who lives in Norway, criticized major parties representing the Kurds, who number an estimated one million out of Syria's 20 million population.
"Kurdish politicians cannot keep issuing timid statements about the need for reform and stopping the repression as our Arab brethren keep getting massacred," he said.
Most Kurdish party chiefs say they do not want a repetition of a 2004 Kurdish revolt that Assad's forces crushed.
RAMADAN TOLL
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in Britain, said on Wednesday that 360 civilians had been killed during Ramadan and 113 members of the army and security forces.
State television aired an audio recording on Tuesday of what it said were two terrorists who revealed "a full agenda of provocation and targeting police and army camps and terrorizing peaceful citizens in the name of freedom and non-violence."
In the northwestern province of Idlib on the border with Turkey, troops shot dead one villager, Hazem al-Shihadi, at a checkpoint overnight near the town of Kfaruma where army defections have increased, activists said.
Around 7,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom had fled army assaults on their towns and villages in Idlib, are housed in six camps across the border in Turkey, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network said in a statement.
Syrian authorities have said that most of refugees who fled to Turkey, which put their number in excess of 10,000, had returned to their homes in Idlib after troops "cleansed" a main town in the province of "armed terrorist groups."
Residents and activists have reported a rising number of defections among Syrian armed forces, which are drawn mostly from the Sunni majority, but are dominated by Alawite officers effectively under the command of Assad's younger brother Maher.
They say most of the defectors have fled to Turkey or taken refuge in their home towns and villages, provoking raids by pro-Assad forces, and in some instances, armed clashes.
(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans)
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters
Source: Yahoo News
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops backed by tanks raided houses in the city of Hama on Wednesday, searching for activists behind five months of protest against President Bashar al-Assad, residents said.
The raids took place a day after security forces killed at least four people among crowds of demonstrators pouring out of mosques in Syria after marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month in which Assad intensified a crackdown on protests.
Troops swept through several cities in Ramadan, killing scores of people and triggering Western sanctions and Arab criticism, without crushing the unrest in which the United Nations says 2,000 civilians have been killed.
The protesters have also failed to unseat Assad, but they have been encouraged by the fall of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and rising international pressure on Syria, including a planned European Union embargo on the oil industry, which would disrupt vital inflows of foreign currency at Assad's disposal.
President Barack Obama's administration, which has already imposed sanctions on Syria's oil industry and a state-owned bank, froze the U.S. assets of Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and two other Syrian officials on Tuesday.
Hama has seen some of the biggest protests against 41 years of Assad family rule and was the first city assaulted during Ramadan. Authorities said the army withdrew by mid-August, but residents reported a significant military presence on Wednesday.
"Several light tanks and dozens of buses parked at al-Hadid bridge at the eastern entrance of Hama. Hundreds of troops then went on foot into al-Qusour and Hamidiya neighborhoods. The sound of gunfire is being heard," Abdelrahman, a local activist, told Reuters by phone.
"These neighborhoods have been among the most active in staging protests," he added.
Another resident said Toyota pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns and buses full of troops also assembled overnight near al-Dahiriya district at the northern entrance of Hama, 205 km (130 miles) north of the capital Damascus.
"The people want the execution of the president," a YouTube video showed dozens of protesters chanting in Hamidiya after night prayers, shortly before the raid on the district.
Most foreign media were expelled from Syria after the uprising began in March, making it hard to verify reports.
Hama was scene of a 1982 massacre by the military, sent by Assad's father Hafez al-Assad to crush an Islamist uprising.
Assad, from Syria's minority Alawite sect, has repeatedly said force is necessary to defeat what he calls a foreign plot to divide Syria, which is majority Sunni Muslim. Authorities blame armed groups for the violence and say more than 500 soldiers and police have been killed.
Activists from Syria's Kurdish minority will hold a conference in Sweden on September 3 to unify efforts against Assad, organizers said.
Massoud Akko, a Kurdish writer who lives in Norway, criticized major parties representing the Kurds, who number an estimated one million out of Syria's 20 million population.
"Kurdish politicians cannot keep issuing timid statements about the need for reform and stopping the repression as our Arab brethren keep getting massacred," he said.
Most Kurdish party chiefs say they do not want a repetition of a 2004 Kurdish revolt that Assad's forces crushed.
RAMADAN TOLL
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in Britain, said on Wednesday that 360 civilians had been killed during Ramadan and 113 members of the army and security forces.
State television aired an audio recording on Tuesday of what it said were two terrorists who revealed "a full agenda of provocation and targeting police and army camps and terrorizing peaceful citizens in the name of freedom and non-violence."
In the northwestern province of Idlib on the border with Turkey, troops shot dead one villager, Hazem al-Shihadi, at a checkpoint overnight near the town of Kfaruma where army defections have increased, activists said.
Around 7,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom had fled army assaults on their towns and villages in Idlib, are housed in six camps across the border in Turkey, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network said in a statement.
Syrian authorities have said that most of refugees who fled to Turkey, which put their number in excess of 10,000, had returned to their homes in Idlib after troops "cleansed" a main town in the province of "armed terrorist groups."
Residents and activists have reported a rising number of defections among Syrian armed forces, which are drawn mostly from the Sunni majority, but are dominated by Alawite officers effectively under the command of Assad's younger brother Maher.
They say most of the defectors have fled to Turkey or taken refuge in their home towns and villages, provoking raids by pro-Assad forces, and in some instances, armed clashes.
(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Arab Spring: Egypt, Libya and Syria
August 30, 2011
Eid Al Fitr 2011
written by: Sheila Quinn
Source: A New Era
Today I would like to give my own analysis of the Arab Spring in: Egypt,Libya and Syria. First of all I would like to mention that all of the uprisings in the Arab countries are popular uprisings of the people who are sick and tired of tyranny. They are genuine popular movements in which the global oligarchy is attempting to manipulate for its own agenda. But, I would like to say at this point- that these uprisings ,in sha' Allah, are from The Creator. They are,in sha' Allah, the beginning of an era in which all- I mean ALL- of the tyrants of The Islamic Nation will go down! All of the tyrants of The Islamic Nation will go down, one by one- when The Creator wants, and how The Creator wants. Through this, in sha' Allah, the global oligarchy also will go down. If,indeed this is from The Creator- as I think it is-then the global oligarchy will not be able to do anything against it.
Anyone, who thinks that any of these uprisings were started by the oligarchy do not know what they are talking about. It disappoints me when I see articles- from websites that I trust- that insists that either the revolution in Libya and/or the protests in Syria are from the oligarchy. What idiocy.
EGYPT
The uprising in Egypt is not only against Mubarak,but also against those who supported, and encouraged Mubarak's tyranny against the people. From what I know about Egypt, most of the people of Egypt have a great deal of distrust not only for the Israeli State- but for the U.S. Government as well. Indeed, The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt has tremendous support amongst the people of Egypt (just as The Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan has tremendous support amongst the people of Jordan).
The global oligarchy doesn't just have one plan- but it has many plans. It has Plan A,B,C.D.E...etc. If Plan A doesn't work, then it goes to Plan B. If Plan B doesn't work than it goes to Plan C, etc. For Egypt,its plan A was Mubarak.
But, I think its plan B is to support the uprising while involving its own people in the uprising. I see evidence of this through what I have observed happening in Egypt after Mubarak's fall. I have reason to think that both El Bareidi and Amr Moosa are the oligarchy's Plan B. Why do I say this? Well, for one thing just look at the two of them. El Bareidi is from the international organization which is involved in the regulation of atomic energy. The same organization that has compromised its credibility. As for Amr Moosa,he was the leader of The Arab League. During his leadership he said some good things, but his words were empty. Nothing was accomplished by The Arab League during his leadership;only empty words, and conferences that led to nothing.
There was some controversy in Egypt about the referendum that was taken. It was a referendum that was supported by The Muslim Brotherhood and passed by the Egyptian people. There are a few small parties which objected to the referendum, in spite of the fact, that it passed in an election. Also, originally, the Egyptian Military authority set the date for the elections in early fall. Yet, after objections from the supporters of El Bareidi and Amr Moosa the elections were delayed for a month. What were the objections? They were objections to the fact that The Muslim Brotherhood Of Egypt was very popular and would most likely win in an election. Indeed, The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt is so popular that the global oligarchy made some moves toward supposedly befriending The Muslim Brotherhood (through Obama's administration's PR statements about maybe having a dialogue with it).
LIBYA
The revolution in Libya started with protests that spread and continued to spread through out the country. The Qaddafi regime immediately resorted to a violent crackdown on the protesters and continued in it. Hundreds of civilians were slaughtered.
At this point, I think that it is important to give a brief summary of the history of Libya. Libya is a country that is a combination of three provinces. Those three provinces were under the Khilafa until it was destroyed in World War One. Afterwards they became the colonies of Italy. It was after the war that a committee of representatives from all three provinces choose a leader. That leader was King Idris. It was under his leadership that Libya was recognized by The U.N. as a country. King Idris was in the process of making Libya an independent country when Qaddafi came and made a military coup against him. It is through this coup that Qaddafi came into power in Libya. He was never elected by the people. He wrote a book that he called "The Green Book" in which he claimed was equal to The Qur'an. For more than forty years he terrorized the people of Libya. During this time he campaigned against colonialism in Africa and against Zionism.
Through his campaigns he established a following of admirers and supporters. He also established a fund through the sale of oil. During his struggle against the freedom fighters of Libya he used both his popularity as an anti-colonialist, as well as, the funds that he gathered from the sale of oil to buy both mercenaries and weapons.
Although, The Transitional National Council of Libya obtained the help of NATO- and therefore, the help of the global oligarchy they (The freedom fighters of Libya)always insisted on the unity of Libya and that there would not be any foreign boots on Libyan soil. Although NATO did help, it only helped through air support. It was through the bravery and dedication of the Libyan people to be a free people that the capital of Libya was finally liberated from Qaddafi's grip. NATO's help in its air support was a mercy from The Creator for the people of Libya.
"The Unbelievers plot, and Allah also plots and the best of plotters is Allah". (Qur'an)
SYRIA
The last country is Syria. Like Libya, the people of Syria have been terrorized by a regime -that they did not elect- for many, many years. It is a regime that the father established, and now his son is leading. It is a regime of a tiny group of individuals in Syria who are known as the Alawite. It has been mistakenly reported as being a sectarian struggle, but in fact the Alawite is a very small group that is terrorizing the great majority of citizens. Many of the members of the armed forces of Syria have been lied to, and probably still are being lied to. They are being told that they will be fighting against an armed insurrection- but then they find out that they are shooting at unarmed civilians. There are different reactions to this realization. Some of them speak up against it and then disappear. Others just accept it and do as they are told. While others leave the military without permission and head for Syria's border with Turkey. The protests are still continuing through out Syria. A number of cities are under siege. Journalists from other countries have been kicked out by the Assad regime. The slaughter continues, only The Creator knows when it will end. But, we as Muslims should know from the teachings of our faith that everyone has an appointment with death that can not be delayed or advanced and that those who die were meant to die when they did. This time is a difficult time for the Syrian people, it is a time of many tests -from The Creator- in faith,in trust and in submission to His Will.
There is no power, or might except with The God.
Eid Al Fitr 2011
written by: Sheila Quinn
Source: A New Era
Today I would like to give my own analysis of the Arab Spring in: Egypt,Libya and Syria. First of all I would like to mention that all of the uprisings in the Arab countries are popular uprisings of the people who are sick and tired of tyranny. They are genuine popular movements in which the global oligarchy is attempting to manipulate for its own agenda. But, I would like to say at this point- that these uprisings ,in sha' Allah, are from The Creator. They are,in sha' Allah, the beginning of an era in which all- I mean ALL- of the tyrants of The Islamic Nation will go down! All of the tyrants of The Islamic Nation will go down, one by one- when The Creator wants, and how The Creator wants. Through this, in sha' Allah, the global oligarchy also will go down. If,indeed this is from The Creator- as I think it is-then the global oligarchy will not be able to do anything against it.
Anyone, who thinks that any of these uprisings were started by the oligarchy do not know what they are talking about. It disappoints me when I see articles- from websites that I trust- that insists that either the revolution in Libya and/or the protests in Syria are from the oligarchy. What idiocy.
EGYPT
The uprising in Egypt is not only against Mubarak,but also against those who supported, and encouraged Mubarak's tyranny against the people. From what I know about Egypt, most of the people of Egypt have a great deal of distrust not only for the Israeli State- but for the U.S. Government as well. Indeed, The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt has tremendous support amongst the people of Egypt (just as The Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan has tremendous support amongst the people of Jordan).
The global oligarchy doesn't just have one plan- but it has many plans. It has Plan A,B,C.D.E...etc. If Plan A doesn't work, then it goes to Plan B. If Plan B doesn't work than it goes to Plan C, etc. For Egypt,its plan A was Mubarak.
But, I think its plan B is to support the uprising while involving its own people in the uprising. I see evidence of this through what I have observed happening in Egypt after Mubarak's fall. I have reason to think that both El Bareidi and Amr Moosa are the oligarchy's Plan B. Why do I say this? Well, for one thing just look at the two of them. El Bareidi is from the international organization which is involved in the regulation of atomic energy. The same organization that has compromised its credibility. As for Amr Moosa,he was the leader of The Arab League. During his leadership he said some good things, but his words were empty. Nothing was accomplished by The Arab League during his leadership;only empty words, and conferences that led to nothing.
There was some controversy in Egypt about the referendum that was taken. It was a referendum that was supported by The Muslim Brotherhood and passed by the Egyptian people. There are a few small parties which objected to the referendum, in spite of the fact, that it passed in an election. Also, originally, the Egyptian Military authority set the date for the elections in early fall. Yet, after objections from the supporters of El Bareidi and Amr Moosa the elections were delayed for a month. What were the objections? They were objections to the fact that The Muslim Brotherhood Of Egypt was very popular and would most likely win in an election. Indeed, The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt is so popular that the global oligarchy made some moves toward supposedly befriending The Muslim Brotherhood (through Obama's administration's PR statements about maybe having a dialogue with it).
LIBYA
The revolution in Libya started with protests that spread and continued to spread through out the country. The Qaddafi regime immediately resorted to a violent crackdown on the protesters and continued in it. Hundreds of civilians were slaughtered.
At this point, I think that it is important to give a brief summary of the history of Libya. Libya is a country that is a combination of three provinces. Those three provinces were under the Khilafa until it was destroyed in World War One. Afterwards they became the colonies of Italy. It was after the war that a committee of representatives from all three provinces choose a leader. That leader was King Idris. It was under his leadership that Libya was recognized by The U.N. as a country. King Idris was in the process of making Libya an independent country when Qaddafi came and made a military coup against him. It is through this coup that Qaddafi came into power in Libya. He was never elected by the people. He wrote a book that he called "The Green Book" in which he claimed was equal to The Qur'an. For more than forty years he terrorized the people of Libya. During this time he campaigned against colonialism in Africa and against Zionism.
Through his campaigns he established a following of admirers and supporters. He also established a fund through the sale of oil. During his struggle against the freedom fighters of Libya he used both his popularity as an anti-colonialist, as well as, the funds that he gathered from the sale of oil to buy both mercenaries and weapons.
Although, The Transitional National Council of Libya obtained the help of NATO- and therefore, the help of the global oligarchy they (The freedom fighters of Libya)always insisted on the unity of Libya and that there would not be any foreign boots on Libyan soil. Although NATO did help, it only helped through air support. It was through the bravery and dedication of the Libyan people to be a free people that the capital of Libya was finally liberated from Qaddafi's grip. NATO's help in its air support was a mercy from The Creator for the people of Libya.
"The Unbelievers plot, and Allah also plots and the best of plotters is Allah". (Qur'an)
SYRIA
The last country is Syria. Like Libya, the people of Syria have been terrorized by a regime -that they did not elect- for many, many years. It is a regime that the father established, and now his son is leading. It is a regime of a tiny group of individuals in Syria who are known as the Alawite. It has been mistakenly reported as being a sectarian struggle, but in fact the Alawite is a very small group that is terrorizing the great majority of citizens. Many of the members of the armed forces of Syria have been lied to, and probably still are being lied to. They are being told that they will be fighting against an armed insurrection- but then they find out that they are shooting at unarmed civilians. There are different reactions to this realization. Some of them speak up against it and then disappear. Others just accept it and do as they are told. While others leave the military without permission and head for Syria's border with Turkey. The protests are still continuing through out Syria. A number of cities are under siege. Journalists from other countries have been kicked out by the Assad regime. The slaughter continues, only The Creator knows when it will end. But, we as Muslims should know from the teachings of our faith that everyone has an appointment with death that can not be delayed or advanced and that those who die were meant to die when they did. This time is a difficult time for the Syrian people, it is a time of many tests -from The Creator- in faith,in trust and in submission to His Will.
There is no power, or might except with The God.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Libya rebels tighten noose on Kadhafi bastion
Aug 29, 2011
By Marc Bastian and Dominique Soguel, AFP
Source: Yahoo News
TRIPOLI (AFP) - Libyan rebels closed in on Moamer Kadhafi's hometown of Sirte from both east and west Sunday, a senior military commander said, as the insurgents scrambled to restore essential services to Tripoli.
Fierce fighting also raged in the west of the country as rebels trying to take full control of the region said they had fallen into an ambush in a town southwest of Zuwarah.
Rebel forces moved to within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of Sirte from the west and captured Bin Jawad 100 kilometres to the east, the rebel commander in Misrata, Mohammed al-Fortiya, told AFP.
"We took Bin Jawad today" on the eastern front, and "the thwar (rebel fighters) from Misrata are 30 kilometres from Sirte" in the west, Fortiya said.
Rebels pushing west from the oil hub of Ras Lanuf had been stuck for four days outside Bin Jawad, a key town on the coast road of the Gulf of Sirte, as Kadhafi's forces kept up a defiant resistance.
Sirte is the elusive Kadhafi's last bastion after rebels smashed his forces in Tripoli and seized his Bab al-Aziziya headquarters.
Although his whereabouts remain a mystery, there is widespread speculation that he is holed up in Sirte, 360 kilometres east of Tripoli, among tribal supporters there.
"We are negotiating with the tribes for Sirte's peaceful surrender," Fortiya said, adding that only tribal leaders were involved, and that to his knowledge no direct contact had been made with Kadhafi himself.
But a spokesman for the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), Mahmud Shammam, warned that negotiations for Sirte's peaceful handover would not be open-ended.
"The negotiations will not go on for ever," he said. "The talks are still going on... We would like to unify Libya very quickly."
As rebels scrambled to get Tripoli back on its feet and appealed for funds, the Arab League early on Sunday urged the UN Security Council to unlock billions of dollars in Libyan assets and property.
Some 70 percent of homes in central Tripoli have no running water because of damage to the network, but potable water is being distributed from mosques, NTC officials said.
Abed al-Obeidi, deputy chief of the transitional council in Tripoli, said the water problem was because of technical faults, denying that sabotage by Kadhafi's forces was to blame.
In the rebel bastion of Benghazi, military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani told reporters more than 10,000 prisoners have been freed from Kadhafi's jails since the fall of Tripoli but almost 50,000 others are still missing.
"The number of people arrested over the past months (of the anti-Kadhafi revolt) is estimated at between 57,000 and 60,000," he said. "Between 10,000 and 11,000 prisoners have been freed up until now... so where are the others?"
"We hope that Kadhafi is still in Libya so we can rid the world of this insect," he said. "The only way to treat this pest is to make him accountable for the crimes in Libya."
NTC head Mustafa Abdel Jalil had promised on Saturday that Kadhafi and his senior aides would be given a fair trial if they surrendered.
"We call on Moamer Kadhafi and his associates to surrender so we can protect them and spare them illegal execution," he said in Benghazi. "We guarantee them a fair trial, whatever their position."
The rebels have offered a $1.7 million-dollar reward for Kadhafi's capture, dead or alive.
Rebel pleas for cash help were heard loud and clear at Arab League headquarters in Cairo where a special meeting of foreign ministers urged "the UN and countries concerned" to "unfreeze the assets and property" of Libya.
Dr Najib Barakat of a local rebel council for Tripoli said there were enough medical supplies for three or four weeks, and that some 60 percent of the capital's medical staff were at work.
"All of Tripoli's hospitals are working," Barakat said, except at Abu Slim where around 80 decomposing bodies had been found. "The bodies have been removed and the hospital is being disinfected."
Arab foreign ministers also called on the United Nations to give the NTC Libya's seat at the UN and its agencies.
NTC number two Mahmud Jibril, who headed the Libyan delegation at the Cairo gathering, warned of "instability" in Libya if the rebels failed to restore salaries and services.
Shammam on Saturday appealed for patience and called on all public, private and oil sector employees to return to work.
"We are starting from point zero in this situation. Do not ask for miracles, but we promise to try to make this difficult period as short as we can," he said.
On Sunday, insurgents expanded their control over the airport and other parts of Tripoli where some resistance remained.
They captured the base of the elite 32 Brigade, commanded by Kadhafi's son Khamis, on Saturday after a NATO air strike and seven hours of fierce fighting that left 11 rebels dead.
In an adjoining cinder-block building, an AFP correspondent saw the charred remains of some 50 people who residents said were captives killed by Kadhafi forces on Tuesday with rifle fire and grenades.
Bani said that Khamis, whose death has been announced several times since the conflict erupted, may have been killed in a clash with rebels on Saturday.
The incident happened at Tarhuna, 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Tripoli when rebels "intercepted a military convoy which had several brand new Mercedes vehicles," he said.
In the ensuing firefight two vehicles in the convoy crashed and burned.
"It is very difficult to identify the charred bodies, but the soldiers captured on the spot told us that they were bodyguards of Khamis Kadhafi," Bani said.
"At the moment, we are unable to identify with certainty the occupants, but we will notify you once we have information."
By Marc Bastian and Dominique Soguel, AFP
Source: Yahoo News
TRIPOLI (AFP) - Libyan rebels closed in on Moamer Kadhafi's hometown of Sirte from both east and west Sunday, a senior military commander said, as the insurgents scrambled to restore essential services to Tripoli.
Fierce fighting also raged in the west of the country as rebels trying to take full control of the region said they had fallen into an ambush in a town southwest of Zuwarah.
Rebel forces moved to within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of Sirte from the west and captured Bin Jawad 100 kilometres to the east, the rebel commander in Misrata, Mohammed al-Fortiya, told AFP.
"We took Bin Jawad today" on the eastern front, and "the thwar (rebel fighters) from Misrata are 30 kilometres from Sirte" in the west, Fortiya said.
Rebels pushing west from the oil hub of Ras Lanuf had been stuck for four days outside Bin Jawad, a key town on the coast road of the Gulf of Sirte, as Kadhafi's forces kept up a defiant resistance.
Sirte is the elusive Kadhafi's last bastion after rebels smashed his forces in Tripoli and seized his Bab al-Aziziya headquarters.
Although his whereabouts remain a mystery, there is widespread speculation that he is holed up in Sirte, 360 kilometres east of Tripoli, among tribal supporters there.
"We are negotiating with the tribes for Sirte's peaceful surrender," Fortiya said, adding that only tribal leaders were involved, and that to his knowledge no direct contact had been made with Kadhafi himself.
But a spokesman for the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), Mahmud Shammam, warned that negotiations for Sirte's peaceful handover would not be open-ended.
"The negotiations will not go on for ever," he said. "The talks are still going on... We would like to unify Libya very quickly."
As rebels scrambled to get Tripoli back on its feet and appealed for funds, the Arab League early on Sunday urged the UN Security Council to unlock billions of dollars in Libyan assets and property.
Some 70 percent of homes in central Tripoli have no running water because of damage to the network, but potable water is being distributed from mosques, NTC officials said.
Abed al-Obeidi, deputy chief of the transitional council in Tripoli, said the water problem was because of technical faults, denying that sabotage by Kadhafi's forces was to blame.
In the rebel bastion of Benghazi, military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani told reporters more than 10,000 prisoners have been freed from Kadhafi's jails since the fall of Tripoli but almost 50,000 others are still missing.
"The number of people arrested over the past months (of the anti-Kadhafi revolt) is estimated at between 57,000 and 60,000," he said. "Between 10,000 and 11,000 prisoners have been freed up until now... so where are the others?"
"We hope that Kadhafi is still in Libya so we can rid the world of this insect," he said. "The only way to treat this pest is to make him accountable for the crimes in Libya."
NTC head Mustafa Abdel Jalil had promised on Saturday that Kadhafi and his senior aides would be given a fair trial if they surrendered.
"We call on Moamer Kadhafi and his associates to surrender so we can protect them and spare them illegal execution," he said in Benghazi. "We guarantee them a fair trial, whatever their position."
The rebels have offered a $1.7 million-dollar reward for Kadhafi's capture, dead or alive.
Rebel pleas for cash help were heard loud and clear at Arab League headquarters in Cairo where a special meeting of foreign ministers urged "the UN and countries concerned" to "unfreeze the assets and property" of Libya.
Dr Najib Barakat of a local rebel council for Tripoli said there were enough medical supplies for three or four weeks, and that some 60 percent of the capital's medical staff were at work.
"All of Tripoli's hospitals are working," Barakat said, except at Abu Slim where around 80 decomposing bodies had been found. "The bodies have been removed and the hospital is being disinfected."
Arab foreign ministers also called on the United Nations to give the NTC Libya's seat at the UN and its agencies.
NTC number two Mahmud Jibril, who headed the Libyan delegation at the Cairo gathering, warned of "instability" in Libya if the rebels failed to restore salaries and services.
Shammam on Saturday appealed for patience and called on all public, private and oil sector employees to return to work.
"We are starting from point zero in this situation. Do not ask for miracles, but we promise to try to make this difficult period as short as we can," he said.
On Sunday, insurgents expanded their control over the airport and other parts of Tripoli where some resistance remained.
They captured the base of the elite 32 Brigade, commanded by Kadhafi's son Khamis, on Saturday after a NATO air strike and seven hours of fierce fighting that left 11 rebels dead.
In an adjoining cinder-block building, an AFP correspondent saw the charred remains of some 50 people who residents said were captives killed by Kadhafi forces on Tuesday with rifle fire and grenades.
Bani said that Khamis, whose death has been announced several times since the conflict erupted, may have been killed in a clash with rebels on Saturday.
The incident happened at Tarhuna, 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Tripoli when rebels "intercepted a military convoy which had several brand new Mercedes vehicles," he said.
In the ensuing firefight two vehicles in the convoy crashed and burned.
"It is very difficult to identify the charred bodies, but the soldiers captured on the spot told us that they were bodyguards of Khamis Kadhafi," Bani said.
"At the moment, we are unable to identify with certainty the occupants, but we will notify you once we have information."
Monday, August 22, 2011
Cross-border attack tests Israel-Egypt treaty
Aug 20, 2011
By IAN DEITCH - Associated Press,MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press
Source: Yahoo News
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Egypt is being tested by a cross-border attack blamed on Palestinian militants. Israel made a rare apology Saturday for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers after Cairo threatened to withdraw its ambassador.
The attack on Thursday set off a new cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Israeli airstrikes have been answered by Palestinians pelting southern Israel with at least 80 rockets and mortars since Friday. An Israeli was killed Saturday in the desert city of Beersheba, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Gaza.
"Israel is sorry for the deaths of the Egyptian policemen during the attack on the Israel-Egypt border," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said after Egypt threatened to withdraw its ambassador to protest the deaths of its soldiers.
The Egyptian government said late Saturday Israel's apology was welcome, but not enough. Still, it reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the peace.
Israel's apology was a clear move to try to quickly contain the damage to already shaky relations with Egypt. Egypt's threat to take diplomatic action put Israel in the uncomfortable position of having to apologize for violence that was triggered after its borders were breached and its people attacked and killed.
Israeli officials promised to investigate the deaths of the Egyptians and insisted the peace treaty was stable.
"No one had any intention to harm Egyptian security personnel," Amos Gilled, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official who works closely with Egypt, told Israel Radio.
But even before the clashes on Thursday, the February ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolt had unleashed an outpouring of anti-Israel sentiment in Egypt and criticism of the peace treaty. Israeli officials were also growing wary about instability in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Although the military leaders who now rule Egypt have expressed their commitment to the peace accord, Israel is watching closely for signs they might respond to the rising anti-Israel sentiment and distance themselves from the Jewish state.
As the country moves through a chaotic and rocky transition to democracy, Islamist groups tightly curbed under Mubarak look headed for a more powerful role in the new Egypt — something else that rattles nerves in Israel.
Mubarak was seen by his people as too sympathetic to Israel, negotiating a highly unpopular deal to supply it with natural gas. Israel, in turn, counted on Mubarak as a trusted, if cool, ally, maintaining the peace despite Egyptian disappointment that a wider agreement could not be reached with Palestinians and other Arab states.
The simmering hostilities in Egypt boiled over after the soldiers died. Egypt said it was a violation of the peace accord.
Israel says the attacks began when Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip crossed into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, probably through one of the hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the border, then made their way more than 100 miles (150 kilometers) through the barren desert before crossing into southern Israel. Israel and Gaza both border the Sinai Peninsula.
The militants ambushed Israeli buses and cars with gunfire and a bomb and killed eight Israelis.
Israel and Egypt gave different versions of how the Egyptian soldiers died. Egypt said they were killed in an airstrike. Israel offered conflicting accounts. One account said there was an exchange of fire between its soldiers as they pursued the militants along the border.
A senior Israeli defense official told The Associated Press Saturday night that "initial reports in the investigation show that the terrorists came from Gaza and apparently opened fire on purpose near Egyptian positions in order to bring them into the fighting." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters.
The Israel-Egypt and Israel-Palestinian issues are closely intertwined. Egypt has tried for decades to broker a peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians. And in recent years, Egypt has tried to mediate an end to the internal Palestinian split between Fatah, which runs the West Bank through the Palestinian Authority, and the Islamic Hamas, which rules Gaza.
The aftermath of the clashes Thursday showed just how quickly Israeli-Palestinian violence can escalate.
Israeli airstrikes have killed 12 Palestinians, including two children, since Thursday, and Israeli leaders have made it clear that they will not put up with mounting violence from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior ministers and security commanders late Saturday in an extraordinary session to discuss the surge in violence.
In Israel, one person was killed Saturday and dozens have been wounded in the barrage from Gaza, including a 2-week-old baby, hospital officials said. The flurry of exploding rockets damaged buildings all over Israel's south.
It was the heaviest salvo of rockets from Gaza since Israel staged an all-out ground and air operation in Gaza to stop daily rocket attacks in early 2009.
Israel is also concerned about an upsurge in Islamic militant activity in Sinai since Mubarak's fall. But no Israeli official has gone on record faulting Egypt for the way it is policing Sinai, where mountainous desert terrain and permeable borders have beckoned to extremists, contraband smugglers and African migrants for years.
Last week, Egypt moved thousands of troops into Sinai as part of a major operation against al-Qaida inspired militants who have been increasingly active since Mubarak's ouster. Since Mubarak was toppled, the natural gas pipeline running through Sinai has been sabotaged five times, disrupting supplies to Israel and Jordan.
Under Mubarak, the killings of troops would have elicited criticism on the front pages of Egyptian dailies. In post-Mubarak Egypt, however, youth activists on social networking sites spread calls for demonstrations in front of the Israeli embassy.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the embassy in Cairo for a second day on Saturday, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli envoy who is now vacationing abroad. A Palestinian flag was unfurled at the site, and some of the demonstrators threw firecrackers at the building. A protester climbed up the building and took down the Israeli flag, drawing cheers from the crowd.
A dozen armored vehicles were stationed in the area and soldiers formed a cordon in front of the main gates to prevent any protesters from reaching the embassy building.
In Jordan, the only other Arab country at peace with Israel, about 150 protesters called Saturday for cancellation of the 1994 treaty and expulsion of the ambassador.
By IAN DEITCH - Associated Press,MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press
Source: Yahoo News
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Egypt is being tested by a cross-border attack blamed on Palestinian militants. Israel made a rare apology Saturday for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers after Cairo threatened to withdraw its ambassador.
The attack on Thursday set off a new cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Israeli airstrikes have been answered by Palestinians pelting southern Israel with at least 80 rockets and mortars since Friday. An Israeli was killed Saturday in the desert city of Beersheba, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Gaza.
"Israel is sorry for the deaths of the Egyptian policemen during the attack on the Israel-Egypt border," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said after Egypt threatened to withdraw its ambassador to protest the deaths of its soldiers.
The Egyptian government said late Saturday Israel's apology was welcome, but not enough. Still, it reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the peace.
Israel's apology was a clear move to try to quickly contain the damage to already shaky relations with Egypt. Egypt's threat to take diplomatic action put Israel in the uncomfortable position of having to apologize for violence that was triggered after its borders were breached and its people attacked and killed.
Israeli officials promised to investigate the deaths of the Egyptians and insisted the peace treaty was stable.
"No one had any intention to harm Egyptian security personnel," Amos Gilled, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official who works closely with Egypt, told Israel Radio.
But even before the clashes on Thursday, the February ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolt had unleashed an outpouring of anti-Israel sentiment in Egypt and criticism of the peace treaty. Israeli officials were also growing wary about instability in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Although the military leaders who now rule Egypt have expressed their commitment to the peace accord, Israel is watching closely for signs they might respond to the rising anti-Israel sentiment and distance themselves from the Jewish state.
As the country moves through a chaotic and rocky transition to democracy, Islamist groups tightly curbed under Mubarak look headed for a more powerful role in the new Egypt — something else that rattles nerves in Israel.
Mubarak was seen by his people as too sympathetic to Israel, negotiating a highly unpopular deal to supply it with natural gas. Israel, in turn, counted on Mubarak as a trusted, if cool, ally, maintaining the peace despite Egyptian disappointment that a wider agreement could not be reached with Palestinians and other Arab states.
The simmering hostilities in Egypt boiled over after the soldiers died. Egypt said it was a violation of the peace accord.
Israel says the attacks began when Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip crossed into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, probably through one of the hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the border, then made their way more than 100 miles (150 kilometers) through the barren desert before crossing into southern Israel. Israel and Gaza both border the Sinai Peninsula.
The militants ambushed Israeli buses and cars with gunfire and a bomb and killed eight Israelis.
Israel and Egypt gave different versions of how the Egyptian soldiers died. Egypt said they were killed in an airstrike. Israel offered conflicting accounts. One account said there was an exchange of fire between its soldiers as they pursued the militants along the border.
A senior Israeli defense official told The Associated Press Saturday night that "initial reports in the investigation show that the terrorists came from Gaza and apparently opened fire on purpose near Egyptian positions in order to bring them into the fighting." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters.
The Israel-Egypt and Israel-Palestinian issues are closely intertwined. Egypt has tried for decades to broker a peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians. And in recent years, Egypt has tried to mediate an end to the internal Palestinian split between Fatah, which runs the West Bank through the Palestinian Authority, and the Islamic Hamas, which rules Gaza.
The aftermath of the clashes Thursday showed just how quickly Israeli-Palestinian violence can escalate.
Israeli airstrikes have killed 12 Palestinians, including two children, since Thursday, and Israeli leaders have made it clear that they will not put up with mounting violence from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior ministers and security commanders late Saturday in an extraordinary session to discuss the surge in violence.
In Israel, one person was killed Saturday and dozens have been wounded in the barrage from Gaza, including a 2-week-old baby, hospital officials said. The flurry of exploding rockets damaged buildings all over Israel's south.
It was the heaviest salvo of rockets from Gaza since Israel staged an all-out ground and air operation in Gaza to stop daily rocket attacks in early 2009.
Israel is also concerned about an upsurge in Islamic militant activity in Sinai since Mubarak's fall. But no Israeli official has gone on record faulting Egypt for the way it is policing Sinai, where mountainous desert terrain and permeable borders have beckoned to extremists, contraband smugglers and African migrants for years.
Last week, Egypt moved thousands of troops into Sinai as part of a major operation against al-Qaida inspired militants who have been increasingly active since Mubarak's ouster. Since Mubarak was toppled, the natural gas pipeline running through Sinai has been sabotaged five times, disrupting supplies to Israel and Jordan.
Under Mubarak, the killings of troops would have elicited criticism on the front pages of Egyptian dailies. In post-Mubarak Egypt, however, youth activists on social networking sites spread calls for demonstrations in front of the Israeli embassy.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the embassy in Cairo for a second day on Saturday, demanding the expulsion of the Israeli envoy who is now vacationing abroad. A Palestinian flag was unfurled at the site, and some of the demonstrators threw firecrackers at the building. A protester climbed up the building and took down the Israeli flag, drawing cheers from the crowd.
A dozen armored vehicles were stationed in the area and soldiers formed a cordon in front of the main gates to prevent any protesters from reaching the embassy building.
In Jordan, the only other Arab country at peace with Israel, about 150 protesters called Saturday for cancellation of the 1994 treaty and expulsion of the ambassador.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Sights and Sounds of Protest
August 3, 2011
Author Scott Lucas
Source:EA WorldView
2018 GMT: An unconfirmed, but very serious report, from Daraa, Syria:
Daraa:Nwa:Martyrdom of Yazan Reyad Jahmany&several wounded by the security ammunition, many ppl r still trapped in the mosque
2013 GMT: We're gathering videos of tonight's protests in Syria, but we're also hearing reports of violent crackdowns in Homs, the area around the Al-Rahman Mosque in Al-Tabait, Lattakia, and this report from Midan, an important neighborhood in the center of Damascus where some activists are reporting casualties:
#Midan ive seen about 15 ambulances storm past me already, i think they are using them to detain ppl.
1933 GMT: The UN Security Council has reached an agreement to condemn the violence in Syria, and is finalizing the language, which will released later today:
The 15 members of the council are now seeking final approval of the wording from their respective governments - when that comes, they will formally adopt the statement later on Wednesday, correspondents say.
1854 GMT: The US is placing even more political pressure on Syria today. The State Department announced today that more of its embassy staff will be evacuated today. White House spokesman Jay Carney openly condemned Assad:
""Syria would be a better place without President Assad...We view him as the cause of instability in Syria."
Members of the Senate are calling for even tougher sanctions against the regime, and the Treasury Department is working on a new package of sanctions at the moment.
1847 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria are also reporting a widespread security crackdown in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani (confirming video posted below):
Damascus Suburbs: Zabadani: Sweeping and arresting camapign is still in effect in town. The security forces close out districts completely and successively and then they storm people's houses to arrest them. Also, security arrested people who were riding a bus coming from Damascus. They also forced the riders of other buses to walk back to zabadani.
1840 GMT: Another large protest in another important area around Damascus, Dariya:
1836 GMT: Back from a break to find reports of increased security presence in and around Damascus and its suburbs. Earlier, we reported huge protests in Douma. Now, this video reportedly shows a convoy of military an unmarked vehicles deploying in Zabadani, another important suburbs. It is worth noting that these white vans, often filled with plain-clothed men armed with guns and batons, have been seen in other crackdowns.
1607 GMT: On Monday, EA Worldview may have been the first major news source to break a very important video that claimed to show pro-Assad "thugs" throwing the bodies of protesters into a river in Hama. The Daily Beast and The Guardian picked up on the video. Syrian State TV then released what appeared to be a doctored version of the video, claiming that it showed protesters throwing the bodies of soldiers into the river.
See the entire description, translation, and analysis in our entry, Syria Video Essay: 1st Day of Ramadan was a Day of Chaos
Now, the Hama coordinating committee muddies the water even further, by claims that this video may have been taken in Jisr al Shughour:
1) The Assi river has been dry for a month and a half now because the dams at Rastan have not been opened to allow water to flow.
2) There is no such bridge in Hama.
3) There is no background noise whatsoever in the video Not even a splash. Nothing.
4) the way this video was distributed by unknown sources and the timing, suggests that it was released by the regime to justify an attack on Hama. This video was most likely taken in Jisr el Shughur, and shows pro-regime militia disposing on civilian bodies.
They go on to say that after four months, the regime can come up with no valid accusations against Hama, so they have resorted to making some up
1600 GMT: All morning, we've seen video of a funeral for a protester named Ahmad Sabri, killed in Jaleh today. Now we have video of his recently killed body (graphic) and the sounds of gunfire are very nearby.
1558 GMT: Funeral for protester in Kanaker, southwest of Damascus (MAP):
1552 GMT: An editor at Syrialeaks posts this unconfirmed report from Hama, Syria. We cannot verify the validity of the account, but it does match the descriptions being supplied by many activists:
"There was intermittent shelling into the early hours of the morning. At 5 a.m all communication, including mobile phones, internet and land lines were cut. the blackout covered an area up to 40 k.m outside the city. At 6 a.m the power supply to the city was shut off. Heavy shelling and machine gunfire erupted at 5:30 am, targeting mosque minarets and heaviest in the areas of Hamedieh and Qusour. Other areas shelled in the city include Karameh, Tawouneih and Sabounieh. Helicopters were flying over the city, as gunmen and snipers took up positions on the roofs of government buildings. A large explosion shook the area of Tawaferah. Tanks took up positions in the center of the city at Assi square.
"Bread and food is in short supply in the city, as people in their thousands fled. Those fleeing also came under fire and several were killed. Water supply was cut at 2 p.m, and a thick cloud of smoke covers the city as houses and buildings burn out of control."
1547 GMT: Activists in Douma report that there are over 50,000 protesters. Here is an overhead of the scene:
1544 GMT: Protests at a funeral for a martyr in Douma, a key Damascus suburb:
1534 GMT: Protests today in Jableh, on the coast of Syria:
1421 GMT: The LA Times has managed to reach one of their contacts in Hama via satellite phone (most other communications seem to be blocked at the moment), who reports on the situation there:
"At least three martyrs in Hamadiya district. Tanks surround us. Troops cutting access to food.
"Arbitrary gunfire. Access to hospitals limited. Heavy artillery. Tanks separate neighborhoods."
"The regime is speeding its own end. It's a stupid regime. We feel more empowered. "
1414 GMT: According to Reuters, the Libyan opposition fighters are reporting that they have repelled a Gaddafi counter-attack on their positions in Zliten this morning.
Yesterday, 7 freedom fighters were killed in an attack on their positions.
1342 GMT: We have reports that the town of Jableh (on the coast) is on general strike today, and the entire place is a ghost town. Now this video surfaces, the abandoned market.
1358 GMT: In another major blow to Bashar al Assad's international credibility, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Arinc Bulent condemned the Syrian action against Hama as an "atrocity."
I'm saying this on my behalf, what's going on in Hama today is an atrocity ... Whoever carries this out can't be our friend. They are making a big mistake ... We insisted on democratic and peaceful solutions and starting reforms. We told them they would collapse otherwise ... Recent events show no lessons were learned from these suggestions.
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul also condemned the attacks.
Turkey is often the mediating voice between the West and the East, especially between regimes that don't have good relations with the West (Iran, Syria, ect.), and Turkey has established ties to Syria. This is yet another sign that there is no going back to the old Syria.
1330 GMT: While Hama, Homs, and Deir Ez Zor may be in military lockdown, the people of Douma, a Damascus suburb, defiantly protests at a funeral for a recent martyr:
1325 GMT: An activist reports an alarming but unconfirmed piece of information, that the Syrian military has deployed jets over Deir Ez Zor, and shelling continues there. We have not heard those reports, but we do know that CNN has interviewed this source in the past.
1320 GMT: The streets of Hama are filled with gunfire, explosions, and smoke:
1317 GMT: Video from the center of Hama, where tanks are clearly targeting civilians on the streets.
1313 GMT: Activists, for the last 2 days, have been reporting intense security in Homs. Now, that security is reportedly even more intense:
Homs:4 buses loaded by security members with their full weapons entered to Khaldieh neighborhood accompanied by 4 jeeps,2b added to 3 buses already present at Omar mosque
1257 GMT: The Guardian gets us caught up on news from Syria. Hama appears to remain the focal point of conflict, and the reports of tanks shelling the city and occupying neighborhoods are still coming in from activists:
"All communications have been cut off. The regime is using the media focus on the Hosni Mubarak trial to finish off Hama," one of the residents told Reuters, adding that shelling concentrated on al-Hader district, large parts of which were was razed during the 1982 military assault on Hama that killed thousands. The square has been the venue of some of the largest demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad's rule during the five month uprising.
1250 GMT: James Miller, reporting for duty. Scott has been tied up for the last 3 hours, so Al Jazeera gets us caught up on the latest news from Egypt, where the trial for former President Hosni Mubarak has begun, and clashes between police and protesters have also occurred.
0915 GMT: The Mubarak trial is on a break, but the big news at the moment is outside the Police Academcy. "All hell broke loose," says an Al Jazeera English correspondent as stone-throwing clashes between supporters and opponents of former President Hosni Mubarak turned into scuffles with the riot police. The latest trouble, which apparently started when a policeman was hit by a stone, spread into streets around the Academy.
0850 GMT: More procedural manoeuvring --- the headline is that lawyers for both the Mubaraks and former Minister of Interior Habib El Adly have asked for the cases to be separated from each other.
El Adly was initially tried individually on the charge of ordering the shooting of protesters, but last week a judge ordered that he stand trial alongside Mubarak today.
The lawyer for El Adly, making his request, claimed that the Minister of Interior had never issued the shoot-to-kill order.
0825 GMT: Almost a half-hour of procedural confusion and wrangling after the defendants announce their presence in the court, as the judge tries to establish which of the many defence lawyers is representing which defendant.
Lawyers for the defendants are complaining they have not been given information; lawyers for the families of victims are demanding that they be allowed into the proceedings.
0800 GMT: Former President Hosni Mubarak has been brought on a stretcher into the defendants' cage in the courtroom in Cairo; his sons Alaa and Gamal are in white shirts. The judge is now addressing the audience, declaring that a person disrupting the proceeding has been taken away for 24-hour incarceration.
0700 GMT: Clashes have been reported outside the Mubarak trial between supporters of the former President and supporters of the uprising against him, with stones and bottles being thrown. White-clad police moved in to separate the groups, while some black-clad riot police have now been posted:
0530 GMT: Attention in Egypt today will be on the Cairo trial of former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of corruption and of responsibility for the killing of protesters during the uprising in January and February against his rule.
Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are also in the dock as is his former Minister of Interior, Habib El Adly.
0525 GMT: Even though Egypt's military rulers have broken up the protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo, a parallel sit-in demonstration continues in the country's second city, Alexandria:
0520 GMT: We are now settling in for a pattern of tension, punctuated by conflict, during the days and of nightly demonstrations and clashes across Syria. James Miller, for the second day in a row, collected a wealth of videos for a visual essay, and a dedicated live-streamer again took to the air to bring sounds (last night's broadcast lasted for about 37 minutes) from Hama, the current centre of the showdown between the regime and protesters.
Author Scott Lucas
Source:EA WorldView
2018 GMT: An unconfirmed, but very serious report, from Daraa, Syria:
Daraa:Nwa:Martyrdom of Yazan Reyad Jahmany&several wounded by the security ammunition, many ppl r still trapped in the mosque
2013 GMT: We're gathering videos of tonight's protests in Syria, but we're also hearing reports of violent crackdowns in Homs, the area around the Al-Rahman Mosque in Al-Tabait, Lattakia, and this report from Midan, an important neighborhood in the center of Damascus where some activists are reporting casualties:
#Midan ive seen about 15 ambulances storm past me already, i think they are using them to detain ppl.
1933 GMT: The UN Security Council has reached an agreement to condemn the violence in Syria, and is finalizing the language, which will released later today:
The 15 members of the council are now seeking final approval of the wording from their respective governments - when that comes, they will formally adopt the statement later on Wednesday, correspondents say.
1854 GMT: The US is placing even more political pressure on Syria today. The State Department announced today that more of its embassy staff will be evacuated today. White House spokesman Jay Carney openly condemned Assad:
""Syria would be a better place without President Assad...We view him as the cause of instability in Syria."
Members of the Senate are calling for even tougher sanctions against the regime, and the Treasury Department is working on a new package of sanctions at the moment.
1847 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria are also reporting a widespread security crackdown in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani (confirming video posted below):
Damascus Suburbs: Zabadani: Sweeping and arresting camapign is still in effect in town. The security forces close out districts completely and successively and then they storm people's houses to arrest them. Also, security arrested people who were riding a bus coming from Damascus. They also forced the riders of other buses to walk back to zabadani.
1840 GMT: Another large protest in another important area around Damascus, Dariya:
1836 GMT: Back from a break to find reports of increased security presence in and around Damascus and its suburbs. Earlier, we reported huge protests in Douma. Now, this video reportedly shows a convoy of military an unmarked vehicles deploying in Zabadani, another important suburbs. It is worth noting that these white vans, often filled with plain-clothed men armed with guns and batons, have been seen in other crackdowns.
1607 GMT: On Monday, EA Worldview may have been the first major news source to break a very important video that claimed to show pro-Assad "thugs" throwing the bodies of protesters into a river in Hama. The Daily Beast and The Guardian picked up on the video. Syrian State TV then released what appeared to be a doctored version of the video, claiming that it showed protesters throwing the bodies of soldiers into the river.
See the entire description, translation, and analysis in our entry, Syria Video Essay: 1st Day of Ramadan was a Day of Chaos
Now, the Hama coordinating committee muddies the water even further, by claims that this video may have been taken in Jisr al Shughour:
1) The Assi river has been dry for a month and a half now because the dams at Rastan have not been opened to allow water to flow.
2) There is no such bridge in Hama.
3) There is no background noise whatsoever in the video Not even a splash. Nothing.
4) the way this video was distributed by unknown sources and the timing, suggests that it was released by the regime to justify an attack on Hama. This video was most likely taken in Jisr el Shughur, and shows pro-regime militia disposing on civilian bodies.
They go on to say that after four months, the regime can come up with no valid accusations against Hama, so they have resorted to making some up
1600 GMT: All morning, we've seen video of a funeral for a protester named Ahmad Sabri, killed in Jaleh today. Now we have video of his recently killed body (graphic) and the sounds of gunfire are very nearby.
1558 GMT: Funeral for protester in Kanaker, southwest of Damascus (MAP):
1552 GMT: An editor at Syrialeaks posts this unconfirmed report from Hama, Syria. We cannot verify the validity of the account, but it does match the descriptions being supplied by many activists:
"There was intermittent shelling into the early hours of the morning. At 5 a.m all communication, including mobile phones, internet and land lines were cut. the blackout covered an area up to 40 k.m outside the city. At 6 a.m the power supply to the city was shut off. Heavy shelling and machine gunfire erupted at 5:30 am, targeting mosque minarets and heaviest in the areas of Hamedieh and Qusour. Other areas shelled in the city include Karameh, Tawouneih and Sabounieh. Helicopters were flying over the city, as gunmen and snipers took up positions on the roofs of government buildings. A large explosion shook the area of Tawaferah. Tanks took up positions in the center of the city at Assi square.
"Bread and food is in short supply in the city, as people in their thousands fled. Those fleeing also came under fire and several were killed. Water supply was cut at 2 p.m, and a thick cloud of smoke covers the city as houses and buildings burn out of control."
1547 GMT: Activists in Douma report that there are over 50,000 protesters. Here is an overhead of the scene:
1544 GMT: Protests at a funeral for a martyr in Douma, a key Damascus suburb:
1534 GMT: Protests today in Jableh, on the coast of Syria:
1421 GMT: The LA Times has managed to reach one of their contacts in Hama via satellite phone (most other communications seem to be blocked at the moment), who reports on the situation there:
"At least three martyrs in Hamadiya district. Tanks surround us. Troops cutting access to food.
"Arbitrary gunfire. Access to hospitals limited. Heavy artillery. Tanks separate neighborhoods."
"The regime is speeding its own end. It's a stupid regime. We feel more empowered. "
1414 GMT: According to Reuters, the Libyan opposition fighters are reporting that they have repelled a Gaddafi counter-attack on their positions in Zliten this morning.
Yesterday, 7 freedom fighters were killed in an attack on their positions.
1342 GMT: We have reports that the town of Jableh (on the coast) is on general strike today, and the entire place is a ghost town. Now this video surfaces, the abandoned market.
1358 GMT: In another major blow to Bashar al Assad's international credibility, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Arinc Bulent condemned the Syrian action against Hama as an "atrocity."
I'm saying this on my behalf, what's going on in Hama today is an atrocity ... Whoever carries this out can't be our friend. They are making a big mistake ... We insisted on democratic and peaceful solutions and starting reforms. We told them they would collapse otherwise ... Recent events show no lessons were learned from these suggestions.
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul also condemned the attacks.
Turkey is often the mediating voice between the West and the East, especially between regimes that don't have good relations with the West (Iran, Syria, ect.), and Turkey has established ties to Syria. This is yet another sign that there is no going back to the old Syria.
1330 GMT: While Hama, Homs, and Deir Ez Zor may be in military lockdown, the people of Douma, a Damascus suburb, defiantly protests at a funeral for a recent martyr:
1325 GMT: An activist reports an alarming but unconfirmed piece of information, that the Syrian military has deployed jets over Deir Ez Zor, and shelling continues there. We have not heard those reports, but we do know that CNN has interviewed this source in the past.
1320 GMT: The streets of Hama are filled with gunfire, explosions, and smoke:
1317 GMT: Video from the center of Hama, where tanks are clearly targeting civilians on the streets.
1313 GMT: Activists, for the last 2 days, have been reporting intense security in Homs. Now, that security is reportedly even more intense:
Homs:4 buses loaded by security members with their full weapons entered to Khaldieh neighborhood accompanied by 4 jeeps,2b added to 3 buses already present at Omar mosque
1257 GMT: The Guardian gets us caught up on news from Syria. Hama appears to remain the focal point of conflict, and the reports of tanks shelling the city and occupying neighborhoods are still coming in from activists:
"All communications have been cut off. The regime is using the media focus on the Hosni Mubarak trial to finish off Hama," one of the residents told Reuters, adding that shelling concentrated on al-Hader district, large parts of which were was razed during the 1982 military assault on Hama that killed thousands. The square has been the venue of some of the largest demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad's rule during the five month uprising.
1250 GMT: James Miller, reporting for duty. Scott has been tied up for the last 3 hours, so Al Jazeera gets us caught up on the latest news from Egypt, where the trial for former President Hosni Mubarak has begun, and clashes between police and protesters have also occurred.
0915 GMT: The Mubarak trial is on a break, but the big news at the moment is outside the Police Academcy. "All hell broke loose," says an Al Jazeera English correspondent as stone-throwing clashes between supporters and opponents of former President Hosni Mubarak turned into scuffles with the riot police. The latest trouble, which apparently started when a policeman was hit by a stone, spread into streets around the Academy.
0850 GMT: More procedural manoeuvring --- the headline is that lawyers for both the Mubaraks and former Minister of Interior Habib El Adly have asked for the cases to be separated from each other.
El Adly was initially tried individually on the charge of ordering the shooting of protesters, but last week a judge ordered that he stand trial alongside Mubarak today.
The lawyer for El Adly, making his request, claimed that the Minister of Interior had never issued the shoot-to-kill order.
0825 GMT: Almost a half-hour of procedural confusion and wrangling after the defendants announce their presence in the court, as the judge tries to establish which of the many defence lawyers is representing which defendant.
Lawyers for the defendants are complaining they have not been given information; lawyers for the families of victims are demanding that they be allowed into the proceedings.
0800 GMT: Former President Hosni Mubarak has been brought on a stretcher into the defendants' cage in the courtroom in Cairo; his sons Alaa and Gamal are in white shirts. The judge is now addressing the audience, declaring that a person disrupting the proceeding has been taken away for 24-hour incarceration.
0700 GMT: Clashes have been reported outside the Mubarak trial between supporters of the former President and supporters of the uprising against him, with stones and bottles being thrown. White-clad police moved in to separate the groups, while some black-clad riot police have now been posted:
0530 GMT: Attention in Egypt today will be on the Cairo trial of former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of corruption and of responsibility for the killing of protesters during the uprising in January and February against his rule.
Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are also in the dock as is his former Minister of Interior, Habib El Adly.
0525 GMT: Even though Egypt's military rulers have broken up the protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo, a parallel sit-in demonstration continues in the country's second city, Alexandria:
0520 GMT: We are now settling in for a pattern of tension, punctuated by conflict, during the days and of nightly demonstrations and clashes across Syria. James Miller, for the second day in a row, collected a wealth of videos for a visual essay, and a dedicated live-streamer again took to the air to bring sounds (last night's broadcast lasted for about 37 minutes) from Hama, the current centre of the showdown between the regime and protesters.
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