Bahrain Feature: An Opposition Leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, Spreads His Message on Twitter

Sheikh Ali Salman the head of the Al Wefaq Political and Islamic Society, the leading "opposition party" in Bahrain, He is not only spreading the message through appearances in the country but through Twitter. A selection of his recent messages:

The Arab Spring revolutions including Bahrain are dignity revolutions, and people demand that they not be marginalised in their country, where one leader decides how they should live.

Because the transformation to a democracy didn't happen, Bahraini political and human rights crises will continue to be present.

People will not be convinced by talks and promises, they will not go back to their homes empty-handed, the movement will continue..., and we will witness more arrests and unfair trials.

I said it before, and will repeat it now, we do not want the bad effect on the economy to continue, but the negative impact will continue because of the absence of a political solution.

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Iran Video Special: Mothers of Victims Sohrab Arabi & Neda Agha Soltan Respond to Ahmadinejad's New York Statements

In his media interviews last week in the US, President Ahmadinejad declared that there were only 33 people who died in violence after the disputed 2009 Presidential election and that most of these were Basij militiamen.

Parvin Fahimi is the mother of Sohrab Arabi, killed on 15 June 2009 by security forces. (She was not told for weeks about the event or where she could find the body of her son.) Interviewed by Masih Alinejad, Fahimi responds to Ahmadinejad's assertion, "My son was not a Basij member or a rebel. My son was patriotic. He was going for his vote and rights. He was a real Iranian." She continues, "Mr Ahmadinejad is lying since he became President of Iran. He is lying all the time."

Hajar Rostami Motlagh is the mother of Neda Agha Soltan, killed by a member of the security forces on 20 June 2009. In New York, Ahmadinejad said, "We have evidence that proves that she was killed after the fact and BBC fabricated the news by editing the footage.”

Motlagh responded to Rooz Online: "I find this gentleman’s remarks comical."

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The Latest from Iran (25 September): Khomeini's Grandson "This is Not Islam"

2120 GMT: Claim of the Day. We close Sunday --- and foreshadow Monday's LiveBlog on the resumption of political conflict in Iran --- with this prize assertion from the hard-line publication Fararu: President Ahmadinejad's controversial Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai will not return to Iran with Ahmadinejad from New York because he has applied for a six-month visa to remain in the US.

2040 GMT: Shutting Down the Reformists. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of the human rights section of Iran's judiciary, has put pressure on reformists, criticising them for claiming to be adherents to the principles of the Islamic Republic but in practice supporting a secular system.

Larijani said reformists were opportunist “sworn enemies of democracy” and were not qualified to run in Parliamentary elections next March.

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EA on the Road: A Day Out in Northwest England

I am on a top-secret mission to northwest England today, so updates on EA's LiveBlogs will be limited until late afternoon.

In the meantime, do have a look at our special features on Bahrain, both events and the propaganda around them, Yemen, and Egypt, and bring in your news and ideas through our Comments sections. Remember that, if you are not signed in via Disqus, it may be some time before your contribution appears.

Bahrain, Yemen, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Trouble in the Villages

Claimed footage of police breaking into a parked car in Bahrain on Friday, possibly taking items from inside the vehicle

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2025 GMT: Bahraini authorities have said they will hold a second round of by-elections on 1 October in nine of the Parliamentary constituencies where voting took place on Saturday.

The authorities said no candidate had won 50% of the vote in the first round in the constituencies.

The second-round ballots will be another test of political strength after the low turnout of 17.4%, amidst a boycott by the opposition Al Wefaq party, on Saturday.

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Egypt Opinion: What Have We Achieved? (Al Malky)

No matter how cynical we are about the indications regarding the final outcome of these trials [of President Hosni Mubarak, his sons, and members of his regime], we must admit that had it not been for the colossal events of the 18-day uprising, such a scenario would have continued being a figment of our wildest dreams.

But beyond the trials, has anything in Egypt really changed?

No.

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Bahrain Propaganda 101: The Regime and Its US PR Firm Spin the Election

Last week we noted how the Bahraini regime and Qorvis, the US public relations company working for it, were trying to get the right "news" into international media. We now have the latest effort, a "story" summarising events of the last two days under the headline, "Strong Election Vote in Bahrain".

The article, put out through PRNewsWire and posted below, re-presents the talking points put out by Bahrain's information agency (see today's LiveBlog), but the style is markedly different from the Bahraini official statements and their display in pro-regime media, for example, in this story from Manama Press. That indicates that the "news" in this case may have been written by the PR agency.

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Bahrain Special: An Election Day Overtaken by Protest, Violence, and Fires

Protesters and police in Sanabis, Bahrain on Saturday

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The Bahraini regime had hoped to present stability and democracy on Saturday, with by-elections for 14 seats vacated by the opposition party Al Wefaq in March in protest at the crackdown on demonstrations for reform.

The regime may still be able to do so with the numbers for a high turnout, whether in reality or in generated numbers. But by last night, the press releases and photographs of Bahrainis lining up to vote had been overtaken by another, less stable, less democratic narrative.

That narrative was of security forces trying --- and failing --- to suppress protest on Election Day. While there was little sign of dissent in the capital Manama, the heavy presence of police could not lock down near-by villages, despite closing off entrances and setting up roadblocks in areas such as Sanabis, close to the capital:

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Yemen Music Special: The Katy Perry-President Saleh Mash-Up

Something completely different to mark President Saleh's return to Yemen on Friday, after more than three months in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment:

Yemen, Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Surprise Return of Presidents and Protests

Sanabis in Bahrain, blanketed in tear gas today

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2145 GMT: We have taken a Saturday night break to recharge. Apologies for limited service --- we will be at 0600 GMT on Sunday with a full round-up of developments across North Africa and the Middle East and a special feature on Bahrain.

Meanwhile, the latest from Bahrain --- EA sources say Sanabis is a "closed" village with entrances blocked, adding, "It is too dangerous to go out."

In what appears to be a troubling development, there have been a number of house fires in villages where protests have been occurring (see 1110 GMT). What is even more troubling, again from EA sources, are claims that security forces have been setting fires to force out protesters who can be identified and arrested. One source writes, "Police thugs attacking protests in Sanabis who where trying to Extinguish a building on a fire, they attacked us with flashbangs and teargas."

Shaky video of a fire in Sanabis and disorder nearby:

A photograph of Sanabis this evening:

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