Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Spark of Detention

Egyptian activist Abd-El Fattah, detained yesterday, talks of his mother, Laila Seif, pushing him to join the front lines in Tahrir Square during the rising against the Mubarak regime

See also Egypt Feature: Activists' Statement on Detention of Alaa Abd-El Fattah
Israel-Palestine Feature: Why a UNESCO Vote Is Key To Palestinian Statehood
Libya 1st-Hand: A Journalist Returns to Visit His Prison and His Guards
Sunday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Spying on the Opposition

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2008 GMT: Now Lebanon is now raising the death toll in Syria to 13, citing Al Arabiya.

1915 GMT: The LCCS posts this video of evening protests in Qalat Madeq in Hama:

1908 GMT: A large protest this evening in Daraa Province in southern Syria:

Another in Deir Balbeh, Homs:

1852 GMT: As predicted earlier, a protest has begun in Cairo in solidarity with Alaa Abd-El Fattah, a blogger who has been imprisoned by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF). An activist tweets this:

"March in Cairo against Military Trials! March started from Thal'at Harb circle towards Tahrir Square"

"March is now headed towards Security/Military Ministry"

And another activist reports:

"the march is getting bigger around 3000 now in bab ellouq"

"now @alaa 's favorite chant either we avenge them or we die like them"

"march in bab ellouq chanting the people want to bring down the regime"

According to this activist, the protesters have marched to the prison in Bab Elkalq, and some has sprayed some graffiti on the walls of a police unit: "(expletive deleted) SCAF!"

Also, apparently the protesters have a sense of humor, and perhaps a recognition that today is Halloween, and some of them need costumes:

"susan mubarak and habib el adly decided to join us in the march :))"

1827 GMT: Earlier we reported that the Syrian military opened fire on "passers by" on Cairo street in the Khalidiya district of Homs. Now we have the video below, which we think you should watch, of a crashed car filled with bullet holes, and this graphic video, which you may not want to watch, that appears to show a dying elderly man:

1819 GMT: This video reportedly shows damage from random shelling in the Damascus suburb of Kafr Batna (map). If this location of video is accurate, it means that the Syrian regime is now openly shelling the close suburbs of Damascus, a clear indication of the escalation of the situation there. We'll try to find more reports or video evidence:

1813 GMT: A large group of soldiers "storming" the central Homs neighborhood of Bab Sbaa, reportedly today:

1807 GMT: According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 9 people have been killed today in Syria.

1725 GMT: A large anti-government demonstration in Inkhel, Daraa:

1714 GMT: According to Now Lebanon, at least four people have been killed today in Syria. According to the report, two people were killed in Homs, which seems to match earlier reports made by the LCCS:

In Hama province, Syrian security forces and soldiers in pursuit killed a civilian and a deserter, said the Britain-based group in a statement received in Nicosia.

It said a fourth civilian was shot dead in Harasta, a town near Damascus, as security forces carried out raids and made at least 13 arrests.

1710 GMT: Back from a quick break, and we have video that, reportedly, confirms our last report, anti-government protests in the Midhat Pasha market, in the center of Damascus:

1611 GMT: Activists have told Al Arabiya TV that there are protests in the Midhat Pasha Market in central Damascus, demanding the establishment of a no fly zone over Syria. We'll keep our eyes out for confirmation. Protests in central Damascus are both highly important and extremely rare, as a nearly-constant security presence typically disrupts them before they form.

1606 GMT: Activists in Tunisia and in Egypt have planned to coordinate protests over the arrest of blogger Abd El-Fattah, according to Ahram News:

The first march will be begin at 7pm on Monday at Talaat Harb Square in Downtown Cairo and proceed to the Appeals Prison in the Bab El-Louk district where Abd El-Fattah is being held. A parallel protest will be held at the same time in front of the northern military zone in Alexandria.

1559 GMT: The sign at the back of the protest, reportedly today in Nahta, Daraa, says "We need air block," a no fly zone, in English, Arabic, and Spanish:

1555 GMT: Yemen has re-opened the international airport in Sana'a, after it was closed yesterday following explosions at the al-Dailami air force base.

1540 GMT: This video, reportedly taken earlier in Khalildaya, Homs, where a crowd of mainly women protests. The sign held at one point is dated today. It should be noted that our earlier reports say that crowds were fired upon in the area:

1520 GMT: The LCCS updates their last report, adding that 2 have been killed in Homs:

Homs: Two martyrs died from being shot by security in Cairo street, one of them was from Akary family and the other one from Al-Brejawy family, and 5 injuries are in critical condition

1511 GMT: The LCCS is reporting that at least 10 have been injured in a single incident in Homs, Syria:

Homs: More than 10 wounded, three of them with serious injuries, from random shooting on the passers by security forces deployed on Al-Zeir barricade in Cairo street that seperates Bayada neighborhood and Khaldiyeh neighborhood

1459 GMT: Earlier (1414 GMT) we posted a video of police raiding Daraa University. That raid was partially in response to very large student protests that have taken place in many cities in towns, in Daraa province and beyond.

This video reportedly shows a student protest in Nahta, Daraa:

Young students protest in Dael, Daraa, Syria:

Several hundred students reportedly joined a protest in Deir Attiya University in Qalamoun, north of Damascus:

A student protest in Al Shuhail, southeast of the regional capital city, Deir Ez Zor:

1445 GMT: There are reports that it has been yet another violent day in Syria. The LCCS reports that at least 1 defected soldier, Zayad Saad, was shot by the Syrian military in Idlib when he refused to fire on civilians. The LCCS is also reporting more violence in Homs:

"Homs: Heavy shooting from different kinds of machine guns in Bab Sbaa neighborhood along with security deployment with army's armored vehicles, and they're destroying the shops"

1435 GMT: A large protest has been held today in the capital of Yemen, Sana'a, where people called for the prosecution of the President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the release of political detainees. Also, many of the protesters were commemorating the 15th anniversary of Al Jazeera, a network being praised by the political dissidents as an independent alternative to state-run media.

1425 GMT: The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has ruled out a Libya-style mission in Syria, despite calls from some members of the Syrian opposition for a no-fly zone.

"We have no intention whatsoever to intervene in Syria," he insisted, saying the conditions there were different to those in Libya.

"First of all we took on the responsibility for the operation in Libya because there was a clear UN mandate, because we had strong and active support from the countries in the region," Rasmussen said.

"Actually they contributed actively to Operation Unified Protector. None of these conditions are fulfilled in Syria. And besides, one case is not like the other. We have to take decisions on a case-by-case basis. From an overall perspective, you can't compare Libya and Syria," he said...

"Obviously I strongly condemn the security forces' crackdown on civilians in Syria. It's absolutely outrageous. And the only way forward in Syria, like in other countries, is to accommodate the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, introduce democratic reforms," Rasmussen added.

1414 GMT: James Miller reports for duty.

Al Jazeera has posted this video, reportedly showing police storming the Faculty of Economics in Daraa University, Syria. According to the report, students's cell phones were checked and several arrests were made.

1215 GMT: The "Youth Coalition for Revolutions of Freedom and Dignity" was officially launched 15 minutes ago. The group, with a website in Arabic and English, declares that it is...

...an independent youth coalition that is not politically or religiously affiliated, of human rights activists, striving through peaceful means to establish civil governments that institutionalize human rights and youth involvement. This unity is essential to speed up and guarantee the success of the revolutions that have been led by the youth. The countries involved in this coalition so far consist of: Syria, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Coalition identifies seven areas of violations common to past and present regimes in those countries: marginalization of youth; arbitrary arrests; torture; unfair trials; corruption; lack of basic freedoms such as freedom of speech and press, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly; and discrimination as common practice to create divides and instigate hate among the population".

The activists set out a mission of joint actions, "a platform dedicated to sharing ideas, methods, actions and means of a peaceful revolution"; and a campaign to provide media with essential information and to encourage media and governments "to stop the use of double standards and to support all movements for rights and freedom in all countries".

0945 GMT: Doctors at an Egyptian hospital say Essam Atta, who allegedly died from abuse by prison officers, was poisoned but there were no signs of torture on his body.

The death of Atta on Thursday sparked a furious reaction after the human rights watchdog Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture said Atta had been abused.

Prosecutors summoned three doctors from the Poisonings Center at the Manyal University Hospital, who said they found no signs of torture during the autopsy; however, they confirmed that Atta was poisoned.

0937 GMT: Human rights groups and NGOs have expressed concern that the global bank HSBC is supporting a campaign of intimidation by Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

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The groups claim HSBC, with whom they hold Egyptian accounts, has contacted them requesting documents and information relating to their finances and work in Egypt, including receipt of money from the US Embassy.

Nawla Darwiche of the New Women Foundation said staff should provide a list of all their future projects: “They also said they could release our accounts to the government if they were asked. This is very serious.”

During the summer, Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation, Faiza Abul-Naga, announced that a commission of inquiry was being established to investigate the funding of civil society organisations. The results of the investigation were published in an Egyptian newspaper last month, which detailed the funding received by numerous NGOs and also revealed that 39 organisations had been declared illegal.

0935 GMT: An opposition rally in Deir Ez Zor in northeastern Syria tells President Assad, "We want your execution; get yourself ready":

0925 GMT: An EA source in Bahrain reports that the "Freedom Torch", the opposition's month-long display, reached Ma'ameer last night, carried by youth from Al Nabih Saleh on a boat. After a speech by an activist,a march proceeded through the village.

0735 GMT: In Bahrain, a prosecutor has reportedly dropped charges of inciting hatred against regime, spreading false news, and refusal of performing duties against 28 of the medical staff who have been detained by the regime.

0730 GMT: The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said yesterday said he had "substantial evidence" that Saif Al Islam Qaddafi, son of the former Libyan leader, helped hire mercenaries to attack civilians.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said, "We have a witness who explained how Saif was involved with the planning of the attacks against civilians, including in particular the hiring of core mercenaries from different countries and the transport of them, and also the financial aspects he was covering."

Saif Al Islam's whereabouts are unknown after he reportedly fled Bani Walid, one of the last Qaddaafi strongholds to fall.

0720 GMT: The Los Angeles Times interviews Ribal Assad, the cousin of the Syrian President.

Ribal Assad, a London-based businessman with interests in China, heads two organizations whose stated aims are to promote democracy and religious tolerance in Syria and the Middle East. He says:

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[The Syrian regime] shouldn't have waited until now. They have seen already Saddam's end [in Iraq]. They should have understood you cannot rule this way. We live in the 21st century.

People even in democracies cannot stand the same face [all the time].... They want change. They have a right to that. All those regimes should have learned that in the end, when you choose to suppress and repress people, you'll never have a good end.

0520 GMT: Almost ignored by international media, the Sunday marches for reform continued across Morocco yesterday. Changes in the political system, proposed by King Mohammed VI and approved by a referendum, have not stemmed the challenge.

A rally in Tangier yesterday:

Mamfakinch has more pictures and videos.

0500 GMT: The newsflash came through late Sunday morning, not via Reuters or Al Jazeera but through activists on Twitter --- Alaa Abd-El Fattah, the prominent blogger and activist, known as @alaa to those inside and outside Egypt, had been detained for 15 days because he would not answer the questions of military prosecutors.

While the daily pattern of events in the Middle East played out and sometimes grew intense --- the amount of video we received last night from Syria was impressive in its portrayal of protests --- Abd-El Fattah's personal resistance and the apparent short-sightedness of Egypt's military rulers kept coming back to the fore. Only the week before, Abd-El Fattah had been visiting Occupy San Francisco to talk about his experiences in the rising against President Mubarak. Now, as in 2006, he was being imprisoned, this time on the spurious claim that he had "stolen weapons".

The effect of Abd-El Fattah's detention remains to be seen. The spread of news inside Egypt is not the same as the spread across global micro-blogs and social media. And news does not necessarily translate --- in a country where the demands for reform and political change appear to have stalled or been checked, firmly, by the new leadership --- into action.

But, as Egyptian activists put out their statement of protest and call to resist last night, it was hard to deny the anger and determination that had re-surged in a response that invoked Tahrir Square of January/February 2011. Could one man's imprisonment be the catalyst for a re-union and renewal of movements fragmented since the fall of Hosni Mubarak?