Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Zombie March
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 12:51
Scott Lucas in Abdullatif Al Mahmood, Africa, Amnesty International, Baath Party, Bahrain, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Egypt, Habib Al-Adly, Hosni Mubarak, Middle East and Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria

2010 GMT: A protest tonight in Harasta outside Damascus, with chants, "Syria is ours, not for Assad´s family" and "Leave, Bashar".

And in Tal Kalakh in southern Syria:

1922 GMT: An activist has another report of the building security presence in Homs (see updates below):

"Homs: Military reinforcement's arrived.15 tanks on AlKhaldeah entrance& another 15 in Al-Karaj Sq aiming their muzzles at AlKhaldeah district"

1907 GMT: This video, posted today, claims to show large numbers of Yemen Republican Guard and Central Security forces joining the anti-government protests in Change Square, Sana'a, Yemen:

1851 GMT: Protesters chant that they want to topple the regime tonight in Amouda, Syria:

1838 GMT: Colonel Gaddafi will not enter negotiations with the rebels until NATO air strikes cease, according to his Prime Minister:

""This aggression (air strikes) needs to stop immediately, without that we cannot have a dialogue, we cannot solve any problems in Libya," Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi told a news conference after talks with a visiting UN envoy.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi has tried to cut the rebel supplies of oil. Al Jazeera has this report

1750 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria (LCCS) have written a letter to the Guardian where they claim that the Assad regime is changing its tactics, targeting specific individuals to kill:

It's been noticed that the regime killing strategy started to take a different direction recently. It has become more focused and based of intelligence information about targeted activists.

This is what happened in the case of martyrs Hady Al Jundi, Khalid Al Afnan, Diyaa Al Najar in Homs.

According to the information we have, all were targeted.

Martyr Hady Al Jundi was killed on 8 July 2011. He was the first to lead and organise demonstrations in Dablan, Ghota, Hamra and the Malab Street [in Homs].

Hady was targeted by a sniper in a safe street. We think that the sniper was on the roof of the national hospital.

Sheikh Khalid [who was killed on 10 July] led the demonstrations in Bayada and Dair Ba'alba. He was targeted in his car while he was driving back home with his daughter. There was no demonstration or anything abnormal in that street at that time.

Martyr Diyaa Ramiz Al Najjar, 17 year old [led] ... demonstrations' leaders in the Al Qusoor neighborhood. He was killed on 1 July 2011 on Al Qadmoos checkpoint, while he was trying to help an injured colleague. He was shot first in the leg, then shot dead.

1743 GMT: The trials of 23 officials close to former Tunisian President Ben Ali have begun.

"The 23 were arrested and found to be in possession of a large sum in foreign currency as they tried to flee the country on January 14, the day Ben Ali and his wife fled into exile in Saudi Arabia after a popular revolt."

1710 GMT: Ahram News is reporting that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has become weak because he has refused to eat. Mubarak is scheduled to stand trial next week.

1452 GMT: A demonstration in the Damascus market today near the Ummayad mosque.

1421 GMT: Troubling reports from activists about the situation in Homs, where the Assad military might be launching a new campaign:

Homs: now Khaldiya district is an area completely isolated from the world: no internet, no landline, no mobile via @albakhakh...security checkpoints prevent from reaching Khaldiye district.

1344 GMT: A large convoy of tanks deploys this morning near the city of Homs:

1320 GMT: James Miller takes over for Scott Lucas.

Last night, protesters rally in Homs, Syria, the home of the latest chapter of Assad's crackdown against dissent:

1115 GMT: Amnesty International has said Saudi authorities blocked its website following criticism of the regime's draft law combatting terrorism.

The London-based group said the bill allows authorities to prosecute peaceful dissent as a terrorist crime. On Friday it posted the full Arabic text, as well as an internal review of the law by a Saudi security committee, on its website.

Hours after the website was blocked on Monday, Amnesty moved the text of the bill to another Amnesty-administered website called "Protect The Human Blog", which can be accessed by residents in the kingdom.

0820 GMT: Libyan officials have accused NATO of killing at least eight people in an air raid on a food warehouse and medical clinic in Zlitan, east of Tripoli.

Foreign journalists taken to the town on Monday were unable to verify if the buildings were struck by a NATO operation.

Zlitan is now on the front-line of the battle between the regime and insurgents. The news comes as lawyers in opposition-held Misurata, east of Zlitan, are building a case that the regime tried to starve the residents of the city:

0645 GMT: The Syrian regime has adopted a draft law allowing for the creation of new political parties alongside the long-ruling Baath Party of President Assad. The measure now goes to Parliament for approval.

State media SANA reported, "The establishment of any party has to be based on...a commitment to the constitution, democratic principles, the rule of law and a respect for freedom and basic rights." A party can be established as long as it is not based on religious or tribal lines, or discriminates due to ethnicity, gender, or race.

Opponents of the regime have said the measure is insufficient. While the draft law modifies Article 8 of the Constitution, which states that the Baath party is the only leader of the state and society, protesters are calling for political freedoms beyond a law authorising parties. An Al Jazeera English correspondent has reported:

We spoke to some opposition figures and they said, "What's the use of this law if we cannot travel to Deraa and Baniyas and Latakia and to different Syrian cities and be able to meet with people and assemble? What's the use of the law if we are going to be persecuted by the security forces for simply disagreeing with the government or be put in prison for organising a political meeting?"

0625 GMT: The trial of Egypt's former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was quickly opened and adjourned on Monday, as the court ordered him to be tried next week alongside deposed President Hosni Mubarak.

Both men are charged with ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising in January and February. El Adly has already been sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption.

The trial of Mubarak, his two sons, and El Adly will now be on 3 August.

0620 GMT: While we open this morning with video of a series of small protests in Bahrain against the regime, State media give the other side of the story, "Thousands of people braved the heat last night to attend a massive rally in Arad called by the National Unity Assembly. Its chairman, Dr Abdullatif Al Mahmood used the event to welcome an independent inquiry into Bahrain's unrest and urged participants to report any rights violations to its own fact-finding panel, to be submitted to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry."

0510 GMT: Drawing from James Miller's coverage of a relatively slow day on Monday, we note footage of protesters putting a zombie-influenced spin on the theme of "Down with the Regime" in Deir Ez Zor in northeast Syria.

But slow does not mean non-existent. A demonstration of non-zombies last night in the Barzeh section of Damascus:

And in Bahrain, we now have a steady stream of claimed footage of small protests, sometimes confronted by security forces. In what may be a Syria-influenced development, some of the gatherings are at night, when the chance of clashes and detentions is lower:

Sanabis

Shahrakan

Aker

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