Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 144 Dead on Monday

Claimed footage of the insurgent Free Syrian Army protecting the Khalidiya neighbourhood in Homs

See also Saudi Arabia Feature: A Growing Rebellion?
Yemen Feature: The Houthi Movement and the Revolution
Syria Audio: Scott Lucas with the BBC on Political and Military Situation
Monday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Referendum Amidst the Deaths

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2130 GMT: An activist in Syria reports, "5 p.m. until now: electricity has been cut off in a great deal of Homs, especially Western regions. Meanwhile, intense shelling continues."

2118 GMT:The Egyptians judges presiding over the trial of 43 people, including 16 American citizens, whose NGOs are charged with manipulating the political and electoral process have refused to hear the case. The trial started on Sunday, but now that the judges has recused themselves, the appeals court will likely pick new judges, potentially delaying the trial further.

This may give room for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to negotiate the release of the Americans. The trial has seriously strained relations between Cairo and Washington, and the State Department has been engaged in "very intensive discussions" to secure the release of the NGO workers.

“We’ve had a lot of very tough conversations,” Mrs. Clinton said at a Senate hearing on her department’s proposed budget, “and I think we’re moving toward a resolution.”

2110 GMT: A large evening protest in the Midan district of Damascus. A central district south of the center of the city, Midan is a growing hotbed of dissent, but even for Midan this is a large crowd:

2018 GMT: The Syrian Ambassador stormed out of an emergency meeting of the UN that was called to discuss the situation in Syria:

“We are convinced that the real aim behind holding this session today is to cover up for the violence and murder perpetrated by the armed groups against innocent civilians,” Syria’s ambassador told diplomats.

“We are not pretending that the human rights situation in Syria is perfect,” he added. “We are aware that there is a regression in the quality of services usually provided by the government to the population by the regions facing violence. This is due to the armed groups that are using residential areas as bases.”

The UN Human Rights envoy said that the crisis in Syria was escalating and an immediate cease-fire was necessary. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that his delegation was working on a draft security council resolution that would call for an immediate ceasefire, though such a move could easily be blocked by Russia and china.

1922 GMT: The city of Halfaya, northwest of Hama, has been under attack by Assad forces off and on for over a week. That attack, according to the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, reached another level of intensity today:

The number of martyrs thus far today, as a result of the regime army's shelling of the city, is 35, among them women and children. Many of them are still trapped under the rubble of buildings that were demolished with residents still inside. In addition, more than 150 people are reported wounded, many of them critically, and it is nearly impossible to treat them.

Nationwide, the LCCS reports a spike is casualties, largely the result of the 35 killed in Halfaya and the 50 killed in Homs. Today's death toll stands at 102.

1918 GMT: A curious video claiming to have been taken in Bahrain. According to activists, this man was in Dair village, and appears to be carrying an axe. He has some sort of mask on, and is wearing plain-clothes, but he is appears to be protected by the riot police.

1900 GMT: Fake videos have been pretty rare since the start of the conflict in Syria, but there have been a few instances where EA and other media sources have been burned.

Earlier, we posted a video that claimed to show a helicopter shot down near Anadan, Aleppo. However, looking at the original footage, filmed in Chechnya, it is clear that the footage claimed to have been taken in Anadan has Arabic overdubs to make it look as though it were filmed in Syria.

The Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page has issued an apology, as they claim that they did not know the video was faked, but it begs the question - how did this happen?

Most of the videos we post have some sort of key landmark (either a sign, or a recognizable building). This was missing from this video. Also, many of the videos are taken by cameramen whom the activist networks know. Obviously, that did not happen this time.

These are the perils of trying to cover a story where outside journalists are not allowed inside the country.

1820 GMT: In Bahrain, the February 14 Coalition has published a letter to Bernie Ecclestone, the head of Formula One, appealing to him to call off this year's race in the kingdom. The Coalition says this will save F1's reputation from association with "a barbaric and despotic Regime".

1814 GMT: More confusion over the foreign journalists who may/may not have been smuggled out of Homs in Syria --- French President Nicholas Sarkozy now says he "misspoke" when he announced (see 1541 GMT) that injured reporter Edith Bouvier was safe in Lebanon.

1652 GMT: The Video of the Day? Not quite.

Activists claimed this footage, circulating since early this morning, was of Syrian opposition fighters firing a shoulder-fired rocket at a helicopter, knocking it out of the air, near Anadan, Aleppo.

Only problem --- this is actually a video from Chechnya:

1646 GMT: The death toll in Syria is now skyrocketing, after reports of another "massacre" in Baba Amr, Homs, claiming at least 26 lives and leading to the injury of at least 180. According to the LCCS, 91 people have been killed nationwide by Assad forces, " including 26 martyr who died in yet another massacre that was committed by the regime's forces in Baba Amr, 3 women and 2 children. 27 martyrs were from Hama suburbs, 50 in Homs, 6 in Aleppo suburbs, 5 in Idlib suburbs and 3 in Deir Ezzor."

1639 GMT: An interesting video, reportedly taken in Baba Amr, Homs:

What's interesting about it? Homs has been bombarded like this for weeks, right? Well, the description of the video says that the home was hit multiple times today, indicating that it may have been specifically targeted. There are other reports, coming with increasing frequency over the last week or so, that have suggested that the Syrian military is specifically targeting homes. There are even suspicions that the Syrian military is tracking satellite phone and/or internet signals, which could possibly explain why the home that journalist Marie Colvin, Remi Ochlik, and others were in was hit multiple times, sparking suspicion that the home was specifically targeted.

1629 GMT: NPR's Ahmed al Omran posts this video, which he says could show a "failed" IED attack against a military convoy in Daraa. The bomb does appear to do significant damage to the rear canopy of one of the trucks, and potentially whatever, or whoever, was behind it.

1623 GMT: Another sign of a weakening regime? Only a few months ago daytime protests in the Kafer Souseh district of Damascus, the heart of the city, were nearly unheard of. Now, for weeks, daytime protests have been growing.

This protest reportedly took place at a funeral for a martyr today:

1603 GMT: In the last hour, the LCCS has raised today's death toll from 57 to 65:

27 martyrs in Hama's suburbs, 24 martyrs in Homs, 6 in Aleppo suburbs, 5 martyrs in Idlib suburbs, 3 in DeirEzzor.

1555 GMT: The Guardian speaks to Abo Emad, in Homs, who reports several key things - the first, the smuggling route out of Homs is likely closed because of an intensification in violence today. The second, Emad confirms the capture of an armored vehicle by the FSA yesterday, but says that the FSA has less than 5 tanks, and the armored vehicles they have cannot stand up to the Assad forces.

Most of his statements, however, surround the death of at least 64 people who were trying to escape the Baba Amr district of Homs (there are many women and children missing, Emad says).

He added: "Every day is worse than the day before." He claimed the Syrian army's fourth armoured division has been involved in Homs since the start of the assault.

He also confirmed that rebels in the city had access to armoured vehicles, but he added: "You can't fight a tank with an armoured vehicle." He confirmed that a tank had been used in the al-Quosoor area of the city, but he said: "We don't even have five tanks."

1541 GMT: All day there have been rumors surrounding the location of the western journalists injured in Homs. Now, Guardian has this update:

A flash from Reuters, citing the French news channel, BFM TV: President Nicholas Sarkozy says Edith Bouvier has been evacuated from Syria and is now safe in Lebanon.

Earlier, there was confirmation that Paul Conroy was successfully evacuated and reached Lebanon.

1534 GMT: Many prominent members of the Bahraini opposition, including Said Yousif Almuhafda and Zainab alKhawaja, are reporting that a man, Ahmed Khudair, was arrested in Sanabis yesterday and was severely beaten before being released to a hospital. This graphic picture has been circulating, claiming to show Khudair's back after he was severely beaten by police.

1526 GMT: Bahrain - According to the Information Affairs Authority, Bahrain is set to form a special unit to investigate allegations of abuse during last years protests:

The new unit will be led by a senior public prosecutor and supported by independent criminal investigators and forensic experts, the IAA said in an emailed statement. U.S. and German lawyers are expected in Bahrain in the next few weeks to train prosecutors in effective investigations, case management and human rights issues, the statement said.

Members of the opposition, however, are highly skeptical that much good will come of these investigations.

They aren't alone. Just today, Human Rights Watch posted a statement condemning the use of courts to try protesters, hundreds of whom have been detained since last February, as well as the medical staff who provided them help during clashes with police:

Human Rights Watch said the proceedings against protesters in civilian courts and military-style tribunals violated international standards for fair trials, including denying the right to counsel and failing to investigate allegations of torture during interrogations.

"These violations reflect serious, systematic problems with Bahrain's criminal justice system and the role of the military and intelligence services in state oppression," the New York-based group said in a statement introducing a 90-page on the uprising-linked trials in Bahrain.

The question becomes whether the Bahraini justice system, widely recognized as having committed rights violations against protesters, can now be used to investigate allegations of abuse that have come out of human rights groups, activists, and the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report (BICI).

1507 GMT: Today's death toll has risen to 57, according to the activist network, the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria:

27 martyrs in Hama's suburbs,22 martyrs in Homs, 3 in Aleppo suburbs, 3 martyrs in Idlib suburbs, 2 in Derelzor.

James Miller takes over today's live coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas for taking us through the morning.

1140 GMT: The opposition Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria are reporting that injured French journalist Edith Bouvier and other reporters are refusing to leave Homs before the Syrian regime issues guarantees that their photographs and recordings will not be confiscated. They have also demanded from the Red Crescent transport some injured civilians that are in a critical condition,

The LCCS is maintaining that journalist Paul Conroy, wounded like Bouvier in last Wednesday's attack on a Homs media centre, was smuggled out of Syria amidst a firefight in which a number of Free Syrian Army members were killed.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, has again called for the Assad regime to be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity as she said the situation in Syria has deteriorated rapidly.

1030 GMT: The father of injured British journalist Paul Conroy has supported the report (see 1000 GMT) that his injured son has been smuggled out of Syria into Lebanon.

Activist Wissam Tarif of Avaaz is also claiming that Conroy was moved to a safe house.

Miles Amoore of The Sunday Times continues to challenge the news, "Paul's father is WRONG> I repeat WRONG. He is not out." Amoore says Conroy's father is only repeating what he was told by Reuters and has no first hand information.

We are still awaiting confirmation of the Reuters claim, from opposition sources, that French journalist Edith Bouvier also been evacuated.

1010 GMT: Claimed video, from Daraa in southern Syria, of dozens of people chained together and led into a police van:

1000 GMT: An unnamed diplomat and opposition sources have said that British journalist Paul Conroy and French reporter Edith Bouvier, injured in Wednesday's shelling of the media centre in Baba Amr in Homs, have been smuggled out of Syria and are safe in Lebanon.

Conroy, who works for The Sunday Times, and Bouvier, of Le Figaro, were injured in an attack which killed 11 people, including journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.

However, Miles Amoore of The Sunday Times has challenged the news. He said the "diplomat" quoted by Reuters is in the French embassy in Damascus and that "as far as our sources know, they are all still in Baba Amr".

CNN reports on dozens of Syrians whose residency permits were cancelled by the United Arab Emirates after more than 2,000 people protested outside the Syrian consulate in Dubai on 10 February.

The demonstrators did not have a permit to protest. Police asked them to disperse, but dozens stayed and continued their criticism of the Assad regime.

A source close to the opposition Syrian National Council said about 60 Syrians had their residency permits canceled; a UAE said the number was 30 --- "[This] was not to deport them or to send them to Syria. It was to give them the option to go anywhere they wish."

0900 GMT: Shelling of Baba Amr in Homs in Syria this morning on the 25th day of the regime's siege:

0820 GMT: In Bahrain the case of 20 doctors and nurses, threatened with lengthy prison terms, has been postponed again. On Monday, a court adjourned the hearing until 30 April.

The medics were given sentences of 5 to 15 years by a military court last September. The regime, amidst international protest, moved their case to a civilian tribunal, although it has been unclear whether the proceeding is an appeal or a retrial.

0810 GMT: Opposition sources in Syrian have told Reuters that tanks and troops of the regime's elite Fourth Division, commanded by President Assad’s brother Maher, have moved overnight into main streets in the Baba Amr section of Damascus.

0610 GMT: The activists of the Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria report that 144 people died in violence on Monday.

Among the claimed deaths were 64 men who were with families trying to flee the besieged neighbourhood of Baba Amr in Homs. They were among 98 casualties from the city, facing the 25th straight day of a regime assault. Other deaths included 11 in the Aleppo countryside, 17 in Idlib Province, four in Hama Province, four in the Damascus suburbs, and one each in Damascus, Hasakah, Raqqa, and Daraa.

The Committees say five people have already perished today.

An expression of sentiment from Kafranbel in northwest Syria last week: