I see on the horizon a glimpse of a new world, of a shining and flourishing globalization. I certainly see the end of a vicious and black history in which so many peoples and nations had experienced horror, tragedies, destruction and disaster. I certainly see the beginning of a humane, prosperous and generous history full of love and fraternity.
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 10:34 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Middle East and Turkey, Global, Middle East and Iran 2030 GMT: The LCCS reports that 40 people have died today in Syria:
7 children 3 women, 4 defected soldiers. The deaths are distributed as follows: 18 in Homs,7 in Idlib,9 in Damascus Suburbs (3 in each of kafarbatna and Domaair 2 in Douma, , 1 in Saqba,) 4 in Hama, and 2 in Daraa (Sanamain and Inkhil
1940 GMT: According to Nick Kristof, his videographer's camera was hit by tear gas or rubber bullets, and the attack only stopped when his cameraman, Adam Ellick,started to yell that he was an American journalist.
For his part, Adam has been pretty quiet since the incident, though his last tweet is pretty telling:
"This photo of graffiti pretty much sums up my night in #Bahrain with @NickKristof"
;)
1931 GMT: Turning back to Syria, the LCCS is now reporting that 37 people have been killed by security forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 13:21 | Scott Lucas in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran A march last night in the Al Bab section of Aleppo in Syria
Bahrain Feature: Today's Revival of Mass Protests
Syria Opinion: Beyond the "Sectarian" Spectre --- Everyone in Homs is a Victim
Bahrain Opinion: The US and "The Wrong Side of History"
Tuesday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: As Dozens Die in a Kidnapping, Damascus Responds to Arab League
2110 GMT: Another video complementing our special feature on today's renewal of protests and clashes in Bahrain --- security forces mobilise in Aldaih in front of the house of the Vice President of Al Wefaq, the largest opposition group:
Meanwhile, Bahrain authorities, having initially said that a package detonated at the national airport contained explosives, now say that it had "tools used to make explosives".
The Ministry of Interior initially claimed that a group had sent explosives from Britain via Dubai, but it now asserts that the package was a "dummy" to test Bahrain's defences.
2010 GMT: More protest video from Syria tonight --- a rally in Bousr Al Harer in Daraa Province:
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 8:45 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran See also Syria Feature: Reflections on Razan Ghazzawi, Now Detained
Monday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Sorting Out "Shameless Acts of Terror"
2110 GMT: Tonight's mass demonstration in Deir Ez Zor in northeast Syria:
2048 GMT: Yemen Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa said today that an interim government will be formed in the next 48 hours.
The announcement came as forces of President Saleh and those of dissident military and tribes pulled back from some positions in the southern city of Taiz, after at least 20 people were killed in the last five days.
Syrian activist/blogger Razan Ghazzawi, Egyptian activist/blogger Alaa Abd-El Fattah, and Bahraini activist/blogger Ali Abdulemam, photographed in Budapest in 2008 --- Ghazzawi was detained this weekend, Abd-El Fattah is in prison, and Abdulemam is in hiding from a 15-year sentence
See also Saudi Arabia Feature: 16 Reformists Given Long Prison Sentences
Syria Feature: The Arrest of Activist Razan Ghazzawi
Sunday's Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Actress's Message
2214 GMT: As we close the LiveBlog, we turn to Yemen. Reuters confirms the news that at least 1 civilian was killed by soldiers today in Taiz:
Tanks, armored vehicles and opposition fighters left some areas of Taiz, a hub of 10 months of unrest against Saleh's 33-year rule, but gunmen and snipers remained and had fired on demonstrators, witnesses said.
"Both sides violated the ceasefire agreement. We were marching peacefully and they (Saleh's forces) shot at us yet again," medical student Hamoud al-Aklamy told Reuters.
Activists, right now, are reporting loud explosions in various neighborhoods of the capital city, Sana'a. Every time it appears as though things in Yemen are calming down, something happens to remind us that in Yemen, just like in many places in the region, Arab Spring is far from over, despite the fact that it is now about to enter its second year.
2205 GMT: Protesters are still conducting a sit-in protest in Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital Cairo, demanding that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces release all political prisoners. The demonstrators have announced that they will allow traffic to flow again in the square, while continuing the sit-in.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 6:21 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2039 GMT: But for all the reports of violence, we've received 10 reports of protests. This video shows a cute little girl leading an evening protest in the Qarabis district of Homs:
This crowd chants anti-regime protests in Jiza, Daraa:
2024 GMT: It's after 10 pm in Syria, but reports continue to come in that the crackdown continues. The LCCS reports that is Kiswah, outside of Damascus, police have conducted house-to-house raids, arresting many, in response to a student protest earlier in the day. A large explosion rocked the Daraa alBalad neighborhood of Daraa, followed by heavy gunfire. And in Latminah, Hama, a 47-year-old father of 4 was reportedly tortured to death after being arrested.
Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 7:07 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Two videos of the thousands in the funeral procession in Ala'ali in Bahrain, for a man killed on Wednesday after an incident with a police jeep, before the march was dispersed by security forces:
See also Bahrain Special: The Commission of Inquiry's Report...& 14 Key Points About It
Egypt LiveBlog: The Fighting Resumes
Wednesday's Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Report of the Commission of Inquiry
2013 GMT: Claimed footage from Ala'ali in Bahrain of stone-throwing youth defying fire from security forces:
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 7:05 | Scott Lucas in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Security forces use tear gas in Bahrain on protesters and residents after a man died in his car, allegedly following an incident with a police jeep
See also Bahrain Special: The Commission of Inquiry's Report...& 14 Key Points About It
Egypt Analysis: So What Happens Now?
Egypt LiveBlog: Déjà Vu All Over Again
Tuesday's Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Turmoil and Confusion
2150 GMT: The week of Thanksgiving 2011 will be remembered for what happened in the Middle East. Once again, Egypt was so eventful that it merited its own liveblog. Two other major developments will make the history books. In Yemen, President Saleh signed the Gulf Cooperation Council deal, effectively agreeing to trade his rule for immunity. In Bahrain, the independent report on human rights, and the regime's reaction to it, will likely set the stage for the next phase of unrest there.
With these two stories, and Egypt's news, Syria was doomed to the bottom of the priority list today. And yet, we saw some massively important developments, an unseen amount of protest in Damascus and Aleppo, and signs that Europe may be contemplating an intervention in the crisis.
There are many parallels between Yemen and Egypt, as both may have removed a dictator but neither has seen lasting change. In Bahrain, the opposition continues to struggle to be heard. But the developments in Syria may be the most important in the long run. With the news of protests reaching the reaching the two largest cities, the opposition appears stronger than it has ever been, and the Assad regime appears weaker. As Yemen and Egypt struggle to chart their next chapter, and the Bahraini opposition struggles to establish itself against a powerful regime, it appears that Syria could be the next domino to fall, perhaps the largest and most important domino yet.
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 7:34 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2127 GMT: Though our sources suggest that the protesters are still in the streets, and the gunfire is still being reported in many places across Syria, and the total may rise, the LCCS reports that 20 more civilians have been killed today in Syria:
Syria: The number of martyrs today, thus far, is 20. Among them were two women and a child. 15 of the martyrs were in Homs, 3 in the Hama suburbs, and 1 martyr each from both Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
2124 GMT: A loud, enthusiastic, and defiant crowd protests tonight in Qalamoun, Damascus:
2112 GMT: Yemen's President may sign a Gulf-State plan to transfer power to his deputy tomorrow, according to the opposition:
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 12:21 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Middle East and Turkey, Global, Middle East and Iran Egyptian police beat protesters --- note the man knocked unconscious by a baton --- and drag them away, including one by the hair, just off Tahrir Square
See also Syria Feature: The Spectre of Civil War in Homs
Bahrain 1st-Hand Special: Security Forces Break Up a Teenager's Funeral
Saturday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The "Forgotten" Protests That Never Went Away
2125 GMT: A mass rally in Hama in Syria tonight:
2045 GMT: A protester throws back a tear gas canister in Tahrir Square in Cairo this afternoon:
