Protesters in the Barzeh district of Damascus chant, "We don't bow down except to God"
2034 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria have released a statement describing the events that took place today in Syria:
The Governorate of Idlib has witnessed a fierce military campaign that involved the death of several dozen martyrs from the village of Binnish alone, along with dozens of forced disappearances and arrests. Most of the villages and towns in the Idlib Governorate reported gunfire and a complete shutdown of telephone, satellite, and Internet communicatons.
In Binnish, a massive number of mourners, including more than 10,000 people who were able to travel in from neighboring villages, came out to hold funerals for the martyrs.
Nighttime demonstrations began all over Saraqeb and Idlib proper, and continued in a number of Governorates. In the Damascus suburbs, protesters came out in Douma, Harasta, Saqba, Zamalka, Daraya, Irbeen, Kafrbatna, and Jdeidet Artouz. Protesters were chanting for the toppling of the regime and for the victory of Homs and the cities under siege.
Homs, Daraa, and other neighborhoods were also subjected to a major military campaign, according to activists and confirmed by the LCCS:
Homs, as usual, did not fail to hold nighttime demonstrations; protesters came out in most neighborhoods. Security forces responded by firing on protesters in Dablan, Insha’at, and Khaldieh. In Hawla, Ghouta, and Qasir, security forces injured two protesters. Even Rastan held nighttime demonstrations, and today Homs experienced new kidnappings: Mrs. Sawsan Al-Saghir, her daughter Qamar Al-Rajab, and Mrs. Al-Rajab’s 1-year old twins Bahaa and Diaa were kidnapped.The Shabbiha kidnapped them from their home in Bayada.
In Qamishli, Deir Ezzor, Bokamal, Daraa, Basr Al-Harir, Hirak, Hara, and Daeel, thousands protested. Security forces fired on protesters in the Jabileh neighborhood to disperse them.
People in Douma, the Qadam neighborhood in Damascus, Homs, and Rastan were all subjected to a campaign of random arrests.
2020 GMT: Sleeping with the enemy alert - Al Jazeera reports that the European energy giant, Siemens, has entered into a new business relationship with the Syrian government:
Syria and German engineering giant Siemens inked a $419 million contract on Thursday for the expansion of a power plant north of Damascus, the official SANA news agency reported.
"The minister of electricity signed with German group Siemens a contract worth 305 million euros ($419 million) to expand the Nassariya power station in north Damascus," SANA said.
"Siemens will work to design, manufacture, supply, install and operate all equipment necessary for the creation of an additional branch of the plant," it added.
The deal comes after the European Union slapped an eighth round of sanctions on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over its brutal crackdown on protesters.
It's worth noting that Nokia Siemens has been named as a company that has helped the Iranian government track down dissidents who use Nokia phones.
2013 GMT: An EA source in Bahrain forwards us this video, reportedly of a large protest in Mhaza, Sitra, tonight. According to the account, these protesters were later attacked by security forces:
1948 GMT: An activist Tweets this video reportedly showing protesting students in Zamalka, Damascus, chanting "Death rather than humiliation" tonight:
1942 GMT: The description of the video says that some of these signs are critical of those who advocate dialogue with the government. This was reportedly take in Al Korah, Deir Ez Zor, tonight:
1935 GMT: The Egyptian military has devised a plan that would result in an 18-month transition of power, a plan which is already being criticized as being too slow, giving the generals more time in power. The Guardian reports:
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took control of Egypt after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February, and initially promised to return to their barracks within six months. But since then the "roadmap" to an elected, civilian government has been beset by delays and controversies, fuelling speculation that the army could be buying time in an attempt to shoehorn one of their own senior commanders into the presidency.
This week Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi denied that any candidates would emerge from the country's powerful military establishment.
"These are only rumours and we shouldn't waste time talking about rumours," said Egypt's current de facto ruler, who provoked a frenzy of media coverage when he made an unprecedented appearance in civilian clothing on a Cairo street recently – a move many analysts described as a carefully orchestrated political stunt.
"The armed forces have no interest in staying in power for a long time," he claimed on Thursday. However, he added, "we will not leave Egypt until we have fulfilled all we promised and do our duty towards the people."
1924 GMT: An evening protest in Nasib, Daraa, in support of the embattled cities of Homs and Idlib:
1905 GMT: A concession? The Egyptian government said today that the information ministry will look into the matter of building permits for new Coptic churches, one of the sticking points that initially led to last Sunday's violence.
1738 GMT: The LCCS is reporting that 14 people have been killed today in Syria, however, they appear to be a slightly different 14 people than were reported by the Syrian Observatory of Human rights to have been killed today. The LCCS reports:
Syria: Death toll today rose to 14: 12 in Binnesh in Idlib suburbs among them are 1.5 years old child and a female college student, in addition to a martyr in each of Homs and Daraa
But earlier the SOHR reported that "six soldiers and two army deserters were killed in fighting in the southern town of Haara" and 6 were killed in Binnish. Some quick math suggests that the SOHR report, which is older, does not include 6 more people in Binnish, or the 2 in Homs and Daraa, and the LCCS report may be lacking the 8 killed in Haara.
Assuming that they are both accurate, the death toll could be as high as 22.
1600 GMT: An activist forwards us this video, reportedly showing a civilian being beaten by Syrian soldiers while he is already in custody. There is now way of confirming these details:
1555 GMT: Dr Ahmed Atef, a doctor who had led a strike in Egypt, has gone missing and is feared kidnapped. According to his associates, Atef had been receiving threatening phone calls for days, and now Atef has disappeared after he said he was going to a restaurant. Atef's colleagues have begun to press the interior ministry to investigate the matter.
1535 GMT: While communications blackouts are hindering the reception of reliable news from much of Syria, the LCCS posts this video, reportedly of students protesting in Midan, Damascus:
Also, before the LCCS reported on the death of a child in Idlib, they had posted this report:
"Idlib: Unprecedented heavy fire after a demonstration went out in the market, communications and internet are cut off in most areas of the governorate"
1529 GMT: It may be worse than we just reported. The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria just made this update via their Facebook page:
Idlib: Martyrdom of child Mohammad Diab Summaq, 1.5 years old
1517 GMT: Now Lebanon translates a report from Shaam News, that a three year old has been killed in Idlib, Syria, and 15 others have been injured.
1510 GMT: Journalist Peter Beaumont speaks to The Guardian from the Qaddafi stronghold of Sirte, Libya, after he has been pinned down by gunfire for most of the morning. So far, very little forward progress has been made by the NTC opposition fighters. The NTC fighters are hammering the Qaddafi positions, but the lines have moved very little. Still, Beaumont assesses that it is only a matter of time before Qaddafi's forces fall.
He also reports that he witnessed a prisoner that was beaten.
1440 GMT: Good news on Libya's economic front - the Italian oil firm, Eni oil, has begun moving natural gas through the GreenStream pipeline which connects Italy to Libya, the first time the pipeline has been operational in 8 months:
Eni said on Thursday that it will run initial tests of 3 million cubic meters worth of gas a day during the preliminary phase.
The pipeline was shut down in February due to fighting in Libya. The gas is being produced by the Wafa field, around 500km southeast of Tripoli.
Eni said the field continued to produce gas during the conflict to make electricity for local consumption. The company called the restart of Greenstream "a milestone".
1434 GMT: Islamist extremists have launched a series of attacks on shrines across Libya, raising concerns of religious unrest, but also drawing the ire of the National Transitional Council that has sworn to not let extremists gain a foothold in the political system. According to Al Jazeera:
Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, head of the governing National Transitional Council, reacted with alarm to reports that graves were being desecrated and appealed to a top Muslim cleric, al-Sadek al-Gheriani, to issue a fatwa, or religious ruling, on the issue.
He also called for restraint. “I ask those destroying these mosques to stop doing that because this is not the time to do that,'' Abdel-Jalil said on Tuesday at a news conference. “What they did is not on the side of the revolution.”
1429 GMT: This video reportedly shows protesters in Hraak, Daraa, Syria, chanting " Leave, Bashar, Whether You Like It or Not There Will Be Freedom."
1344 GMT: Sometimes we link to a video because it may be evidence in a trial some day. We really recommend that you do not click this link. According to the video, this protester was shot in the head by a sniper in Homs, Syria, today. (EXTREMELY DISTURBING VIDEO)
It should be noted that, so far, though we have reported that 14 have been killed in Syria, none of those reports mention Homs. However, Homs and Deraa have been under communication blackout off and on, as heavy violence is reported there while an large-scale military operation is underway. Also, according to the Shaam News Network (the same organization that put out this video), "Electricity, water and telecommunications have been cut off in the Houran province."
1326 GMT: Oppressive regimes across the globe have been delighting in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests going on in America. Iran has said that it is evidence of the downfall of the West, and Syria has likewise been gloating. The US Embassy in Damascus, however, has been quick to respond, saying on the embassy Facebook Page that none of the protesters will be shot or tortured, and only those who break specific laws will be arrested:
Some Occupy Wall Street organizers have been arrested for disturbing public order [blocking traffic] but they won't be tortured, and no family will receive the body of a protester bearing torture marks," read the embassy post that highlighted eight points differentiating how the US government reacts to protests as compared to Syria.
"Occupy Wall Street groups... can say whatever they want about the US government without being arrested or shot," it said.
1320 GMT: The European Union has passed new sanctions on Syria, specifically against the Commercial Bank of Syria.
1314 GMT: Now Lebanon posts this video, reportedly showing a very large crowd of students protesting against the regime in Kafr Shams (map):
1303 GMT: James Miller takes the wheel.
14 people have been killed in Syria today, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Reuters reports:
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six soldiers and two army deserters were killed in fighting in the southern town of Haara, as well as one civilian.
In the northern province of Idlib, where Assad's forces have carried out raids to arrest activists, army deserters and gunmen, five civilians were killed after troops backed by armored vehicles rolled into the town of Binish firing machine guns, the group said.
1145 GMT: We have monitored the rumour that Mutassim Qaddafi, the son of the former Libyan leader, was captured in Sirte, but we did not post it because reports of the capture of the elder Qaddafi's children have been rife in recent weeks.
At least one major news outlet, The Guardian of London, made the capture its headline story today, but it has been walking the claim back all morning. Now it carries this statement from Guma el-Gamaty, the former London spokesman for the ruling National Transitional Council:
It could have been a hoax or someone on Gaddafi's side trying to release this fabricated story so that Mutassim can have some breathing time and some cover for him to escape from Sirte. We have to await clarification on this on going story. There is no proof, or confirmation, yet that he has been apprehended.
1115 GMT: Norwegian TV journalist Rasmus Tantholdt reported this morning via Twitter:
Just found 7 bodies close to Sirte city center. They were all handcuffed. Looked like they had been dead for some days. Next to them we found the remainings of 3 bodies burned with tires around them.A lot of happy shooting in Sirte while I'm writing this. Rebels celebrating. Few minutes ago we heard the sound of heavy bombs in Sirte. Sounds like NATO.
Tantholdt's TV2 has posted a video of the news.
0955 GMT: In a pointed message to Yemen's President Saleh, Qatar's Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received Tawakkul Karman, the Yemeni journalist and activist who is one of three recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
0945 GMT: The Bahraini regime has launched an attack on the country's largest opposition party: "Al Wefaq Islamic Society does not match the reality on the ground, but rather imposes their demands on the larger community attempting to outline the future of Bahrain based on its own narrow vision and personal perceptions....The way in which Al Wefaq Islamic Society chose to demand reform was not embraced by the majority of Bahrainis or the major political powers,"
The statement tried to counter the claim of illegitimacy of 14 Parliamentary by-elections, held this month, because of a low turnout of 17.4% in the first round, insisting that the real figure was 51%.
The statement added, "Freedom of expression has always been a right for the people of Bahrain but must be exercised in a peaceful manner within the laws of the constitution."
The regime intervention came after Al Wefaq and four other opposition groups issued the "Manama Document" with demands such as an elected government, a Parliament with more powers, changes to electoral boundaries, more freedom of expression, an independent judiciary, and an end to exclusion of Shia from the police and military. The Document also said the issues of media impartiality, naturalisation of citizenship, and discrimination "must be addressed urgently".
0845 GMT: Tens of thousands of protesters marched in the Yemeni capital Sana'a on Wednesday, chanting for the United Nations to come out with a firm resolution in support of reform.
The protest came as the UN Security Council was discussing Yemen's political crisis. Thousands of women carrying children participated in the marches of more than four hours.
0835 GMT: Five major opposition groups in Bahrain have put out the "Manama Document: Bahrain's Road to Freedom and Democracy": "The reality in Bahrain is no different from any non-democratic state. It is a copy of Tunisia’s Ben Ali, Egypt’s Mubarak, and Yemen’s Saleh. The lack of democracy is evidentin absence of popular will in formation of the government, denial of popular resolve in legislation, and a deficient judiciary."
0825 GMT: We begin this morning with an Amnesty International report, "Detention Abuses Staining the New Libya":
Armed militia opposing Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi have captured and detained about 2,500 people in the capital Tripoli and surrounding areas since the National Transitional Council (NTC) took control of these areas in late August 2011. Those detained include alGaddafi soldiers and alleged loyalists, commonly known as the “fifth column”. Among them are members of the Internal Security Agency, Revolutionary Committees and Revolutionary Guards -- bodies associated with the worst repression of Colonel al-Gaddafi’s 42-year-old rule --- as well as “volunteers”, including children (under 18 years), who responded to calls by Colonel al-Gaddafi to join his forces. Sub-Saharan Africans suspected of being mercenaries comprise between a third and a half of those detained in Tripoli, its suburbs of Janzur and Tajura, and al-Zawiya, a city about 100km west of Tripoli.
Detainees are being held in former prisons as well as in makeshift detention facilities such as schools, football clubs and apartments. These are not overseen by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, but are simply controlled by local councils, military councils and brigades (kataeb), or by the Free Libya Armed Forces (members of the regular armed forces who took sides against Colonel al-Gaddafi and civilians who took up arms).
Beatings and other ill-treatment are common, particularly upon capture and in the first days of detention. Impunity for such abuses remains entrenched. Libyan and foreign detainees have also complained of torture at the hands of their captors and guards. At least two guards in two different detention facilities admitted to Amnesty International that they beat detainees in order to extract “confessions” more quickly. In one detention centre, Amnesty International delegates found a wooden stick and rope, and a rubber hose, of the kind that could have been used to beat detainees, including on the soles of their feet, a torture method known as falaqa. In another, they heard the sound of whipping and screams.
Detainees are held without legal orders and, with rare exceptions, without any involvement of the General Prosecution, as the justice system remains paralysed. In at least two cases known to Amnesty International in al-Zawiya and Tripoli, officials responsible for detentions ignored release orders issued by the judicial police and prosecution.
In meetings at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, including with Acting Minister Mohamed al-Allagi on 10 September, NTC officials reiterated their commitment to reform the justice system and to ensure that prosecutions and trials would happen normally without further delays. NTC Chairman Mostafa Abdeljalil had given similar assurances in a meeting with Amnesty International delegates in May 2011. However, even in Benghazi, which came under NTC control in February, trials of individuals detained by NTC supporters had yet to start at the time of writing in mid-September. Investigations into alleged crimes and decisions to detain or release individuals continue to largely fall under the remit of various committees and individuals – some with little or no legal expertise or knowledge of human rights law and standards.
Detainees in Libya (Reuters)