Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "The Government Wants the People To Become More Violent"

The start of the police assault after Saturday's funeral procession for 16-year-old Ali Alsatrawi

See also Bahrain Video Diary, Part 2: The Freedom Torch Marches Across the Country
Egypt LiveBlog: The Newest Battle of Tahrir Square

Syria Feature: The Spectre of Civil War in Homs
Sunday's Egypt, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Democracy's Discontents

NOTE: We are running a separate liveblog that is focused on Egypt --- Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Newest Battle of Tahrir Square

---

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:

"The negotiations that have been under way for the past three days have led to an agreement by which the Gulf initiative and mechanisms for implementing it will be signed on Tuesday," Mohammed Bassandawa, who heads the National Council of revolutionary forces, told AFP. The plan submitted by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) calls on Saleh to hand power to his deputy, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, thus ending his 33-year rule in return for immunity from prosecution.

Saleh has so far refused to sign the agreement, despite violence which has seen hundreds of people killed and thousands wounded since an uprising against his regime erupted in January. Bassandawa refused to give more details on the negotiations which he said finally persuaded Saleh to sign the GCC deal which the wealthy neighbours of impoverished Yemen first proposed in April.

If this happens, it will begin a transitional process towards democratic elections, potentially ending the crisis there. However, we've heard similar promises before, and as Egypt is illustrating perfectly, the transitional government may not be much different than the current one.

2107 GMT: The Committee to Protect Journalists is reporting that Ferzat Jarban, a freelance journalist who was arrested on Saturday in al-Qasir, Homs, was killed, and both of his eyes were gouged out. His body was discovered today by activists in the city.

1946 GMT: In an official statement, the LCCS gives details about today's casualties:

The number of martyrs today, thus far, is 18. Among them were two women and a child. 14 of the martyrs were in Homs, 3 in the Hama suburbs, and 1 from Raqqa.

1938 GMT: An evening protests in Zabadani, Damascus, calling for the fall of the regime:

1931 GMT: Activists in Eastern Saudi Arabia are reporting that Saudi security forces have killed a 19 year old university student during a protest in Qatif. The area has a large Shia population (similar to Bahrain), and periodic protests have been taking place there since the start of Arab Spring. According to the description of the video:

Qatif: Saudi security forces fired live bullets on peaceful demonstrators in Qatif and hit one of the protesters on the evening of Monday, 11.21.2011... [We denounce] the killing [by] Saudi security forces of the martyr Nasser Mahiche (19 years) in cold blood while walking on foot on his way home from college.

1852 GMT: Scott Lucas shares this video, a large and vibrant protest today in Homs, despite the risk to the protesters:

1848 GMT: Approximately 52 minutes ago, Al Jazeera posted this video, complete with "live video" from Homs:

1826 GMT: According to the editor of Turkey's Zaman news, US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, will not be returning to Syria before the Thanksgiving holiday. It is unclear whether he will return after the American holiday, which is on Thursday.

1819 GMT: Back from a lunch break to find that the LCCS is reporting gunfire used against protesters in Deir Ez Zor, Homs, and the Damascus suburb of Douma. Now Lebanon, citing Al Jazeera Arabic, reports that 14 people have been killed across Syria today.

1646 GMT: We've seen a few videos like this one, people cueing up on foot to get gasoline for vehicles, stoves, and generators. This one reportedly shows the scene in Namar, Daraa, today, but gasoline shortages are reported country-wide:

1635 GMT: The LCCS has reports from two towns in Daraa province, Syria (MAP):

Daraa: Taseel: Heavy security deployment in the town along with announcement of a curfew

Daraa: Hara: Random shooting in town, concentrated in the vicinity of the police station and the gas station

1616 GMT: The Bahrain government has released a statement in advance of the release of a report on the uprising in March and February. The government of Bahrain appears to be making some concessions:

Regrettably, there have been instances of excessive force and mistreatment of detainees.

This was in violation of government policy. 20 prosecutions against the officers involved have been initiated. This is in no way the limit of the steps that will be taken.

However, the statement also circles the wagons, giving a narrative of a policy of restraint while only a relatively few bad actors were guilty of abuses:

Our police forces have generally shown admirable restraint when faced with great provocation. Every civilian casualty is a defeat for the government. The extremists know this, and have engaged in reckless provocation.

The police have suffered 846 injuries since the beginning of the events; 4 deaths; innumerable threats and insults– especially to their families.

The report also points out several key reforms, such as the increase of the penalties for torturing prisoners and the changes in the penal code that would be more lenient on prisoners. However, if the government response is any indication of their official response to the report, this is unlikely to satisfy many of the protesters in the streets. Our sources in the opposition are under the belief that these reforms are small concessions, and have ignored the larger trends of human rights abuses and political inequity.

1555 GMT: The LCCS is now reporting 7 casualties, including 6 in Homs. But there is also breaking news of an escalation in Hama. First, there is this report:

Army forces supported by tanks have been storming the town of Maarzaf in Hama amid a campaign of raids, arrests and heavy shooting.

Now, the LCCS has this report, a military campaign in Khatab:

Hama: Khitab: Heavy gunfire and a campaign of raids and random arrests alongside destruction and theft of private property when a storming operation is carried out for the third consecutive day

1541 GMT: According to the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, at least two people have been killed in Bayada, Homs, and 1 civilian has been killed in Hula, Homs.

This video shows a home burning today in the Bab Sbaa district of Homs, after the Syrian military has apparently shelled the city once again:

1536 GMT: Activist Edward Dark (a pseudonym, and a valuable source) tweets this:

"first video out of Kafr Takhareem after being assaulted, showing troops and security arresting people"

1510 GMT: Students have taken to the streets across Syria today. These students are marching in the Damascus suburb of Saqba, right outside city limits:

1455 GMT: Students, children who have been deeply affected by Syria's unrest, chant, "the people want the execution of the President," reportedly in Taybah, Daraa:

1444 GMT: Amnesty International has praised the efforts of the The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) to document possible rights abuses that occurred during February and March. However, Amnesty has cautioned that the Bahraini government must act on the report (which will be released on November 23) if it is serious about reforms:

“The publication of this report gives Bahrain’s authorities a key opportunity to demonstrate that they intend to deliver justice to victims of abuse and carry through on promises of reform,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Acting Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Allowing this independent inquiry into the Manama protests and their aftermath was a very welcome move, but the whole exercise will have been meaningless if the report’s recommendations are not translated into real action to redress abuses.”

However, while the scale of the protests has been smaller, the allegations of abuses continues to this day, making the probability of the Bahrain government acting on this report extremely slim.

1435 GMT: The LCCS reports that a man who was shot by the Syrian military has died after he was denied medical treatment in Homs:

Homs: Martyrdom of Ahmad Al-Ashmat who was shot, along with three others, by shabiha. He was taken to hospital and died in the hospital after he was denied a blood transfusion that was necessary to save his life. He is the father of martyr Hussain Al-Ashmat who martyred about 1 week ago

1425 GMT: The Syrian National Council has released a plan for a post-Assad Syria, one that would include and 18 month transitional period:

In a transition, the council said an interim government would organise an internationally supervised ballot within a year to elect a "founding assembly" that would draft a new constitution to be put to a referendum. A parliamentary election would be organised within six months.

The council would preserve the army, "which belongs to the people although it was violated by the repressive regime," it said. The programme did not mention the Syrian Free Army, a group of defectors which formed its own independent leadership council last week and has launched attacks on the military.

It's worth noting that it's hard to see the SNC as the undisputed leader of the opposition. There are several national councils, and several military organizations, that claim some degree of leadership over a movement that has been largely leaderless. It's unclear how much clout the SNC has, though it has been the largest and most successful group in voicing the concerns of the opposition internationally.

1417 GMT: The Syrian military has reportedly opened fire on a peaceful protest in the city of Idlib, according to sources. The LCCS provides details:

Idlib: Intensive shooting along with heavy security deployment loaded with heavy weapons in the area of Al-Mal'ab square

The LCCS is also reporting that a sniper has killed a man, Obaida Mohamad Bakour, in Hula, Homs.

1412 GMT: There are reports of large protests across Syria today. A reliable source posts this video, protesters in Binnesh, Idlib, chanting, "We don't bow down, except to God."

And this video is taken in the Bayada district of the embattled city of Homs:

1407 GMT: This video was not taken today, but is the clearest yet from Alma, Daraa, where defected Syrian soldiers claimed that they destroyed 5 tanks as they defected (on November 13):

The Syrian opposition is using this incident as the prime example of how a no-fly zone could help. The soldiers who ran these tanks were afraid to take them with them because of the Syrian airforce, and was forced to destroy them instead.

1359 GMT: Two Turkish buses, part of a convoy returning from a pilgrimage from Saudi Arabia, have come under attack while in Syria:

The "armed attack" occurred between the flashpoint cities of Hama and Homs, Turkey's semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Private NTV and CNN-Turk television stations, citing unconfirmed claims, said the attack was carried out by "Syrian soldiers" when the buses took a wrong turn near Homs.

"We confirm that an attack took place in Syria," a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told AFP, without giving any further information.

But he added: "We repeat our warning to citizens not to visit Syria."

1352 GMT: Many analysts will talk about the importance of protests (or lack thereof) in Damascus. In recent days, protests have been increasing in the capital of Syria, though for safety reasons they have kept largely to the outskirts or side streets of the city. This protest is small, but is reportedly taking place in the central Qadam district of Damascus (MAP):

1338 GMT: A new development from the Syrian Free Army, the organization made up of defected soldiers. Over the weekend we noted that a commander in the SFA reported that they were refraining from attacking soldiers, as many of them were Sunni and could eventually defect. However, there is a body of evidence that this is not true. We also reported that the SFA claimed responsibility for the Baath Party Headquarters in Damascus. Now The Guardian makes this update:

In a video on the FSA's Facebook page, commander Riad al-Asaad accused the regime of trying to tarnish the image of the uprising, AP reports. It quotes him as saying:

"We did not target the party building in Damascus and we will not target any civilian installation."

So, this begs several questions. Are there other groups conducting these attacks? If so, does the SFA have any control over these groups? If the SFA does have control, are the visible mouthpieces of the armed wing of the opposition denying these attacks for political reasons?

James Miller takes the liveblog.

1035 GMT: Activists say at least four people were killed and 15 wounded on Monday by Syrian security forces in raids in and around Homs.

The military also raided the towns of Karnaz, Latalmleh, and Kafar Nabude in Hama Province and sent troops into northern Idlib province in northwest Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Heavy machinegun fire was heard in the village of Ehseen and telephone lines were cut.

The Local Coordination Committees said that as many as five people, including a Saudi national, were killed in Homs after 20 armored vehicles entered the neighborhood of Al-Bayada.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has condemned the stance of the US and other countries on Syria as "similar to a political provocation at an international level". Lavrov complained that while the Arab League had called for a halt to violence in Syria, Western capitals had told the opposition to avoid dialogue with President Assad.

1030 GMT: Officials say an Aden Oil refinery in Yemen has stopped operations due to lack of raw materials. The last day of production was Thursday, following an attack --- the fifth in less than three months --- on one of the country's main pipelines.

Management had already dropped its production from 150,000 barrels per day to 40,000 per day.

Humanitarian agencies and officials have warned that Yemen faces a serious shortage of fuel amidst its political crisis.

0810 GMT: A United Nations Security Council meeting on Yemen, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed to 28 November, according to UN envoy Jamal Benomar.

Benomar said the delay came at the request of all sides in the political crisis, but a leading opposition figure accused President Saleh of stalling: "The postponement has been made at the request of the regime that seeks to gain time in an attempt to mislead the mediators."

0730 GMT: Women lead Sunday's pro-reform demonstrations in the Moroccan capital Rabat:

0725 GMT: We begin the morning with this assessment from an EA correspondent, after a tense and potentially significant 72 hours in Bahrain:

Over the last three days, clashes have increased sharply in Bahrain villages --- the death of Ali Alsatrawi [killed by a police jeep on Thursday night] has fuelled people's anger. I have witnessed entire families, including children, participating in marches. Villages that had never protested are now involved, with confrontations with security forces since Saturday. There are even some villages who have organised protests but no police presence, because the officers are busy with demonstrations elsewhere.

People are frustrated. Protesters are still mainly peaceful, with some throwing a few stones in front of all the armour and weapons they face. However, people this angry might start using more aggressive methods to protect themselves against the continues attacks by the police.

I think the Government want the people to become more violent, especially as the BICI [Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry] report is to be released soon and many foreign reporters are visiting. This would be a good chance for them to show that the protests are all violent, and it is the police whose lives are at risk and not those of the people.