Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Punishment and Protests

Protest in Anadan in Aleppo Province tonight, chanting about Syrian President Assad, "Bashar is a traitor"

See also Syria Video Special: The Friday Protests
Yemen Interview: President Saleh "I Will Retire When There Are Elections"
Syria Special: #MediaFail --- It's Not Yet a Civil War
Bahrain 1st-Hand: "48 Hours in Sanabis"
Thursday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Showdown Looms?

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2010 GMT: An EA source in Bahrain reports blocked roads in many villages, some blocked by protesters to prevent police getting in, others blocked by police to prevent protesters getting out. The source continues, "There are clashes between protesters and police in many of the villages. On my round now I passed on at least seven protests/clashes."

2000 GMT: A lower-than-expected turnout --- at least for protest organisers --- in Tahrir Square in Cairo today.

Thousands came out for the rally, with most stages set up by leftist and revolutionary youth movements, chanting against the ruling Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and its head, Field-Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi: "Tell the truth! Will you nominate yourself for the Presidency?" demonstrators shouted in reference to SCAF chief Field-Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Many protesters wore shirts with stickers reading “No to SCAF” and carried signs bearing anti-SCAF slogans. One banner depicted a turtle, reflecting popular frustration with the slow pace of change during the post-Mubarak transitional period.

One bright spot amidst the disappoointment: Hollywood actor and political activist Sean Penn, waving an Egyptian flag, put in an appearance.

1930 GMT: An update from an EA source in Bahrain tonight:

Protests in all Sitra villages. I just went out to join some protesters in Alqarya village. No police yet, we are chanting Allah Akbar, we want the fall of the regime....

The road is dark. We are chanting, "Down with [King] Hamad." Police getting closer....

I can see riot police in the beginning of the street. No shooting yet....

They started shooting now. I'll have to retreat....Will try to move around other villages.

1759 GMT: An interesting and unique video, reportedly taken somewhere near Homs today, with soldiers shooting at an unseen target. There is clearly other gunfire in the area, though it is hard to say whether it is other pro-Assad soldiers or an opponent. What is distinctive, however, is that these soldiers are taking cover, being very careful not to expose their heads. They are providing what is often called cover fire, in the general direction of an enemy in order to suppress its attack.

So who is that enemy? We do have more reports of fighting between deserted soldiers and the Syrian military in the area of al Rastan, Homs.

1626 GMT: Activists in Bahrain are reporting that tens of thousands of protesters have rallied in Bahrain. We have seen pictures and videos from the major rally, organised by five major opposition parties and movements, and and we have also received photographs of several thousand people in the streets.

1600 GMT: There are reports that the gunfire and violence in Syria has lasted well into the night. The LCCS reports:

Qamishli: 6 were wounded due to shooting at a night demonstration

1555 GMT: This video was reportedly taken earlier today in Kafar Zeta, Hama, Syria. The firing appears to be coming from the road to the left if the video, and moments later several bodies emerge.

The audio track is amazing. One thing to note - the gunfire is constant, and uniform, indicating that it is coming from a single direction:

1525 GMT: A heavily-armed security presence in Harasta, Damascus:

1519 GMT: Syrian opposition members are claiming at 11 people have been killed today, according to Al Jazeera Arabic:

Huge gatherings of protesters took to the streets after Friday prayer, chanting support slogans to Yemen and al-Sham, in Deraa, Der al-Zour along with a number of Damascus neighbourhoods, Idlib and Homs.

The protesters raised slogans calling for a no-fly zone on Syrian airspace and chanted support to Rastan, and other besieged Syrian towns, calling for the downfall of the regime.

However, the sometimes sensational Al-Arabiya TV is reporting that 27 people have been killed in Syria.

1513 GMT: Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports on the latest from Cairo, where large protests have again occurred:

1510 GMT: Another picture, attempting to show the scale of the AlWefaq rally in Bahrain today:

1457 GMT: This picture was forwarded to us by a second source, showing the Al Wefaq rally in Bahrain:

Also, this is the first video of the protest that we have seen uploaded on Youtube.

1415 GMT: An EA source sends a first-hand report from a Bahrain rally:

First speech by Fathel Abbas, opposition leader of National Democratic Society [Waad] demanding the fall of the government since it can't fulfill the people needs, especially over the violence.

He also mentioned the cleaning that the people in Sanabis are doing on their own since the government had stopped cleaning the village. [Editor: including after the clashes with security forces in the village] It's like they started to establish a replacement for the current government.

And it's only the start: the more the government stop fulfilling its duties for the people, people will find replacements to manage their community.

1411 GMT: Gunfire rocks Douma, Syria, as Syrian security forces reportedly open fire on protesters:

1408 GMT: This video reportedly shows protesters fleeing gunfire in Zabadani, Damascus, Syria. Some distant gunfire can be heard:

1332 GMT: Six+ months after the start of protests in Yemen, and we still can't get over the scale of Friday protests. This video was reportedly taken today in Taiz:

And this video is reportedly Ibb. Notice the perfect square of black, consisting of women protesters. Unlike elsewhere in Arab Spring, in Yemen the protests are almost always segregated:

And perhaps the most interesting video of the three. This was reportedly taken today in Sana'a, after Friday prayers. The man with the microphone leads the enthusiastic (and massive) crowd in chants, against President Saleh AND against Syria's president Bashar al Assad:

1315 GMT: Last night, one of the last entries James made is that Al Jazeera, sighting multiple sources within Libya's National Transitional Council, was reporting the capture of Qaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim (or, as we know him, Tripoli Timmy). However, 15+ hours have passed since that report, and we still have no independent confirmation. Sky News reports:

Ibrahim had been driving outside Sirte when he was arrested by fighters from Misrata, according to Mustafa bin Dardef a field commander of the National Transitional Council (NTC).

There were also reports that the fugitive was dressed as a woman but this could not be confirmed. The reports of the arrest could not be independently verified and were greeted with skepticism after previous claims by the NTC that it had captured Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.

1312 GMT: James Miller takes the blog.

Video has surfaced, reportedly showing a mosque in Daraa province, Syria, under attack. Some explosions or loud bangs can be heard over the chanting, and the room is filling with smoke or tear gas. At the end of the video, the worshippers appears to leave the building. The second video reportedly shows security outside. Al Jazeera describes them:

Activists claimed worshipers were in Moussa Bani Nusair mosque in Daraa province as it came under attack.

The first video shows people running around screaming and chanting “may God burn your soul Hafez [President Assad’s father]” in the mosque as security forces attacked it from outside, according to activists who posted the video.

The second video shows the mosque surrounded by security forces from outside [no sound available].

1125 GMT:Activists of the Local Coordination Committees are claiming at least three protesters have been killed and 30 injured in the Al-Hamidia neighborhood of Hama today.

We have now posted a separate feature of videos from today's protests --- meanwhile, the security presence in the streets of Harasta, northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus, this morning:

An image of the protest in al-Harak near Daraa in the south:

1045 GMT: The activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has supported the claim of State media (see 0510 GMT) that 32 Syrian troops were hurt last night in clashes with defecting soldiers near Rastan and Talbiseh in Homs Province.

Syrian State media have claimed seven regime troops were killed.

1005 GMT: Nada Dhaif, one of the 20 doctors sentenced by a Bahraini military court on Thursday, has spoken to the BBC about her experience, "I was tortured, threatened with rape, and forced to confess on TV":

1000 GMT: I suspect that many in the mainstream media will be setting aside developments in the region today in favour of chasing this story:

In a significant and dramatic strike in the campaign against Al Qaeda, the American-born preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, a leading figure in the group’s outpost in Yemen, was killed on Friday morning, according to the Defense Ministry here.

It was not clear whether Yemeni forces carried out the attack nor was it known if American intelligence forces, which have been pursuing Mr. Awlaki for months, were involved in the operation. There was no immediate comment from American officials.

Journalist Iona Craig captures my current impression, "Awlaki's death: So irrelevant to Yemenis but hugely important to West and Washington."

0945 GMT: Activists claim Syrian security forces have killed a civilian in Homs, following the slaying of six people on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilian was killed on Friday in the Al-Khalidiya neighbourhood. The group asserted security forces also opened fire during search operations on Thursday evening, killing four people, one of them a young girl. Two more civilians, one of them a child, were killed in Rastan, the flashpoint town north of Homs, amidst a widespread operation by troops backed by armour.

Meanwhile, State news agency SANA is reporting the claim, from "an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs", that recent statements by American officials "clearly indicate that the US is involved in encouraging the armed groups to carry out acts of violence against the Syrian Army".

0935 GMT:Footage of a demonstration in Abu-Guwah in Bahrain last night:

Claimed video of police suppressing protests in Wadian village in Sitra:

And security forces moving through Karzakan on Thursday:

0835 GMT: More than a dozen American and international human rights and arms control groups are urging the US Congress to block a proposed $53 million arms sale to Bahrain until the regime ends its crackdown against the opposition and adopts serious reforms.

In a letter sent to lawmakers Wednesday, the groups, which include Human Rights First (HRF), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Open Society Policy Centre, said Washington risked losing credibility, particularly in the Arab world, as a force for freedom if it proceeds with the sale.

The letter's release coincided with Thursday's sentencing by a Bahraini military court of 20 doctors to prison terms of 5 to 15 years.

A State Department spokesman said:

We're deeply disturbed by the severity of the sentences handed down today. We've raised our concerns at the highest levels of the Bahraini government regarding Bahrain's use of military courts to try civilians, and we continue to urge it to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings and due process conducted in full accordance with Bahraini law and its international legal obligations. We call on the government of Bahrain to create a climate conducive to national reconciliation, meaningful dialogue, and reform that … brings peaceful change that is responsive to the aspirations of all Bahrainis.

As for the arms sale, the spokesman said, "We have closely monitored the internal security situation in Bahrain since the civil unrest that occurred earlier this year, and we continually examine all relevant information to fulfil our obligations under the Leahy law," which forbids the transfer of any military aid or equipment to military or security units that are credibly reported to have committed human rights abuses.

0825 GMT: The opposition in Bahrain has called for a series of five large protests today --- a photograph of the preparation:

0750 GMT: More footage of mass protests in Homs in Syria last night, in the Khalidiya and Qosour sections:

0740 GMT: Diplomats and officials are claimed that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his help to Syrian President Assad over the protests against his regime, if Assad allowed Muslim Brotherhood to take up at least one-fourth of the posts in his Cabinet.

A Western diplomat said, "The head of the Syrian state refused such a proposal" Another European diplomat confirmed the story: "The Turks proposed at first that the Muslim Brotherhood occupy four major ministries and explained that they are part of the political components of this country."

A Syrian official said that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu renewed the offer in talks in Damascus in August: "President Assad told him that as individuals they could certainly come back and enjoy Syrian nationality, but never as a party, because they have a religious foundation which is incompatible with Syria's secular character."

0730 GMT: Brian Whitaker gets to the point:

Good news from Bahrain where the American public relations firm Qorvis was recently hired at $40,000 a month to polish up the kingdom's image.

An announcement via PRNewswire reveals that Bahrain is to fund "a state-of-the-art specialist hospital in Somalia, as well as a nursing school to train medical personnel". It adds: "His Majesty King Hamad of Bahrain has prioritised aid to Somalia in hopes of meeting the famine-stricken country's growing medical needs."

Meanwhile in Bahrain itself (and not reported on PRNewswire), twenty doctors, nurses and paramedics who treated activists wounded during anti-government protests have been sentenced to jail terms of between five and 15 years by a military court.

0620 GMT: Hacktivists have claimed that they have taken down the website of the Central Bank, which is currently off-line.

Earlier this week, hacktivists took over 12 websites of the Syrian central and local governments, posting anti-regime messages and advice to protesters on cyber-security. Pro-regime hacktivists briefly took over the homepage of Harvard University in the US.

0610 GMT: More than 60 political parties and movements in Egypt have threatened to boycott Parliamentary elections, protesting amendments to the elections law by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

On Wednesday night, the Democratic Coalition, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party and Wafd Party, issued the threat in objection to Article 5 of the law, which bans political parties from fielding candidates for 1/3 of the seats in the national assembly.

Under the article, 2/3 of Parliament will be elected via a party-list system of proportional representation, while the rest will be elected by a simple majority. Only independent candidates will be eligible to run for the latter seats.

Critics of the individual candidacy system say that the system is tailor-made to allow figures associated with the former Mubarak regime back into Parliament.

“We’re also opposed to decisions made without consulting all political factions,” said Freedom and Justice Party Secretary-General Saad El-Katatni. “We also insist that the political isolation law promised by SCAF, aimed at banning former regime members from politics for a specific time period, be endorsed.”

The Democratic Coalition is also demanding the activation of a decades-old treason law --- aimed at preventing former regime elements from re-entering Parliament --- and the annulment of Egypt’s Emergency Law, in place for more than 30 years, before elections are held.

The Democratic Bloc is largely made up by liberal and socialist parties, including the Free Egyptians Party, the Democratic Front Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Egyptian Socialist Party, the Egyptian Communist Party, the National Association for Change, and the Farmers' Syndicate.

In its statement, the bloc stressed its desire to ensure that upcoming elections fulfil their constitutional, legislative and regulatory purposes so as to avoid chaos and thuggery, particularly in light of the current lack of security.

The military rulers announced on Tuesday that the first stage of parliamentary polling would be conducted on 28 November.

0510 GMT: And, of course, the pattern of punishment --- by gunfire from security forces, as well as detentions --- continues in Syria. Activists claim at least 49 people have been killed since Wednesday, 27 of them in the flashpoint town of Rastan in Homs Province and 12 in the city of Homs.

State media is denying that the military is fighting defectors inside Rastan, using warplanes. Instead, the regime's forces were confronting "armed terrorist groups" who had killed residents of the town. The outlets claimed seven troops and members of the security forces had been killed and 32 wounded.

In the Inshaat district of Homs last night, demonstrators chant, "Syria wants freedom":

0500 GMT: Fatima Haji, one of the 20 doctors sentenced yesterday in Bahrain, records a video message for her son expressing her innocence. Haji was given a five-year term in prison:

0445 GMT: Bahrain broke through on the radar of international media yesterday when a military court sentenced 20 doctors --- without any public display of evidence --- to 5 to 15 years in prison for alleged activities against the regime. Another man was condemned to death for the alleged killing of a policeman. The verdicts followed Wednesday's confirmation of sentences on 21 activists, seven of them in absentia, ranging from 2 years to life terms imposed on eight of the detainees.

What went unnoticed, however, were the protests. A mass rally of women, organised by the opposition party Al Wefaq, demanded the release of female detainees and an end to the targeting of women in demonstrations by security forces.

And last night, we had reports of protests --- or "small patches of rioters", as a regime supporter tried to wish them away --- in no less than 25 villages across the country:

Sanabis, Al Eker, Karbabad, Nabih-Saleh, Al Dair, Barbar, Bani-Jamra, North Sehla, South Sehla, Jabalat-Habashi, Saddad, Bori, A'ali, Salmabad, Nuwaidrat, Alma'ameer, Aljuffair, Tubli, Almugsha, Al Qarya, Alkharjia, Wadyan, Mehaza, Sufalah, Markkuban