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Apr262012

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Is Hunger Striker Alkhawaja Still Alive?


             

 DateThursday, April 26, 2012 at 21:05 | AuthorScott Lucas in ,

See also Bahrain Follow-Up: The Regime's PR Mission and Formula 1 Journalist Joe Saward
Turkey Live Coverage (26 April): From the Kurdish Language to Iranian Banks
Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Shelling of a Damascus Suburb

2028 GMT: The Local Coordination Committees in Syria claims 33 people have died across the country today, including 13 martyrs in Deir Ez Zor, 7in Aleppo Province, and 7 in Homs Province.

In addition, two bodies of people slain on Wednesday were reportedly thrown on a public road in Aleppo Province.

Protesters in Inshaat in Homs Province chant to Syria's President Assad: "Get lost!"

2011 GMT: Bahrain's Prime Minister Khalifa ibn Sulman al-Khalifa visits a hospitalised woman who was injured with her child in a gas cylinder explosion this week. Regime supporters have tried to blame the opposition for the incident.

1939 GMT: Turning to Bahrain, police have again clashed with protesters, shooting tear gas and dispersing crowds. According to activists, a funeral procession in Bilad Qadeem was disrupted when it arrived in the cemetery --- in this video, a protester appears to be shot directly with a tear gas canister and is carried away by other mourners:

1933 GMT: An activist sends us this map of the claimed protests around the Presidential Palace in Damascus (see last update):

1912 GMT: This video reportedly shows protesters chanting anti-regime slogans and creating a roadblock in the streets of Damascus. The punch line? This is the Mohajrin neighborhood, and activists claim this occurred only about 100 meters from the Presidential Palace:

This video was shared by one of our readers on our social media forum. It matches reports made by the Shaam News Network and the Syria Glory Network, two opposition social media organizations.

1844 GMT: This video was reportedly taken in the Ghouta region, the suburbs just east of Damascus (we believe near Irbeen). It corresponds to reports of heavy fighting on the outskirts of the suburb, where heavy gunfire and explosions have been reported by many on Twitter.

1816 GMT: Back from a working break to find that the opposition in Syria is making a significant claim - the Local Coordinating Committees are claiming that regime forces opened fire on a crowd in Daraa while international observers from the United Nations were present:

Sound of a strong explosion was heard in Daraa al-Balad resulted in the escape of the International Observers Team which was there amid heavy and random gunfire opened at thousands of demonstrators and reports of many injuries.

1539 GMT: The main enemy of breaking news could be the hoax - the rush to get information and to report citizen journalism is a constant struggle for journalists. On one hand, citizen journalists and eyewitness reports often provide the most important clues, especially when a story is complex or away from the public eye. On the other, most hoaxes are the product of eyewitness reports or faked evidence. The struggle is intensified in a place like Syria, where the independent media is cut out, and there are many parties with incentive to fabricate news to either justify their version of events or to discredit the other side.

Yesterday, a video was circulating reportedly showing Syrian soldiers burying a man while he was still alive in Qusair, Homs. The video was allegedly leaked by soldiers.

Storify investigated the video and now believes that the video was faked. In detail, they describe the steps they took to investigate the video, and the reasons why they do not believe that the video is real.

So who posted the original video? Well, Storify consulted experts who suggest that all the men in the video have Alawite accents. In all likelihood, all of the men in the video, including the man being buried, are either soldiers or regime loyalists.

1509 GMT: What happened yesterday in Hama? A large explosion killed dozens, but who. or what, was responsible? The opposition claims it was a rocket attack, but the Assad government is claiming that the attack was a terrorist bombing. The Guardian reports:

A statement from the opposition Hama news agency claimed witnesses from the nearby village of Barraq reported hearing rocket launchers before the blast.

It also pointed to video footage of the aftermath of the blast showing a crater as residents picked through the rubble. "The hole in the picture cannot happen because of a bomb explosion, but a rocket or a missile can," it said.

It added: "A bomb no matter how big cannot make the destruction that a rocket can make."

But the BBC's Jim Muir said level of devastation would have been difficult to achieve by conventional shelling.

He pointed out that there has been no word on the blasts from the two UN monitors who are now based in Hama.

1455 GMT: Turning back to Syria...

Earlier (1356 GMT) we reported two conflicting stories about 3 or 4 people killed in Syria, one told by the regime and the other told by the opposition. Now the CFDPC posts video of the bodies lying in the streets:

We're still not sure why SANA is reporting that 4 were killed and the opposition reported that 3 were killed.

1427 GMT: Bahraini opposition leader Said Yousif Almuhafda shares another picture from the streets of Bahrain:

1419 GMT: More protests on the streets of Bahrain - Many activists wait for new information about the fate of political prisoner Abdulhadi AlKhawaja, on his 78th day of hunger strike, after the government has cut off access to him. However, protesters gathered once again to commemorate the life and death of a man who was reportedly killed by police last weekend:

1412 GMT: More problems in Hama - according to activists, these protesters were gathering to protest when gunfire broke out:

1356 GMT: A major Syrian opposition network has posted a report (and a video of bodies lying in the street, which is currently unavailable) of three men people whom they claim were killed by the regime after they were accused of "harboring militants" in Irbeen, a suburb of Damascus.

What's interesting about the report? Just moments ago, Syrian state news (SANA) just posted a similar report, that 4 men (the names are similar, so these are likely the same group) were killed by "terrorists" in Irbeen. The report included alleged pictures of the dead men, apparently in the morgue.

Whose story is the real one? Right now, it's hard to say. The video the opposition posted was private, so only a preview was viewable (this may change). If the video can be verified, and matched to the identity of them men, then the opposition's claims could be analysed more closely.

1335 GMT: In the last few minutes, sources close to EA have reported that the situation in Douma has escalated dramatically. Snipers have reportedly shot people in the streets, tanks have opened fire, and shells have fallen in several areas. Below, we post several reports and videos:

This video reportedly shows a cemetery where a shell apparently fell:

Douma is one of the largest, and arguably the most important, suburb of Damascus - somewhat analogous to a suburb like Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC.

1325 GMT: Despite the violence, we're already seeing large protests today in several areas of Syria. This video was reportedly taken today in Set Zainab, south of Damascus:

More protests in Damascus, this time in the Barzeh district:

Kafer Zeita, north of Hama:

1313 GMT: James Miller takes over today's live coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas for getting us through to the afternoon. Let's start with email...

According to the latest correspondence from the LCCS, 13 are dead already in Syria, "5 in Deir Ezzor, 3 in Homs, 4 in Aleppo, and 1 in Zamalaka (Damascus Suburbs)."

Don't be fooled by the low number - yesterday over 100 died, and most of those reports did not come in until later afternoon. Also,4 regions are already reporting casualties, suggesting that the violence today is yet again not isolated to a single area.

However, there are already signs that the suburbs east of Damascus, the Ghouta region (map of the region), may already see more bloodshed. A large explosion and sporadic gunfire is reported somewhere east of the capital, military aircraft have been seen over Zamalka (the aircraft often help coordinate tank and artillery fire), and the LCCS posts this report about Douma:

Ten tanks entered the city from the side of Qabban Badran while the process of storming the city is going on.

1242 GMT: The Bahrain News Agency has posted three articles on a series of meetings yesterday between the US Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, with King Hamad, Crown Prince Salman, and the Minister of Defence.

No details are given beyond the rhetoric that the King "hailed strong and historic ties with the US as well as growing bilateral co-operation in the naval and defence fields" and that Mabus "stressed the importance of further enhancing relations".

1239 GMT: Footage of Syrian troops and military vehicles in the Damascus suburb of Douma:

1213 GMT: 1213 GMT: Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor of the Egyptian newspaper Al Akhbar denounces the Syrian regime's detention of a prominent writer:

None of us can expect a clear and prompt answer from whoever made the decision and carried out the arrest of Salam Kayla, as to why such a stupid and reprehensible step was taken. Perhaps it would be better not to bother awaiting a reply, because whatever it is would be beyond the comprehension of a rational mind.

Whoever took that step is demonstrating considerable arrogance as well as stupidity. They want us to take aim at them, whereas in reality we never awaited a signal from them before taking aim at Syria’s real enemies, nor do we await their reward or gratitude.

The editorial has reportedly led to the ban of Al-Akhbar's print edition in Syria.

1205 GMT: A message from the lawyer for detained Bahraini hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, echoing Alkhawaja's wife that access to the human rights activist is being denied:

1127 GMT: In Egypt, the Elections Commission has reversed the disqualification of Ahmed Shafiq, the last Prime Minister in the Mubarak regime.

"The Presidential Elections Commission headed by Farouk Sultan accepts the appeal of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, allowing him to contest the presidential race," MENA reported.

Shafiq had been disqualified on Tuesday after the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Force approved a new law, denying political rights to anyone who served as President, Vice President, or Prime Minister in the decade before Mubarak's fall in February 2011.

The electoral commission gave no reasons for accepting Shafiq's appeal.

1117 GMT: Hugh Muir of The Guardian brings news of Britain's contribution to the crackdown on dissent in Bahrain:

On Wednesday, more bloodshed; a bomb wounded four police officers. More than 60 people are said to have been killed since pro-democracy protests took off last year. A lot for the armed forces to contend with then, but --– thanks to us they go into battle well-equipped. Early last year, when the Bahraini government first put down the demonstrations using live ammunition and troops from Saudi Arabia, our government, responding to international outrage, did the right thing and revoked many licences for arms exports. Licences for parts for sniper rifles, assault rifles, machine guns, night sights, day sights and body armour were all withdrawn. By April the Foreign Office issued new licences for body armour, small arms ammunition, training hand grenades and other military essentials. Indeed, the value of arms exports to Bahrain almost doubled in the second quarter of last year. Sales worth £8,656,817 in the first three quarters. So the Bahrainis are trying to sort it all out. We're just trying to help.

But it has to be said that our officials don't make it easy to track this stuff. Since 1998, the Foreign Office has published quarterly reports of "strategic export controls", showing British arms sales licensed by country. But when we checked last Friday, there were no quarterly reports via the FCO for 2011. The last entry was made last July for 2010. Thought you were transparent, we said. Er, don't know how that's happened, said a spokesman. Lo and behold, the reports went up on Wednesday.

1108 GMT: A series of developments in Syria....

The Arab League has called an emergency meeting in Cairo, as the opposition Syrian National Council demanded that the United Nations Security Council convene after reports of the deaths of hundreds of people despite the putative "cease-fire" under the peace plan of UN envoy Kofi Annan and the initial entry of UN observers into the country.

"The international community, represented by the United Nations and its Security Council, bears responsibility for what is happening now on the ground," the SNC said in a written statement. "We call for an emergency session to issue a resolution to protect Syrian civilians."

Meanwhile, the Assad regime accused insurgents and foreign fighters of causing an explosion that killed 16 people on Wednesday in a building in Hama. It claimed that a "terrorist group" was constructing a bomb that detonated.Activists say at least 70 people died in the building when it was hit by a rocket fired by the Syrian military (see 0553 GMT).

0913 GMT: Formula 1 journalist Joe Saward has responded to our Wednesday feature of three Bahraini regime supporters persuading Saward and two foreign journalists that they were the "silent majority". We follow up, "Bahrain Follow-Up: The Regime's PR Mission and Formula 1 Journalist Joe Saward".

Meanwhile, Kevin Eason, who covered the Bahrain Grand Prix for The Times of London and wrote about the tension and conflict that he witnessed, offers these pointed remarks:

A note on our earlier feature on media coverage of Bahrain, "Bahrain Special: Regime PR Fails at Home But Succeeds in New York Times". Sarah Hildt has written a letter to the Times about its implication that detained activist Zainab Alkhawaja suppported violence:

Just three days before Ms. Mekhennet’s article ran, Zainab Alkhawaja served as her father’s spokesperson to the world, conveying what they both felt may be his dying message to followers: “If I die... I ask the people to continue on path of peaceful resistance. I don't want anybody to be hurt in my name.”

Given all this, it seems highly unlikely that Ms. Alkhawaja would afterward, within hours, turn around and begin endorsing violence.

The Times did not publish the letter.

0810 GMT: Khadija Almousawi, the wife of detained Bahraini hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, has sent a further note:

0713 GMT: Khadija Almousawi, the wife of detained Bahraini hunger striker Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, sent a series of messages an hour ago:

0648 GMT: Analyst Josh Landis has posted this note:

The Candidates for Parliamentary Elections in Syria have been published – They reveal that Bashar al-Assad’s supposed reforms are the ruse that most thought they would be. The candidates from Latakia are sprinkled liberally with the names of well known crooks and Baathists of the region as well as their sons. There does not seem to be any potential reform going on in Latakia.

0636 GMT: The Obama Administration has again put out the message, this time through The New York Times, that they will increase drone strikes in Yemen:

The policy shift, approved this month, allows the C.I.A. and the military’s Joint Special Operations Command to strike militants in Yemen who may be plotting attacks against the United States, but whose identities might not be completely known, an authority that already exists in Pakistan, the official said.

Last week, in an item posted on EA, the Administration used The Washington Post to say that it was seeking the expanded authority for the CIA.

Meanwhile, a case in the British High Court is documenting how a CIA drone strike in Pakistan last year killed civilians.

Fifty-three people died in the attack on Datta Khel on 17 March 2011. The Associated Press says it has the names of 42 non-combatants who were slain.

0553 GMT: According to Al Jazera, Syrian activists claim that 84 people died in Hama on Wednesday security forces fired a rocket at a building in the Mashaa Attayar area.

Al Jazeera's sources said 13 children and 16 women were among the dead, with 70 people wounded.

Activist Abu Ghazi told Al Jazeera, "People are dying because we don't have the necessary medical equipment or expertise to save those injured. And the death toll is rising by the hour." He continued:

Many of the houses host refugees from Homs," he said. "I believe this area was targeted because of the daily rallies that took place here....As for the UN montitors, we don't really count on them, they are laughable.

The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria posts a lower death toll --- it claims that, of 100 deaths across Syria on Wednesday, 70 were slain in Hama.

0515 GMT: We open with a straightforward question --- is detained Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, on Day 78 of his hunger strike, still alive?

Wednesday was distinguished by confusion and concern that never abated, beginning with the refusal of Bahraini authorities to allow access by Alkhawaja's lawyer or the Danish ambassador, who has been trying to persuade the hunger striker to take fluids and a saline IV drip to avoid death. Alkhawaja's wife sent a message by Twitter:

I am waiting since 8.30 and no call. BDF [Bahrain Defense Forces], MIO [Ministry of Interior] where is my husband? I am ready for any news. Please tell me. Don't keep me in the dark.

The family reported that, when they phoned the military hospital, they were told that Alkhawaja was not in his room.

Hours later, the Ministry of Interior put out the anodyne statement, "Abdulhadi Al Khawaja is in good health despite rumors. He is in hospital receiving full medical care." However, there was no further assurance with face-to-face or telephone contact with the activist.

Last night, police sparked further rumours when they set up checkpoints across the island. Were they preparing for the angry reaction when news of Alkhawaja's death emerged? The US State Department was obviously concerned, as it renewed a travel alert and issued a sharp statement which --- in addition to condemning violence on both sides and calling for the release of political prisoners --- declared,"Specifically, we urge the government to consider urgently all available options to resolve the case of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja."

This morning, we have no further news.


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