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Tuesday
Jun052012

Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: From Houla to Douma


             

 DateTuesday, June 5, 2012 at 11:00 | AuthorJames Miller in ,

Tanks open fire in the Damascus suburb of Douma

See also Syria 1st-Hand: 4 Days in Idlib Province with the Insurgents
Bahrain Video Feature: The Case for Real Reform
Monday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: President Assad's "Real War"

2039 GMT: Syria. In Damascus, there are protests reported in multiple areas, but heavy gunfire reported in far more areas. The reports, from so many sources, are pouring in at this late hour - it will be a long night for Syria's capital.

2032 GMT: Syria. Meanwhile, protests continue, in the heart of Aleppo, and the heart of Damascus:

2026 GMT: Syria. Shocking rumors at this hour. There are reports that artillery in the Al Assad Military Academy, and possibly the artillery at the military base in the Ramouseh area of Aleppo (map) is shelling the areas north of Aleppo, the Anadan, Bayanoun, and Anadan suburbs (map). Activist Zilal translates an urgent message posted on an opposition Facebook page run by activists in Aleppo:

"The last post says artilery shelling on Hayan, Bayanoun, some shells fell next to Anadan and Kobtan al-Jabal."

Another Facebook page carries a similar report.

There were a great amount of rumors, as eyewitnesses could see the artillery fire but could not see the shells land. This video claims to show the distant flashes of the artillery guns, taken from the Salahedine district:

The sounds of explosions rock the city, likely from the artillery itself:

The shelling started at a time where there were large protests at Aleppo University and in the Salahadine district.

These shells would have been travelling directly over the University, a clear message to the entire city, particularly the students, that the regime will no longer tolerate large protests.

1745 GMT:Egypt. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was found guilty of the charges associated with the death of protesters, but he, his sons, and several of his other officials were found not guilty of corruption charges. This has consequences for the entire Egyptian economy, as the many millions of dollars in assets that have been frozen will now be released:

“In addition, the countries in whose banks the money is deposited can file money laundering charges against the Mubarak family and will then confiscate the money.”

Hossam Eissa, professor of international law and member of the Legal Committee for the Retrieval of Egyptian Money Abroad, said Mubarak’s lawyers will use the verdict to lift the block some countries imposed on the former president’s accounts.

“Keeping the blockade and getting the money were contingent upon a verdict that finds Mubarak guilty of financial corruption,” he said.

1552 GMT: Egypt. Tahrir Square is once again filled with protesters who are dissatisfied with both the Presidential election choices and the recent court decisions that sentenced the former Egyptian President to life in prison but set free some of his high-ranking associates:

Eliminated presidential candidates Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, Khaled Ali and Hamdeen Sabbahi will each lead a march to Tahrir Square as part of the nationwide protests scheduled for Tuesday.

The demonstrations were called for by revolutionary groups to protest against the verdict in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak and his senior associates as well as the candidacy of Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak’s last premier, in the presidential election runoff.

Leftist candidate Ali will lead the first march from the Fatah Mosque in the Ramses district in central Cairo and will head to the High Court to demand the resignation of the prosecutor-general and reform of the judiciary branch. Ali's march plan to protest in front of the High Court for an hour before heading off to Tahrir Square.

The second Cairo march will begin at the Istikama Mosque in Giza Square and converge on Tahrir Square.

Islamist Aboul-Fotouh and Nasserist Sabbahi will head from Mustafa Mahmoud Square in the Mohandessin district of Cairo to Tahrir Square.

How is turnout so far? We'll let the Tweets tell the story:

1536 GMT: Bahrain. More fallout from the interview with Al Jazeera's The Stream - Now Nabeel Rajab has been summoned to appear before a Bahraini prosecutor.

Rajab, and others, believe that this newest summons is related to his appearance on Al Jazeera to debate the current human rights situation with Fahad Albinali, of the regime's Information Affairs Authority. On the show Albinali was asked whether he could guarantee that Rajab and others would not be retaliated against for speaking their minds on Al Jazeera, and Albinali promised that would be the case, and yet this is the second incident today where those who challenged the regime during The Stream have been called into the justice system.


See the interview, Bahrain Video Feature: The Case for Real Reform

1514 GMT: Syria. An interesting claim by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:

"Fifteen soldiers were killed and dozens wounded, while three opposition fighters also died in continuing clashes in several villages of Al-Heffa region in Latakia," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The claim raises a question - how can the Observatory know how many regime troops were killed in the attack, as the Syrian government has not released any statements, that we know of, about casualties in the area? However, if the report is true, then the Free Syrian Army appears to have scored a fairly significant hit, as it has only lost somewhere between 3 and 5 fighters.

1444 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordinating Committees, a network of activists based across Syria and outside the country, are reporting that 38 people, including 5 defected soldiers, have been killed by pro-regime forces so far today:

10 martyrs in Lattakia, 10 martyrs in Hama, 8 martyrs in Homs, 6 in Idlib, 3 in Daraa, and 1 martyr in Aleppo.

1435 GMT: Bahrain. Mohammad Hasan, who was summoned for questioning by police this morning after a tweet of his appeared on Al Jazeera's The Stream, has been released.

Hasan adds that he was "accused with 3 charges, writing for websites and newspapers without a license, protesting and tweeting."

Hasan's comment that he is "physically alright" is likely a reference to his arrest in April, during the Bahrain F1. Hasan, who was with a television crew from ITN at the time, told his account to Human Rights First:

There was a small protest, men and women, some elderly people, about 100 people or more. They were chanting and the guys I was with were filming. Then the police ambushed us from behind—as usual they went straight for the guy with the camera. He ran away but they got me. Six or seven riot police dressed in uniform grabbed me and pulled me to the ground. One kicked me in the face, others hit me with batons from behind and I was hit with a gun butt. They kept kicking me in the face, they broke my glasses, broke one of my teeth, kicked me in the groin. They said things about my religious beliefs, about Iran. It went on for about 5 or 10 minutes in all."

1400 GMT: Syria. There are many reports that Kafer Zita, north of Hama, has been attacked by "shabiha" and security forces today, and large parts of the town are on fire. The LCCS shares this video of smoke rising above the city:

Below, several activists report on their discussions with contacts in the town:

1345 GMT: Syria. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has suggested that Russia is willing to see Assad go if it is part of a peace deal brokered by the Syrians themselves.

"We have never said or insisted that Assad necessarily had to remain in power at the end of the political process," Gatilov told the ITAR-TASS news agency in Switzerland.

"This issue has to be settled by the Syrians themselves."

Gatilov went on to suggest that if the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition could negotiate with each other, a Yemen-style transition deal, with the departure of Bashar al Assad and the establishment of a transitional government, could be a good option for ending the crisis.

While Gatilov is skeptical that there is the political will in Syria for such a change, the penultimate paragraph in AFP's article suggests that Russia may be working towards arranging just such a deal:

Gatilov's comments came as another top Russian official announced that a US delegation headed by Washington's Syria crisis pointman Frederic Hof would be travelling to Moscow later this week.

1332 GMT: Syria. Reuters has spoken to a commander of the insurgent forces in the area of Lattakia, and reports that the attacks on Haffeh have been bloody *see previous updates):

Bassel Salow, a spokesman of a brigade of the rebel group the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the area, said at least eight fighters were killed during the clashes which were continuing in Haffeh.

"They have shelled at least 60 villages using helicopters, we have 15 civilians wounded and we cannot rescue any of the them," he said by telephone.

While it's true that protests have been growing in Sunni areas of Lattakia province, particularly over the last several weeks, we're still surprised by the sudden outbreak of violence. A prominent activist believes that the protests were in fact the catalyst for these events:

Whatever the cause, if the fighting in Lattakia intensifies then that could have large implications for Syria. Will fighting in the region stoke sectarian tensions? Will we see more "shabiha" attacks on protesters of Sunni residents? And, perhaps most importantly, can the Assad regime handle yet another front in its already costly crackdown?

1312 GMT: Bahrain. Another court hearing has been held in the "retrial" of 21 activists, 13 of them serving long prison sentences.

Lawyer Mohsen al-Alawi said several of the defendants claimed Tuesday they were beaten and abused by police and others as part of a crackdown on the protests from February 2011.

The 21 activists, including leading opposition figures such as Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Hassan Mushaima, and Ibrahim Sharif, were given sentences of at least five years; eight were condemned to life terms.

Seven of the defendants were convicted in absentia, and one has subsequently been released.

Activist Ala'a Shehabhi tweeted just after the hearing:

1309 GMT: Syria. Al Jazeera, relying on the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, gives more details about today's fighting in Al Haffa, Lattakia:

He said at least five tanks and armoured personnel carriers were destroyed. Rebels have taken over police stations in the city of Haffeh in the countryside of Latakia, he added.

He said "a lot of ambulances" were seen arriving in the city of Latakia carrying government forces casualties.

"Haffeh is totally surrounded right now," said an activist in the city. He said the clashes were in the villages of Bekas, Babna, Jankeel.

A Syrian activist adds more context to what's at stake in Al Haffa, as well as a video of the attack in the city today:

So we have more questions than answers. With the report that the Free Syrian Army is engaged in the city, the question of what sparked the fighting is still confused. Did the FSA attack first, prompting the shelling, prompting the defections? Or did defections prompt shelling, which prompted an FSA retaliation?

1255 GMT: Syria. It's 3:55 PM local time, but the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria have already been able to confirm 24 deaths so far today:

10 martyrs in Lattakia 5 martyrs were reported in Idlib, 5 in Homs, 2 in Daraa, 1 in Aleppo, and 1 in Hama.

It's early, but there is already a shocking twist today. Lattakia is a major port in northwest Syria. Furthermore, Lattakia and the surrounding area is a stronghold for the Syrian regime, and is one of the few areas where Alawites, a minority elsewhere, are found in fairly large percentages. Though we've often argued that simplifying this conflict to sectarian terms is a flawed way of analyzing the uprising, much of Assad's strength flows from Lattakia. It is also true, however, that Lattakia and the surrounding areas are no strangers to protests, but we rarely see this kind of violence there.

The LCCS reports that Al Haffah, approximately 15 miles to the east of Lattakia. It appears that Al Haffah has received the bulk (possibly the entirety) of the violence in the province. 4 hours ago, when the death toll was much lower, the LCCS had this report:

Massive bombing using mortars and heavy machine guns of vertical flight and rocket launchers in the city, in conjunction with tanks progressing in the city. Defection of three senior officers in the city was reported. Lieutenant Fady Halonjy and young Ismaeel Mohammad Ismaeel were martyred from this bombing. This attack counts as a dangerous escalation by the regime to confirm its policy in encouraging civil war.

Local Coordination Committees hold the regime full responsibility for any practices that may result from this dangerous escalation, such as any individual revenge or sectarian tension in the area.

What's interesting about the report - the fact that defections are also reported. More recently, in the last 10 minutes, LCC claims that a Brigadier General has defected. All of this raises an interesting question - did the defections prompt the shelling, or did the shelling prompt the defections?

1224 GMT: Syria. Last week, in response to the Houla massacre, many Western governments kicked their Syrian ambassadors our of their countries. Today, the Syrian regime is returning the favor:

"Some states recently informed heads of our diplomatic missions and embassy staff that they are unwelcome," the statement said, adding Syria was now designating the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, France and Turkey, among others, as personae non gratae.

James Miller takes over today's live coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas for getting us started today.

1100 GMT: Bahrain. A follow-up to our Video Feature on last night's Al Jazeera English programme on "real reform" in the Kingdom....

Blogger Mohammad Hasan sent in a Twitter message to the broadcast:

Clearly, this went beyond the regime's concept of "reform" for free speech --- Hasan sent further notes this morning:

1047 GMT: Syria. A clue in this report of the second session of the new Parliament that sanctions on Damascus are having an effect:

Minister of Electricity also indicated that the current crisis in Syria has badly affected the electricity sector due to terminating work by cooperation agreements with a number of world banks financing power-generating projects, and the international, Arab and Islamic banks' non-commitment to financing electricity projects, not to mention the vandalism acts committed by armed terrorist groups targeting infrastructure and power lines.

1042 GMT: Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says regime forces have re-taken Kfar Zita in Hama Province, killing at least six people.

Militiamen looted homes and shops after town residents fled, the Observatory said.

The activists also claimed four civilians were killed overnight in a "huge military operation" in the Kfar Oweid area of Idlib Province.

1039 GMT: Egypt. Addressing protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday night, three former Presidential candidates --- Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, and Khaled Ali --- have called for a Presidential council in lieu of a victor in mid-June's run-off between Mohamed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq.

Sabbahi said the call was necessary because of "blatant violations" such as disregard for the Political Disenfranchisement Law, under which Shafiq --- a former Vice President in the Mubarak reigme --- would have been disqualified.

Aboul Fotouh criticised the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for the "state of deterioration" and led crowds chanting, "Down, down with the military regime" and "People are all one hand". He echoed the demonstrators' demand for the establishment of "revolutionary courts", following last weekend's verdicts, criticised by many, in the cases of former President Mubarak and his associates.

1009 GMT: Egypt. After Saturday's verdicts in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak and his associates, protesters tear down a giant billboard for Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last Vice President and now Presidential candidate, over the 6 October Bridge in Cairo.

0728 GMT: Syria. Al Jazeera English reports on the growing number of Syrian Kurds who are now in camps in Iraqi Kurdistan --- the number is almost 2000 and growing daily:

0658 GMT: Bahrain. An EA correspondent reports that police have thrown tear gas at students at a primary school in Sitra. Footage of Monday's incident:

0651 GMT: Bahrain. Human Rights First speaks with Alyaa Mohammed, a third-year business management student at the University of Bahrain, who says she was repeatedly questioned by university officials over a message, "Down with Hamad", on her mobile phone:

Then last week they told me to come and pick up a letter saying I’d been suspended for a semester. In their letter they say my "crime" was to write "phrases that insult His Majesty the King" on my mobile phone and that I sent them to my female colleagues.

Mohammed maintains that the message was not even about the King but about her boss at law firm, "whose name was also Hamad".

0641 GMT: Yemen. Al Jazeera English reports on the offensive by Government forces to retake areas held by insurgents in the south of the country:

0635 GMT: Syria. Video of a tense meeting on Monday between United Nations observers and the Free Syria Army in Al Qusayr near the Lebanese border. UN Commander Mark Hearns says, "There is no guarantee if we answer every call that the shooting and shelling will stop....There are Syrian people and we are looking to stop that....We understand [your anger] and we are also very frustrated with what we cannot do."

0610 GMT: Syria. The episode of Houla, in which 108 civilians died, is still fresh even though it is ten days old. On Monday, yet another account emerged of how regime shelling after Friday Prayers was followed by the assault of pro-regime "shabiha", who moved from house to house wielding guns and knives to execute dozens, including 49 children.

While the tragedy remains, the conflict moves on. Less-noticed but equally significant developments arise, in this case, the battle of Douma.

For days, there has been serious fighting in the suburb of Damascus. President Assad's military have moved in tanks and other armoured vehicles. They have bombarded the area. And still the resistance has not been broken. Indeed, activists claim that the Free Syrian Army has inflicted numerous casualties on the attackers, with video of burned tanks accompanying the assertion.

There have been other battles like this one, of course. In February, the regime spent weeks in ammunition and manpower to suppress and then occupy the Baba Amr section of Homs.  However, it did so only at the cost of turning much of the neighbourhood to rubble and reinforcing the resistance in other parts of the city.

And this latest conflict in Douma is not in Homs, it is just to the east of the seat of power of the Assad regime. A few months ago, the Syrian military faced a similar prospect, as other suburbs like Ghouta were taken over by the insurgents. On that occasion, the regime was able to drive away the opposition.

Now the prospect of an insurgency on the doorstep of the capital is recurring. And the accompanying development, so far, is that the firepower of Assad's men is not able to lift that possibility.

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