Monday, July 9, 2012 at 10:46 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 1818 GMT: Syria. Earlier we saw many reports of shells falling on the small town of Busrah al Harir, in Daraa province (map). Now, the LCC shares this video reportedly showing shells falling on the town:
Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 11:08 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Claimed video of protests in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province tonight (see 2050 and 2105 GMT)
See also Syria Propaganda 101: How PR Firm Brown Lloyd James Polished the Regime's Image
Saturday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 89 Deaths, 672 Protests, and a "Liberated" Regime Convoy
2050 GMT: Saudi Arabia. The Minister of Interior has confirmed that prominent Shi’a Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was arrested in Eastern Province late Sunday after he was shot in the leg by police.
Reports of the Sheikh's arrest brought demonstrations in the mostly Shi’a Qatif region of the Eastern Province, which has been the focal point of protests alleging discrimination.
The Ministry claimed, “When the aforementioned person [al-Nimr] and those with him tried to resist the security men and initiated shooting and crashed into one of the security patrols while trying to escape, he was dealt with in accordance with the situation and responded to in kind and arrested after he was wounded in his thigh."
Al-Nimr was taken to hospital and accused of sedition. He was previously detained for several days in 2004 and 2006
“They (police) took him from his car and blood can be seen near his car,” said his brother Mohammed al-Nimr. “He had been wanted by the interior ministry for a couple of months because of his political views. In the past couple of months he has adopted a lot of Shi’ite issues and expressed his views on them, demanding their rights."
President Assad and Manaf Tlass in the 1990s (see 0515 GMT)
See also Kuwait Feature: The Politics of a "Sinking Ship"
Thursday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Fighting on the Turkish Border
1909 GMT: Syria. A significant development in the battle north of Aleppo. Many activists, including some of our more trusted sources, report that the Free Syrian Army has successfully ambushed a military convoy on the highway between Turkey and Aleppo city. What's even more significant is that the FSA appears to have captured some of the vehicles and weapons, as well as what appears to be an oil tanker, after the ambush.
To recap: this Assad army convoy you saw earlier being ambushed by FSA youtube.com/watch?v=pjLt1m… Was then seized by FSA! youtube.com/watch?v=YjK78f…
— Nuff Silence (@NuffSilence) July 6, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 11:14 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Claimed video of Free Syrian Army forces firing on regime troops in Deir Ez Zor on Tuesday
See also Syria Diary: "We Are Completely Trapped in Homs"
Egypt Revealed: Military Rulers "Planned with Judge to Preserve Their Power"
Tuesday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Just Another Day --- 114 People Die on Monday
1823 GMT: Bahrain. Gulf News Daily reports that three of the seven men accused of attacking security forces with Molotov cocktails in Abu Qawa in February --- seriously injuring one policeman --- were in prison at the time of the attack, according to their defence lawyer. The paper quotes lawyer Shazlan Khamis as having told the High Criminal Court yesterday:
My three clients were convicted of participating in an illegal gathering and were in jail at the time of the attack, the investigating officer had initially claimed they were on the run, but that's not true because they were jailed.
The investigating officer on the case says that "secret sources" revealed to him the identity of all seven men, adding that "they were already in jail for another case when we questioned them."
1815 GMT: Bahrain. A final verdict was expected today in the case of the 28 Bahraini medical professionals facing misdemeanour charges (see 0615 entry). However, in court the judge postponed the case until September 4th, reports Human Rights First, adding that the delay is so the judge can "consider allegations of torture against the medics during their detention last year". Commenting on the decision, Brian Dooley of Human Rights First said:
“Justice delayed is justice denied even longer for these medics who should not be on trial in the first place. Today’s delay shows the dictatorship is refusing to listen to international calls for reform by continuing with these politically-motivated trials. The medics should all have been acquitted today and investigations opened into who tortured them in custody.”
The NGO also quotes the reaction of neurosurgeon Nabeel Hameed, one of the 28:
Our suffering continues and our future is unclear. All the medics are disappointed as it means our lives continue in suspended animation.
Bahraini police video of raids on houses last week
The regime is hoping for a big PR success from its claim, launched last week, of a major find of explosives in raids on houses.
At the same time, the Bahraini Minister of Interior was in London for meetings with British officials, including Foreign Officer Minister of State Lord Howell. Whether or not the trip is connected to the campaign, Britain's security services and the BBC's Frank Gardner give a big boost to the regime today....
BBC, Bahrain, Frank Gardner Last Thursday prominent activist Zainab Alkhawaja was struck in the leg by a tear gas canister fired by riot police as protesters gathered in Buri.
Last night she wrote on the experience on Twitter:
As soon as I can walk on my crutches, I will be participating in a protest, alongside all the protesters I am so proud of #Bahrain
— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) July 2, 2012
riot police who attack us might see me on crutches, another protester with an injured eye, and the 3rd with pellets in his face... #Bahrain
— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) July 2, 2012
..... but they'll also see the determination in our eyes #Bahrain
— angry arabiya (@angryarabiya) July 2, 2012
Bahrain, Zainab Alkhawaja Monday, July 2, 2012 at 13:24 | James Miller in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Two insurgents try to destroy a regime armoured vehicle with an RPG in Deir Ez Zor Province in Syria
See also Sudan Video Feature: Will the Protests Spread?
Syria Snap Analysis: As The World Talked in Geneva, The People Were Blown Apart in Zamalka
Sunday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: World Powers Agree to Disagree
2202 GMT: Syria. At least 114 people were killed today, according to the activist network LCCS:
34 martyrs in Damascus Suburbs, 27 martyrs in Hama, 23 martyrs in Homs, 13 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 6 martyrs in Idlib, 4 martyrs in Aleppo, 4 martyrs in Daraa, 2 martyrs in Damascus and 1 martyr in Lattakia.
The dramatic violence continues, and it is not isolated to a single region. The daily death toll appears to consistently stay above 100, just another sign of how quickly things are deteriorating in Syria.
1834 GMT: Syria. According to the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, a network of activists, 54 people have been killed so far today:
13 martyrs were reported in Homs; 11 in Deir Ezzor; 10 in Hama, most of whom were martyred in the Souran massacre; 6 in Aleppo; 5 in Daraa; 4 in Idlib; 3 in Damascus Suburbs,1 in Damascus and 1 in Jableh.
1828 GMT: Syria. These fighters in the Free Syrian Army claim to have destroyed 12 armored vehicles in Khan as Subil, Idlib (map).
They also claim to have captured the BMP armored vehicle, visible in the bottom of the frame:
Insurgents claim victory in Hayan in Aleppo Province (Warning: Graphic Images)
See also Sudan Opinion: Why the Khartoum Regime Will Fall
Wednesday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Assad Declares, "We Are In a Real State of War"
2125 GMT: Syria. In an interview on Iranian state television, President Assad has drawn a line against an outside solution for the Syrian political crisis: "We will not accept any non-Syrian, non-national model, whether it comes from big countries or friendly countries. No one knows how to solve Syria's problems as well as we do."
Assad also offered no sign of relenting in the military campaign against opposition:
The responsibility of the Syrian government is to protect all of our residents. You have a responsibility to eliminate terrorists in any corner of the country. When you eliminate a terrorist, it's possible that you are saving the lives of tens, hundreds, or even thousands.
View Syria - 2012 June 26 - EA Worldview in a larger map
An interactive map of Tuesday's developments in Syria
See also Syria Audio Feature: Scott Lucas with Monocle 24 "No Negotiation Possible --- This is War"
Bahrain Document: Court Testimony of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja "I Have Been Subjected to Torture"
Saudi Arabia Feature: Interview with the "Eastern Province Revolution"
Tuesday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: NATO Meets Over Downing of Turkish Jet
2220 GMT: Syria. Below we have posted an interactive map, compiled by myself and our intern, Josh Moss. Each flag on the map links to a specific live entry, an effort to impose order on a bloody and chaotic day in Syria. You can click on the link below the map to see it in a large window.
View Syria - 2012 June 27 - EA Worldview in a larger map
2210 GMT: Syria At least 104 people have been killed today, including at least 20 children, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria:
42 martyrs were reported in Idlib, 15 in the Damascus Suburbs, 14 in Deir Ezzor, 10 in Daraa, 10 in Homs, 8 in Qamishli, 3 in Hama, 1 in Hasakeh, and 1 in Aleppo.
The numbers are staggeringly high, as they have been all week, and most of last week. The number of dead children is just heartbreaking, however. Among the dead, 10 year old Badreddine Sadeq, killed today in Aleppo:
