Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: This is "Peace" --- Another 90 Die

Thursday night's protest rally in the Douma suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus

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2200 GMT: We're closing yet another crazy Friday. Here's a summary.

In Bahrain, there were nine very large protests, most or all of which were attacked by police who used teargas to disperse the crowds. Though protests were planned, they were larger and more energetic today after the news that a man died last night from tear gas inhalation.

Some protesters destroyed closed-circuit TV cameras and threw rocks at police. Apparently, there was at least one occurrence of youth throwing Molotov cocktails.

This anger was sparked by what the activists consider widespread police brutality. Large parts of the island nation were covered in teargas again today, and riot vehicles reportedly chased down protesters in an attempt to run them over. There are also more unconfirmed reports of injured children, and another unconfirmed report that police sexually molested a young girl. Earlier in the week activists say that the police molested and tortured a 16-year-old boy, Ali.

At the end of the day, resolution to this conflict seems further away than it has ever been.

In Syria, the primary headline was arguably the use of helicopters to attack ground targets for the first time that we can confirm. There were several instances of this today and last night, all of them between Aleppo and the border with Turkey.

At nightfall, there are more reports of widespread fighting between FSA soldiers and the Assad military, specifically in Hama and to the east of Damascus.

The other noteworthy video was posted at 1544 GMT, showing an IED attack against Assad infantry in Hama.

However, once again the fact that will be lost to most headline writers is that there were large and widespread protests across the country, including in Damascus and Aleppo. Once again the Syrian opposition has used another Friday to prove that their resistance to the regime cannot be shot or shelled into submission.

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Bahrain Interview: Talking with Members of the February 14 Coalition (Jones)

We are absolutely certain that eventually the Al-Khalifa regime will inevitably fall, that our revolution will be successful, and that we will gain our legitimate democratic rights. The revolution will result in the wellbeing of the Bahraini people, who have made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of living in freedom and with dignity, without the dictatorial Al-Khalifa regime, and to safeguard the rights of future generations.

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Bahrain Feature: Challenging the Regime's Claims of "Reforms" (Bahrain Watch)

King Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaWhile al-Saleh and Hamad touted police training, and the establishment of a Code of Conduct for police officers on 30 January 2012, Bahrain Watch has documented numerous ongoing abuses, with the help of activists on the ground in Bahrain. Abuses include brutal arrests and torture, improper targeting of individuals in the head with tear gas canisters, and the mass nighttime tear-gassing of residential areas, even when there are no protests. These abuses have been documented on an ongoing basis in areas all around Bahrain, suggesting that these abuses are not individual actions.

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Conditions for Dialogue

2020 GMT: At this late hour, there are new reports of battles between the Free Syrian Army and regime troops in Harasta, in eastern Damascus. The CFDPC also reports battles in Irbeen.

It's going to be another long night in Syria's capital.

1922 GMT: An interesting video, reportedly from Douma, posted by the CFDPC. It appears that the FSA soldiers are trying to scope out regime positions while remaining hidden. In other words, the FSA soldiers want to be able to shoot at the Syrian soldiers if needed, but they are trying to hide so that the regime does not have an excuse to fire.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Heavy Fighting in Damascus?

Workers in front of a building in Aleppo, Syria, damaged by a Sunday car bomb --- three people reportedly died

See also Syria 1st-Hand Video: Secretly Meeting the Activists
Turkey Live Coverage (19 March): New Year Celebrations, Clashes, and the Syria Crisis
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: After the Damascus Explosions

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2056 GMT: An energetic evening demonstration in Qosour in Homs has a message for President Assad, "We're coming, curse your soul, we're coming!":

2006 GMT: I've been discussing this video with several sources. According to the description, the video shows Free Syrian Army soldiers destroying a tank in Deir Ez Zor. We never see the tank, but we do see the RPG launch at an unknown target.

I showed this video to Ahmed al Omran, from NPR, who says that the videographer appears to say today's date. Also, another source says that this video shows a battle in the Ghassan Abboud roundabout, an area where we have received reports of heavy fighting today:

Video said to show clashes between FSA fighters and gov security forces in Deir ez-Zour youtube.com/watch?v=RTMY4i… #SYRIA (via @JMiller_EA)

— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) March 19, 2012

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Bahrain Opinion: Letting Torturers Go Free? (Owen Jones)

Ali Mushaimaa, killed 14 Feb 2011Some hoped that after the release of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s report,  state officials who were complicit in torture against civilians would be brought to justice. This has failed to happen. Furthermore, the highest rank of those even put before the courts appears to be a lieutenant, and that case doesn’t even relate to "torture". Naturally this has done nothing to appease those in Bahrain who want justice, as many believe that government officials are either directly responsible for issuing the torture order, or at least complicit through negligence.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Explosions in Damascus

Images from Syrian State TV of this morning's explosions in Damascus

See also Friday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Anticipating Today's Protests

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1800 GMT: As confirmation comes through of the arrest of the former head of intelligence of Libya's Qaddafi regime, there is a scramble over who will try him on criminal charges.

Mauritanian authorities arrested Abdullah al-Senussi, as he arrived on an overnight flight from the Moroccan city of Casablanca (see 1125 GMT).

Al-Senussi has been sought by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. However, Libya's National Transitional Council want to put him on trial, and France is also seeking his extradition, citing his alleged role in the 1989 bombing of an airliner over Niger in which 54 French nationals died.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Anticipating Today's Protests

2115 GMT: We close our live coverage with this thought...

One year ago the protests started, and in the last week alone new towns and cities have joined the uprising. Protests today were large, defiant, and were in every area of the country. Even Aleppo and Damascus are now host to regular protests, and the areas around these citties are opposition strongholds. Even forcing government workers to attend pro-government rallies cannot net Assad the large crowds of support that he once enjoyed. More people are joining the protests, and more people who are not in the opposition are refusing to speak up in support of the government.

The violence is not working. The opposition is not going anywhere. The debate about how to end this crisis rages, but the crowds are undeterred. Without intervention, next Friday there will be huge protests in nearly every area of Syria. A month from now, with our without intervention, that will not change. Will it change in 6 months? In 12? In 18? The protests have only a single trend - with every passing month, more people die, and more people join the Syrian uprising.

This is the fact that most analysis overlooks. No matter what the international community does, until Bashar al Assad is out of power there will be protests. And unless foreign nations stop him, Assad will continue to shoot and arrest the protesters. This is the cycle that will not end anytime soon. This is the only certainty of the crisis in Syria.

All other information is less certain - but all other information is arguably less important.

2100 GMT: An activist shares a jubilant video from a protest in rural Aleppo, reportedly earlier today:

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Crushing the Opposition?

1936 GMT: A prominent activist Facebook Page reports that 106 people have been killed today in Syria, most of whom were killed in Idlib province. There are unconfirmed reports that the city of Idlib has fallen to Assad military forces today. We'd note that the city has been nearly impossible to get any information out of for the last 24 hours or so.

The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria have not released numbers for several hours, but at their last tally, they had confirmed 49 deaths.

1929 GMT: Despite the violence, this is an extremely impressive protest in the Qusour neighborhood of Homs:

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Bahrain Video: Learning about "Revolution" (Hedayat/BBC)

As part of a BBC series, "My Arab Journey", Nel Hedayat visits Bahrain to learn about the events of the last year. She spends time with the family of Dr Nada Dhaif, who sets out the political situation and describes the crackdown and her detention of almost 50 days before she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. She also speaks with Mohammad, shot in the face by police, who describes his motives to protest, and she joins a night-time demonstration.