Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Failure Beyond the Grand Prix

Bahraini police surround photojournalist Mazen Mahdi and threaten to break his camera as he covers clashes on Sunday

See also Bahrain Analysis: Some Guy Wins Grand Prix, Regime Loses Legitimacy
Bahrain Special: Regime PR Fails at Home But Succeeds in New York Times
Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Turkey Live Coverage (23 April): The Kurdish Issue, Iraq, and the Region
Sunday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Death, A Hunger Striker, Injuries, Detentions...and a Grand Prix

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2056 GMT: The Local Co-ordination Committees of Syria reports that 80 people died today at the hands of regime forces, including 50 in Hama and 21 in Idlib Province.

2043 GMT: Footage of the funeral today of Bahraini activist Salah Abbas Habib, allegedly slain by police:

2038 GMT: Amnesty International have criticised the further delay in the appeal court hearing for 14 detained opposition activists, declaring that the regime is "toying with the life" of human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, now on Day 75 of a hunger strike.

In a hearing lasting just a few minutes, the Court of Cassation in Manama postponed the appeal until 30 April, apparently without giving any reason. It is the second postponement since the court started considering the case on 2 April.

During today’s hearing the court was fenced off and surrounded by security officials, and each defendant could only have their lawyers and one family member present. None of the 14 defendants were in the court room.

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Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (22 April)

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Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....

Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

United Nations observers, accompanied by members of the Free Syrian Army, walking in the town of Rastan in Homs Province today --- the crowd chants, "The people want to topple the regime" and "The people want to execute the president"

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (21 April)

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Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Is Hunger Striker Alkhawaja Near Death?

A cameraman films Bahraini police surrounding the body of Salah Habib Abbas Alqattan, apparently slain by security forces --- near the end of the clip, a shot appears to be fired at him

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Friday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protest Here, Protest There, Protest Everywhere?

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2228 GMT: We close today's coverage with two contrasting images from Bahrain....

Mohammed Hasan, a "fixer" for foreign journalists covering stories in the kingdom, has been released from detention after he was seized this morning:

But this photograph (Warning: Graphic) appears to confirm that protester Salah Habib Abbas Alqattan was killed by birdshot fired by security forces:

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Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (20 April)

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Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protest Here, Protest There, Protest Everywhere?

1954 GMT: Breaking news from Bahrain - activist Zainab AlKhawaja has been arrested, apparently while trying to visit her father in the hospital:

It's been confirmed, Zainab Alkhawaja @angryarabiya arrested, lawyer will attempt to go see her now #bahrain #f1 #fia #feb14

— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) April 20, 2012

1908 GMT: This video is destined to be iconic. The UN monitors are set to visit the Idlib town of Kafer Takharim, and the the Syrian military pulled out today so as not to be seen by the observers. As the soldiers evacuate, this young man waves a pre-Baath party flag, the flag of the Syrian opposition, right in the face of Assad's tanks and soldiers.

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Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

A mass demonstration in Binnish in Idlib Province today

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (19 April)

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Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....

Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers

Protest on Wednesday night in Kherbet Ghazale in Daraa Province

See also Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers (18 April)

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Our regular feature in which EA readers bring in the latest news and stories from the Syrian crisis....

Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Grand Prix Protests

Wednesday's night mass protest in the Damascus suburb of Irbeen

See also Yemen Feature: CIA Seeks Authority to Expand Drone Programme
Morocco Analysis: Why Did the Moroccan Uprising Not Rise?
Syria Feature: Activists to Insurgents "We Want Our Revolution Back"
Bahrain Video Special: Activists Declare "No Formula 1 in A Bloody Kingdom"
Syria Wired: The Latest from Social Media and EA's Readers
Wednesday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Appealing to Damascus

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2130 GMT: As reported earlier, many journalists have been denied entry into Bahrain to cover the F1. Earlier this evening, a team from Sky News, intending to cover the humanitarian and political situation in Bahrain, were likewise denied entry. EA understands that the team is now back in Dubai and remain intent on gaining entry into Bahrain to see for themselves the situation on the ground.

The Sky News team was headed by Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay who has been tweeting about the experience and his frustration with the Bahrain authorities:

Sky news denied access to report from f1 in bahrain #Bahrain

— Stuart Ramsay (@ramsaysky) April 19, 2012

Govt refuses to explain why I can't come in

— Stuart Ramsay (@ramsaysky) April 19, 2012

We are excluded without redress but have asked to represent all sides

— Stuart Ramsay (@ramsaysky) April 19, 2012

#Bahrain govt welcomes f1 but not independent journalists who actually understand the complexity of this issue

— Stuart Ramsay (@ramsaysky) April 19, 2012

I asked to report on the country not the F1 and they know that come on your excellencies grow up

— Stuart Ramsay (@ramsaysky) April 19, 2012

1959 GMT: Multiple journalists, from news Agencies such as AFP and AP, have been denied entry into Bahrain to cover the F1 race:

Associated Press said two of its Dubai-based journalists were prevented from covering the Grant Prix because they could not receive entry visas, despite being accredited by the FIA.

Meanwhile, cameramen already in Bahrain were required to keep fluorescent orange stickers on their cameras so that they would be easily recognisable to ensure they do not cover any off-track events, such as ongoing protests.

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Syria Feature: Activists to Insurgents "We Want Our Revolution Back" (Van Langendonck/Lynch)

Photo: AFPMohamed Alloush is part of the movement of young revolutionaries who began the protests against the Assad regime in March last year in the wake of similar uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. They feel sidelined by the violent turn the conflict in Syria has taken since the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed last summer. An armed group comprised mainly of former Army soldiers who defected from the regime, it is also reportedly cooperating with Sunni jihadis from abroad and many brigades have adopted an increasingly sectarian tone.

“Our revolution has been stolen from us by people who have their own agenda,” says a singer who uses the pseudonym ‘Safinas’ because she still lives in Damascus. “We are not violent people. We want to get back to the real thing. It was a clean thing when it started, but it has become something else now. I am against the regime, but I am also against the armed rebels.”

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