Monday, June 3, 2013
A Turkish Spring? Over 1,000 Injured as Anti-Government Protests Spread Outside of Istanbul
Democracy Now!
"Turkey is seeing its biggest wave of protests against the ruling government in many years. Tens of thousands of people rallied across the country Sunday for a third consecutive day of mass demonstrations. The unrest erupted last week when thousands of people converged at Istanbul’s Taksim Square, a public space reportedly set for demolition. The protests have grown to include grievances against the government on a range of issues, and protesters have managed to remain despite a heavy police crackdown, including tear gas and rubber bullets. The Turkish government says around 1,000 people have been detained at more than 200 protests nationwide. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed the uproar as the work of political opponents and "extremists," vowing to proceed with governments plans to re-make Taksim Square. "I cannot tell you how empowering this is," says Turkish scholar and activist Nazan Ustundag. "This is a country known for [police] brutality and for the Turkish people’s unquestioned loyalty to the state. So it’s very exciting all these different sections of people [are] standing [up for] the last public space which wasn’t given to private interests."......."
"Turkey is seeing its biggest wave of protests against the ruling government in many years. Tens of thousands of people rallied across the country Sunday for a third consecutive day of mass demonstrations. The unrest erupted last week when thousands of people converged at Istanbul’s Taksim Square, a public space reportedly set for demolition. The protests have grown to include grievances against the government on a range of issues, and protesters have managed to remain despite a heavy police crackdown, including tear gas and rubber bullets. The Turkish government says around 1,000 people have been detained at more than 200 protests nationwide. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed the uproar as the work of political opponents and "extremists," vowing to proceed with governments plans to re-make Taksim Square. "I cannot tell you how empowering this is," says Turkish scholar and activist Nazan Ustundag. "This is a country known for [police] brutality and for the Turkish people’s unquestioned loyalty to the state. So it’s very exciting all these different sections of people [are] standing [up for] the last public space which wasn’t given to private interests."......."
Images of Gaza: A few places that caught my eye
By Ali Abunimah
I had imagined Gaza City would feel much more intensely crowded and dense, and there are of course areas that feel that way. But my impression of the old city was that it had the laid-back feeling of a smaller coastal town, one whose history extends to ancient times.
Destruction due to Israeli bombing is visible in many places around the city and up and down the Gaza Strip — sometimes a particular building on a street has been taken out leaving a mass of oddly angled concrete slabs and steel reinforcement bars, sometimes a whole city block. It is terrifying to imagine what it must have been like when Israel was wreaking such devastation.
But destruction was not my overwhelming impression of Gaza City and not what I chose to focus on in these images.
Gaza City is all about life: just like every other city in the world, people wake up every day and go to work. Students and children flow into their schools as the early morning quiet is overtaken by the sounds of human voices and cars blowing their horns.
For thousands of years, Gaza, as a coastal city, was a cosmopolitan crossing point — which makes its isolation today as a result of Israel’s internationally-backed siege and sea blockade all the more cruel and poignant....."
The minaret and entrance of the Great Mosque of Gaza, also known as the al-Omari Mosque.
(Several nice photos posted)
"Before I went to the Gaza Strip for the Palestine Festival of Literature (palfest.org), I had only ever experienced that part of Palestine through words, images and videos.(Several nice photos posted)
I had imagined Gaza City would feel much more intensely crowded and dense, and there are of course areas that feel that way. But my impression of the old city was that it had the laid-back feeling of a smaller coastal town, one whose history extends to ancient times.
Destruction due to Israeli bombing is visible in many places around the city and up and down the Gaza Strip — sometimes a particular building on a street has been taken out leaving a mass of oddly angled concrete slabs and steel reinforcement bars, sometimes a whole city block. It is terrifying to imagine what it must have been like when Israel was wreaking such devastation.
But destruction was not my overwhelming impression of Gaza City and not what I chose to focus on in these images.
Gaza City is all about life: just like every other city in the world, people wake up every day and go to work. Students and children flow into their schools as the early morning quiet is overtaken by the sounds of human voices and cars blowing their horns.
For thousands of years, Gaza, as a coastal city, was a cosmopolitan crossing point — which makes its isolation today as a result of Israel’s internationally-backed siege and sea blockade all the more cruel and poignant....."
Real News Video: Calls for One Democratic State in all of Palestine Increase
Twenty years after the Oslo Accords which promised to end the Israeli occupation with a two-state solution, the alternative democratic solution is gaining traction
Hezbollah Forces Move Toward Syria’s Northern City of Aleppo
Fighters Eye Stalemate in Nation's Industrial Capital
Antiwar.com
"Having joined the Syrian Civil War in earnest in the fight over the border town of Qusayr, the Hezbollah militia is said to be deploying a large portion of its fighters north to the nation’s industrial and financial capital of Aleppo.
Or rather, its former industrial and financial capital. Once Syria’s largest city, Aleppo has turned into a large collection of warzones over the past year, with both sides constantly predicting a decisive shift in their favor but the city now stalemated for a solid 10 months. Life in the city has ground to a halt.Hezbollah officials confirming the deployment to Aleppo hint that they are moving against stalemated places “where they think they are safe,” predicting such areas will “fall like dominoes.”
Of course there is no reason to believe Hezbollah’s own optimism is any more grounded in reality than the optimism of anyone else who thought they’d break that stalemate over the last 10 months, but the influx of fighters does seem to have put the rebels on a defensive footing, at least for the time being."
Jordan: active citizenship and internet censorship
Websites
blocked as king "empowers" the people
By Brian Whitaker
"Yesterday marked the official launch in Jordan of Demoqrati – King Abdullah's latest initiative to promote "democratic empowerment and active citizenship". Describing the initiative in one of his periodic discussion papers as an effort to build "political engagement across society", the king said......
How unfortunate, then, that yesterday also marked the start of another initiative – to shackle the social entrepreneurs that King Abdullah appeared to be talking about. Orders went out for internet service providers, as a matter of urgency, to block several hundred Jordanian websites......
Most of the time, Jordan's law-abiding, licensed, print media
does not provide anything like the type of coverage needed to stimulate the sort
of open debate that King Abdullah claims to be advocating.
In a recent survey by the Centre for Defending
Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ), 86% of Jordanian journalists said they
practise self-censorship – which almost all of them blamed on the authorities’
attempts to influence their work.
"It was believed that the so-called Arab Spring might boost
freedom of the media, but despite the minor difference it made, the revolts did
not have the widespread effect we were hoping for," CDFJ president Nidal Mansour
told
the Jordan Times.
He added that the authorities “treated the media as their
opponents and continuously interfered with them, violating the freedom of
journalists and preventing them from reporting freely and independently”."
Hezbollah's Gamble in Syria
The Dangerous Calculation Behind the Group's Decision to Back Assad
June 2, 2013
Foreign Affairs
"Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, appeared to cross a Rubicon last week. In a defiant speech on May 25, he emphasized the Lebanese Shia militant group’s unbridled support for the Assad regime in Syria. In doing so, he lifted the veil of secrecy that had surrounded Hezbollah’s deepening involvement in Syria. Of course, Hezbollah’s backing of Syria had never been in question. Yet the organization had worked assiduously to cover its tracks, even as the number of funerals for those “martyred” in Syria mounted.
Beyond publicly confirming what everyone already assumed, the speech, which was staunchly sectarian, signals a critical turning point for Hezbollah. It could mark the group’s transformation from resistance movement to sectarian militia. Nasrallah delivered an unprecedented and stinging criticism of Sunni hard-liners in Syria, whom he termed takfiris (apostates). He heralded a “new stage” in Lebanon’s struggle against external threats, adding a jihadist-controlled Syria to a list of enemies that already includes Israel and the United States.Hezbollah’s ongoing metamorphosis will provoke a strong response from Syrian rebels as well as from Lebanon’s increasingly radicalized Sunni community........
But as the conflict deepened and armed rebels increasingly threatened the Syrian regime, Hezbollah and Iran solidified their support for Assad. Hezbollah initially provided discreet advice and training to Syrian forces, particularly the Alawite paramilitary groups known as the shabiha, which are believed to be responsible for undertaking Sunni massacres and other sectarian violence. Over time, though, Hezbollah headed to the front lines. Today, the number of Hezbollah fighters inside Syria is estimated to be in the thousands.........
The stakes in Qusayr are high, and the Syrian regime -- and now Hezbollah -- has pulled out all the stops to win it. As a result, Hezbollah has suffered significant casualties. Reportedly the group lost dozens of fighters (some estimates are as high as 75), the highest death toll in any battle since Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel. It is therefore understandable that Nasrallah no longer felt able to deny Hezbollah’s intense involvement in Syria. Yet it is ironic that he would choose the commemoration of Israel’s 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon, which was the ultimate triumph of Hezbollah’s resistance efforts, to come clean and introduce a new, sectarian narrative for his group. It was almost breathtaking to hear Nasrallah contort his group’s traditional talk about resistance against Israel -- a broad appeal to the Arab street -- into a thinly veiled defense of Shia interests. Hezbollah’s survival is now grounded firmly in its alliance with two brutish regimes in the Shia orbit. The galvanizing narrative of resistance to Israel is fast being overtaken by an even more powerful, yet divisive, sectarian dynamic......
......Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s credibility in the Arab and Muslim world will likely be damaged irreparably, which will place the group increasingly at odds with the Sunni community and diminish its appeal more broadly.
The positive wave unleashed by the Arab rebellions has given way to a more dangerous undercurrent. Fueled by the growing influence of identity politics, tribalism, and sectarian dynamics, the stakes for many are existential. Hezbollah’s embrace of a sectarian agenda is emblematic of the deeper dynamic that is reshaping the region, particularly the Levant. Although it may be motivated by self-preservation and a deeply ingrained survival instinct, Hezbollah’s turn toward sectarianism promises to unleash far more serious challenges, imperiling Hezbollah and likely marking the end of Lebanon’s relative stability."
Sunday, June 2, 2013
'Murderers' of Egyptian revolution's icon, Khaled Said are released
On appeal, Alexandria Criminal Court releases policemen accused of torturing and killing Khaled Said - an incident believed to have instigated Egypt's revolution in 2011
Ahram Online
"Alexandria Criminal Court adjourned on Saturday the retrial of the policemen accused of killing Khaled Said - an iconic face of Egypt's revolution - to 6 July and ordered their release.
The retrial, which began on Saturday, comes after the two defendants, Mahmoud Salah Mahmoud and Awad Ismail Soliman (both lower-ranking police officers) filed an appeal in December, arguing particular witnesses were 'dealt with lightly,' according to Reuters and are asking to repeal their seven-year jail sentences given by the Alexandria Criminal Court on 26 October.The court explains they must release them according to Article 143 of law 145, which sets a detention cap of 18 months.
The policemen were found guilty of illegal imprisonment and torture and violence. The family and supporters of the late 28-year-old Said were shocked at what they considered a light sentence.
According to Al-Ahram Arabic news website, families of the defendants attempted to attack Said's mother in the courtroom while the judges’ were deliberating the appeal.
Khaled Said's death caused a public outcry after photos of his battered face, allegedly at the hands of policemen from a notorious precinct, sent shockwaves throughout the internet. A call was sent out to protest in Tahrir Square on Cairo on National Police Day, on 25 January, 2011 via a Facebook page dedicated to his memory "We are all Khaled Said." This protest spiralled into a revolution, which succeeded in ousting former president Mubarak and end his 30-year rule."
Ahram Online
"Alexandria Criminal Court adjourned on Saturday the retrial of the policemen accused of killing Khaled Said - an iconic face of Egypt's revolution - to 6 July and ordered their release.
The retrial, which began on Saturday, comes after the two defendants, Mahmoud Salah Mahmoud and Awad Ismail Soliman (both lower-ranking police officers) filed an appeal in December, arguing particular witnesses were 'dealt with lightly,' according to Reuters and are asking to repeal their seven-year jail sentences given by the Alexandria Criminal Court on 26 October.The court explains they must release them according to Article 143 of law 145, which sets a detention cap of 18 months.
The policemen were found guilty of illegal imprisonment and torture and violence. The family and supporters of the late 28-year-old Said were shocked at what they considered a light sentence.
According to Al-Ahram Arabic news website, families of the defendants attempted to attack Said's mother in the courtroom while the judges’ were deliberating the appeal.
Khaled Said's death caused a public outcry after photos of his battered face, allegedly at the hands of policemen from a notorious precinct, sent shockwaves throughout the internet. A call was sent out to protest in Tahrir Square on Cairo on National Police Day, on 25 January, 2011 via a Facebook page dedicated to his memory "We are all Khaled Said." This protest spiralled into a revolution, which succeeded in ousting former president Mubarak and end his 30-year rule."
Turkey: Disgraceful use of excessive police force in Istanbul
Amnesty International
"Urgent steps must be taken by the Turkish authorities to prevent further deaths and injuries and allow protesters access to their fundamental rights, as well as ensuring the security of all members of the public, Amnesty International said following reports of more than 1,000 injuries and at least two deaths of protesters in Istanbul.
Amnesty International kept its office, which is close to the Taksim area of Istanbul, open as a safe haven for protesters escaping police violence throughout the night. Twenty doctors are currently in the office and treating injured protestors. Other civil society organizations have taken similar actions.
“Excessive use of force by police officers can be routine in Turkey but the excessively heavy-handed response to the entirely peaceful protests in Taksim has been truly disgraceful. It has hugely inflamed the situation on the streets of Istanbul where scores of people have been injured,” said John Dalhusien, Director of Amnesty International for Europe.
Amnesty International observers at the protests witnessed the use of water cannon against peaceful protestors as well as those throwing stones at police.
The testimonies of protestors,lawyers and medical professionals at the scene and video evidence confirm this as a widespread tactic employed by the police at demonstrations continuing across central Istanbul.
According to reports, more than a thousand protesters have been injured and at least two have died......"
"Urgent steps must be taken by the Turkish authorities to prevent further deaths and injuries and allow protesters access to their fundamental rights, as well as ensuring the security of all members of the public, Amnesty International said following reports of more than 1,000 injuries and at least two deaths of protesters in Istanbul.
Amnesty International kept its office, which is close to the Taksim area of Istanbul, open as a safe haven for protesters escaping police violence throughout the night. Twenty doctors are currently in the office and treating injured protestors. Other civil society organizations have taken similar actions.
“Excessive use of force by police officers can be routine in Turkey but the excessively heavy-handed response to the entirely peaceful protests in Taksim has been truly disgraceful. It has hugely inflamed the situation on the streets of Istanbul where scores of people have been injured,” said John Dalhusien, Director of Amnesty International for Europe.
Amnesty International observers at the protests witnessed the use of water cannon against peaceful protestors as well as those throwing stones at police.
The testimonies of protestors,lawyers and medical professionals at the scene and video evidence confirm this as a widespread tactic employed by the police at demonstrations continuing across central Istanbul.
According to reports, more than a thousand protesters have been injured and at least two have died......"
Syria: Allow Civilians to Flee from al-Qusayr
Grant Aid Agencies Immediate Access
Human Rights Watch
"(London) – Syrian government forces and militia fighters are obligated to provide civilians safe passage out of al-Qusayr and surrounding towns. Thousands of civilians have left al-Qusayr since a government offensive began in April 2013. Local opposition activists told Human Rights Watch that recent government attacks on fleeing civilians, including a reported attack on May 31, have made it difficult to escape and put remaining civilians, including many wounded, at great risk.
Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern for the safety of the remaining civilian population as well as wounded and captured fighters on all sides. Concerned governments should press Syrian authorities to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including not targeting civilians, allowing humanitarian agencies immediate access, and treating humanely all persons in custody.
“Any forces that block civilians from leaving al-Qusayr are committing serious violations of the laws of war,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Syrian government forces must not target civilians and need to allow relief aid to get to the population at risk.”......."
Book extract: The urge to control
By Brian Whitaker
"The right of people to act collectively – and independently of governments – for the sake of shared interests, purposes and values is one of the building blocks of a free
and open society.
Arab governments have traditionally sought to restrict such activity, though the Arab
Spring protests that erupted in 2010-2011 raised hopes that this would change.
In the poorer Arab countries there is not enough funding from local sources for
most NGOs to survive, so they often depend on western donors or the UN. By
vetting all foreign donations, governments thus acquire the power to strangle
NGOs more or less at will."
"The right of people to act collectively – and independently of governments – for the sake of shared interests, purposes and values is one of the building blocks of a free
and open society.
Arab governments have traditionally sought to restrict such activity, though the Arab
Spring protests that erupted in 2010-2011 raised hopes that this would change.
In
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, dictators have fallen but new leaders are still
hankering after the old ways. One example is the new associations law proposed by
the Islamist-led government in Egypt which in some respects is as bad as the Mubarak regime's old law – if not worse.
hankering after the old ways. One example is the new associations law proposed by
the Islamist-led government in Egypt which in some respects is as bad as the Mubarak regime's old law – if not worse.
Below
is an extract from my book, What's Really Wrong
with the Middle East, which
explains the nature of the problem and why freedom of association is vital if Arabs are
to achieve accountable government. Though written in 2009, before the outbreak of
the Arab Spring, most of it still applies today .....
explains the nature of the problem and why freedom of association is vital if Arabs are
to achieve accountable government. Though written in 2009, before the outbreak of
the Arab Spring, most of it still applies today .....
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Al-Jazeera Video: Turkey protesters fear growing authoritarianism
"Since the creation of Turkey as a modern republic almost 100 years ago religion has had no place in the constitution. But now many fear that is changing. Al Jazeera's Isil Sariyuce looks at what has led to the ongoing anti-government demonstrations."
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