Iraqis want Camp Ashraf closed. Iraqis want Camp Ashraf closed Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:7PM Iraqis have staged a protest rally in the eastern province of Diyala to urge the authorities to close down Camp Ashraf, which hosts members of the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO). Protesters demand the expulsion of MKO members from Iraq and that the camp be dismantled, a Press TV correspondent reported on Friday. The relatives of some MKO members also joined the gathering near Camp Ashraf, calling on their loved ones to abandon the notorious group. A number of defected MKO members, who were among the protesters, described living conditions at the camp as dire, adding that those residing there are deprived of their basic rights.
Iraqi government officials have repeatedly said that Baghdad is determined to close down Camp Ashraf by the end of 2011. "We have already made it clear about closing ... "The government insists on completing this mission ... Unrest in the Arab World - Special Coverage on CNN.com. Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business Entertainment World Sport Tech Travel iReport Share this on: Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg delicious reddit MySpace StumbleUpon LinkedIn Viadeo Complete coverage on Unrest in the Arab World The basics How the Arab unrest started A fruit seller's legacy to the Arab people Opinion and analysis Why the world isn't intervening in Syria Q&A: Why is Syria worsening now? The spark that lit the flame Why U.S. shouldn't rush to war in Syria Zakaria: Democracy takes time What attacks say about Yemen's army Can the Islamists lead? Life, death under Syria's military onslaught Immunity or prosecution for rogue leaders?
Turning point in Bahrain Why we should care about Yemen Is a new Arab order emerging? The faces of the unrest Young, educated and underemployed A new dawn for Egypt's women Key players Bashar al-Assad: Defined by violence Debate swirls over Mubarak's legacy As ruler, Gadhafi sought world stage Technology's role What's next? Crackdown on Coptic protest in Cairo leaves 23 dead. By Agence France-PresseSunday, October 9, 2011 21:34 EDT By Samer al-Atrush and Ines Bel Aiba CAIRO — Twenty-three people, mostly Coptic Christians, died in clashes Sunday between Coptic Christians and Egyptian security forces, the health ministry said, sparking fears of renewed sectarian strife.
A total of 174 people were injured in violence during a Coptic Christian protest in central Cairo, which saw a curfew imposed on the centre of the capital, said official statements broadcast on public television. A previous toll had put the number of dead at 16 protesters and three soldiers, and 156 injured. The killings in Cairo prompted an urgent appeal from Prime Minister Essam Sharaf for Egypt’s Muslims and minority Christians “not to give in to sedition because it is a fire which burns up everybody.” A curfew was imposed from 2:00 am (0000 GMT Monday) to 7:00 am in the area from Maspero to Abbassiya square in central Cairo, said a banner broadcast on television Sunday night.
Agence France-Presse. Codepinkalert. Everything that NATO has done in Libya has been illegal. More than 30 killed in Syria violence: activists. By Agence France-PresseMonday, October 10, 2011 7:24 EDT At least 14 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed in clashes across Syria, with the flashpoint city of Homs turning into a battle zone, activists said on Monday. Seven of 14 civilians killed on Sunday were gunned down by security forces in the city of central Syria, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that seven others were killed in other towns.
Seventeen security personnel died the same day in clashes with mutinous troops refusing orders to shoot on anti-regime protesters, the watchdog said. “It was like a war scene in Homs where blasts and sound bombs were heard all over town, with heavy machineguns also being fired,” said the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), which organises protests on the ground. “A lot of homes were destroyed. It said the regime “attacked the Homs region in yet another desperate effort to make its free residents bow and to snuff out the revolution.” Militants Attack U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Panama: Twitter Users Spark Protests Against the Government. The controversial and unilateral decisions taken by the current Panamanian government have brought about fear of political instability and for some, a cruel sense of déjà vu of that which was lived through during the Panamanian dictatorship. Following the break-up of the alliance [es] of the parties in power, the government has insisted upon changing a number of electoral laws; for example, establishing the second round of elections so that the presidential winner must acquire the post with 51%.
The CD party (governing party) has insisted that the second round strengthens democracy, while the opposition, including the Panamanian electoral tribunal, has signaled that a change of this nature can only be made by way of a constitutional motion, as opposed to law (meaning through a referendum or passage of a law in two consecutive government terms). President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli. Photo from the Presidency of the Republic of Ecuandor on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Bahrain jails 20 doctors -- GlobalPost. Bahrain jailed 20 doctors Thursday in what critics say is punishment for treating protesters. Bahrain's state news agency, BNA, said the doctors face theft and other charges and will be jailed for between five and 15 years, Reuters reports. More from GlobalPost: Clashes erupt in Bahrain The Gulf nation's authorities arrested dozens of medical staff during protests demanding political reforms and an end to sectarian discrimination against the Shi'ite majority.
"The doctors were charged with stealing medicine, stockpiling weapons and occupying a hospital during the unrest and in addition were jailed for forcibly occupying a hospital, spreading lies and false news, withholding treatment, inciting hatred of Bahrain's rulers and calling for their overthrow," according to Reuters. Blowback in Somalia. BEHIND BARS: Europe's 20 Most Imprisoned Countries. Paul Kagame's Rwanda: Can the African nation have peace and prosperity without freedom? - By Anne Applebaum. NYAMATA, Rwanda—The white altar cloth in the Catholic Church of Nyamata is still stained brown with blood. Shoes, dresses, and trousers worn by families massacred within the sanctuary lie gently decaying atop the pews. The hole in the church's iron door, blow open by a grenade, has never been repaired and will not be: The Catholic Church of Nyamata is now a museum, a memorial to the thousands of people murdered here in April 1994, at the peak of the Rwandan genocide.
When I stepped outside, I could hear a congregation singing: A new church has been built next door. Around the corner, I could hear children in their classrooms, hard at work on a Saturday. Development economists and aid mavens know very well the story of Rwanda's remarkable recovery. But there are limits to the Singaporean model. Rwanda's government has, as a result, set itself an ambitious goal: To become a "services hub" for central Africa, or, in the familiar jargon, a "knowledge- and information-based economy.
" Charlie Brooker | How to prevent more riots. Like almost anyone who wasn't outside running around with a scarf over their face, I sat at home last week gawping at my TV screen in horror as English cities, including the one I live in, came under attack from their own citizens. It was a self-inflicted horror show, like a man repeatedly smacking himself in the teeth with a breezeblock. But nowhere near as funny. Since I write for a newspaper, I am now legally required to write an agonised hand-wringing article in which I attempt to explain why the riots happened. Which is tricky because I don't have a clue. Some blame the parents. Or the education system. Aside from the sheer mindless ferocity and violence, one of the most depressing aspects of the protracted smashup was the nature of the looting: time and again, shops selling trainers or gadgets were targeted first.
Why the obsession with trainers? But perhaps it's better to nip future trouble in the bud with the use of deterrents. Yemen protesters under 'heavy mortar fire' - Middle East. Forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh have intensified their assault on opposition protesters, attacking unarmed demonstrators in Sanaa's "Change Square" and the headquarters of defected soldiers - leaving scores dead and injured just one day after the president returned from a three-month absence in Saudi Arabia. The main opposition protest camp in Sanaa came under heavy mortar fire and sniper attack by Yemeni government forces on Friday. Reports indicate that at least 16 people were killed and 54 injured in the assault. Troops loyal to Saleh launched the attack a little after midnight on Friday, opening fire with guns and shelling "Change Square", which protesters first occupied back in January.
Muttahar al-Masri, Yemen's interior minister, however denied that a raid took place, blaming the gunfire on "extremists". Snipers also targeted the people in the square from buildings around it, witnesses said. Reports said 11 soldiers were killed and 120 injured in the shelling. #Bahrain threatens jail for #Twitter, #Facebook protest calls | #VivaBahrain!
Trajtenberg warns MKs: Israel's next social protest won't be peaceful. Bahrain medical staff sentenced over protests - Middle East. Thirteen doctors and nurses who treated anti-government protesters during demonstrations in Bahrain earlier this year have been jailed for 15 years for crimes against the state. Seven other medical professionals were given sentences of between five and 10 years by a special tribunal on Thursday that was set up during the emergency rule that followed the demonstrations. The doctors' trial has been closely watched and criticised by rights groups for Bahrain's use of the security court, which has military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges, in prosecuting civilians. Most of the medics worked at the Salmaniya Medical Centre in Manama, which was stormed by security forces after they drove protesters on March 16 out of the nearby Pearl Square - the focal point of Bahrain's protest movement.
"All these acts were done with a terrorist aim. " Denying the charges "It was a professional sense of, 'how do we treat so many people who have been shot and wounded in a short period of time? '" China: Don’t Legalize Secret Detention. (New York) – Proposed legislation in China to empower the security apparatus to detain criminal suspects secretly for up to six months in undisclosed locations would be a major setback for basic human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Chinese human rights activists, lawyers, and legal experts have strongly opposed the measure, which would violate China’s international legal obligations. “The Chinese government’s proposed legislation would give the security apparatus free rein to carry out ‘disappearances’ lawfully,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.
“Legalizing secret detention puts detainees at even greater risk of torture and mistreatment.” The proposed legislation could also lead to a formalization of house arrest – “soft detention” in police parlance – which is routinely imposed on activists and dissidents, Human Rights Watch said. Yet the police are virtually unaccountable. Syria unrest: 'First woman dies in detention' 24 September 2011Last updated at 00:00 One of the banners held by protesters on Friday calls for punishment for the killers of Zainab al-Hosni An 18-year-old whose brother opposed Syria's regime is believed to be the first woman to die in custody in Syria, Amnesty International says.
Relatives found the mutilated body of Zainab al-Hosni by chance at a morgue in the city of Homs, the group says. They had been called to the military hospital to pick up her brother's body three days after his arrest. A total of 103 people are reported to have been killed in Syrian custody since the uprising began in March. 'Disturbing' According to the London-based human rights group, the 18-year-old's body had been decapitated, the arms cut off and the skin removed.
"If it is confirmed that Zainab was in custody when she died, this would be one of the most disturbing cases of a death in detention we have seen so far," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa. Bahrain medic accuses police of torture | World news. Anti-government demonstration in Bahrain. The doctors and nurses jailed were among dozens arrested following protests. Photograph: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters One of the 20 Bahraini medics jailed for treated activists wounded during anti-government protests has again accused the police of torture, threatening rape and insisted: "My only crime is I did my job; I helped people". Nada Dhaif, a doctor in private practice, was given a 15-year sentence for committing crimes against the state by tending the injured in a makeshift medical tent. The sentences were handed down by a military court set up to conduct the trials, which stemmed from the Arab spring-inspired uprising in the country in February and March.
The medics, all of whom denied the charges, were among dozens arrested following protests led by Bahrain's Shia majority against the government headed by the country's ruling Sunni minority. "My only crime is I did my job and helped people," she said. Mass killing and humanitarian disaster in NATO siege of Sirte. Mass killing and humanitarian disaster in NATO siege of Sirte By Bill Van Auken [url= 29 September 2011 Refugees from the Libyan coastal city of Sirte report that thousands have died as a result of relentless NATO bombardment and shelling by the the Western-backed “rebels.”
The two-week-old NATO siege of Sirte has left the city without adequate food, drinkable water, medicine and other basic necessities of life, creating hellish condition for its population of 100,000. While the Benghazi-based National Transitional Council (NTC) has repeatedly issued announcements that the so-called rebels had advanced toward the city center under NATO air cover, they have again and again been forced to retreat under heavy fire from forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi, as well as what have been described as citizen volunteers. “As refugees gathered, the Misrata fighters checked their names against lists of suspected Gaddafi loyalists. China jails activist for nine months - Asia-Pacific.
Wang Lihong, a Chinese rights activist, has been sentenced to nine months in jail for staging a protest on behalf of other activists, in a move condemned by human rights campaigners as part of a broad crackdown on dissent. The 55-year-old, a veteran of China's 1989 pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square, plans to appeal the sentence in the next 10 days, Liu Xiaoyuan, defence lawyer, told the AFP news agency on Friday. If Wang loses her appeal, she is due to be released in December, taking into account her time already spent in detention, Liu said. Her lawyer said the sentence was "relatively light" compared to the five-year maximum prison term that the Beijing court could have meted out. But her son, Qi Jianxiang, told reporters: "I think this is a heavy sentence.
She should never have been sentenced at all. " "My mother wasn't campaigning for rights for her own interest but for the sake of others, and now she has been sentenced for it," he said. Verdict denounced Crackdown on dissent. Amnesty urge Eritrea to release officials - Africa. How child soldiers are recruited from refugee camps. Canada News: Tories roll nine bills into massive crime proposal. Somalia: Stop Unfair Trials, Executions. Report from Tripoli: "NATO carpet bombed Libya" Sri Lanka: Inquiry into armed conflict fundamentally flawed. Lanka war crimes probe sought - Detail News. Surge of violence closes Pakistani schools - Central & South Asia. TUC leader: riots laid bare social divisions | Politics. Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attack Indefensible.