Two people were shot dead by police in Suez and more than 400 injured in protests across Egypt, as armed Bedouin tribesmen meanwhile abducted 25 Chinese workers in the Sinai Peninsula and seized control of a resort complex.
The Free Syrian Army is taking control of territory just outside Damascus, while the US and allies protest Russian arms sales to Assad’s regime. IWPR interviewed one activist in rebel territory who called for NATO intervention.
At least 20,000 marched in Istanbul carrying signs reading “We are all Armenian” to mark five years since the murder of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink—and to protest the lack of justice in his case.
A Russian naval flotilla led by an aircraft carrier docked in the Syrian port of Tartus in what Damascus hailed as a show of solidarity by Moscow—as NATO member Turkey broached military intervention in the conflicted Arab nation.
The opposition has called an ongoing general strike, civil disobedience campaign and election boycott in a bid to bring down the Assad regime—but called for the Free Syrian Army to halt attacks on the security forces.
As Egypt’s military rulers say they will appoint a council to oversee the drafting of a new constitution to balance the influence of Islamists, pro-secular protesters demand a broad-based, all-civilian “national salvation” government.
Reports from Homs suggest an outbreak of sectarian killings, with numerous bodies—many tortured or mutilated—left on the streets. A pro-government militia called the Shabiha is apparently arming Alawite militants and attacking Sunni protesters.
Customs employees at Adabiya Seaport in the Suez Canal Zone refused to allow a seven-ton shipment of tear gas to pass, and were detained for questioning by security officials. Two more such shipments are en route from Wilmington, Del.
New street clashes broke out in Cairo after a young protester was killed when he was run over by a police truck. An ongoing sit-in at the cabinet building has been launched to demand a civilian-led “national salvation government.”
Four men have been killed in protests this week by the Shi’ite minority in Saudi Arabia’s east, while protest leaders in Yemen rejected a deal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, saying it leaves his ruling structure intact.
Anonymous Israeli security officials told Haaretz newspaper they believe Turkey is preparing a military intervention in Syria, seeking to create a secure buffer zone on the border where armed opposition forces can operate.
Protests rocked Cairo for a sixth day, as security forces again used tear gas in another effort to clear Tahrir Square. Over 30 are now dead in the street-fighting. The Muslim Brotherhood has split over whether to join the protest movement.
