Syria held a referendum on a new constitution, with much of the international community dismissing it as a “sham.” The vote comes just one day after 89 people were reportedly killed in Homs, the center of the opposition.
Hamas turned against its long-time ally President Bashar Assad of Syria, throwing its support behind the rebellion aimed at overturning his rule. Meanwhile in Tunis, Hillary Clinton bashed Russia and China for opposing UN action against Assad.
Yemeni officials hailed a 60% turnout in elections that officially ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule, despite boycott calls by separatists in the south where violence marred polling. Shi’ite rebels in the north also boycotted the polls.
Egypt’s High Administrative Court ruled that the voting system used in recent parliamentary election was unconstitutional. It is not clear whether the ruling will lead to invalidation the elections, widely viewed as Egypt’s freest vote in decades.
The UN General Assembly voted to condemn Syria. The resolution supports an Arab League plan that encourages President Bashar al-Assad to step down. There were 12 votes against the resolution including Russia, China, Iran and Bolivia.
Security forces in Bahrain fired tear-gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesters gathered on the eve of the first anniversary of pro-democracy demonstrations. Protesters tried to gain control of the Pearl Roundabout in the capital, Manama.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated its call for international action to protect civilians in Syria, calling for Syrian officials suspected of crimes against humanity to be tried before the International Criminal Court.
Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi Arabian columnist who made comments on Twitter deemed to be insulting the Prophet Muhammad, was arrested in Malaysia after fleeing his country. He may be extradited to Saudi Arabia, where calls for his death are mounting.
Yemeni protesters gathered outside New York’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel to protest the arrival of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. With repression continuing and the vice president in seclusion, many fear Saleh is continuing to run the country from afar.
At least 200 were killed in the Syrian city of Homs as security forces pursued their campaign to take back opposition-held areas. Meanwhile, authorities tightened their grip of Hama as residents recalled the 1982 massacre of some 20,000 there.
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.
Four Hezbollah militants accused in the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri will be tried in absentia, before the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon at The Hague, given the failure of authorities to apprehend the suspects.
