Hundreds of protesters against Egypt’s military rulers remain camped in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for a third day, retaking the plaza in clashes with security forces after being evicted in a police assault. At least 13 protesters were killed.
Egyptian riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets stormed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square to break up a protest tent camp, sparking clashes that injured at least 500. Protests and deadly repression are meanwhile fast escalating in Syria and Yemen.
An Egyptian court overturned a ban that prohibited presidential hopeful Ayman Nour from officially forming the Islamic-based political party Gama’a al-Islamiya. But the ruling military council instated a ban on religious-based campaign slogans.
Syria has rejected calls from several nations to join the International Criminal Court according to a report adopted by the UN Human Rights Council, which again called for the regime to halt its violent crackdown on anti-government protests.
Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad has been on hunger strike for 48 days to protest his imprisonment on charges of criticizing the armed forces. HIs appeal hearing has been repeatedly postponed in what Reports Without Borders calls a stalling tactic.
At least 20 are dead after a march of 10,000 Copts on Cairo’s state TV building was attacked by stone-throwing counter-protesters. The protesters were angered by the latest attack on the Coptic Church, at the village of Merinab in Aswan.
Heavy fighting is reported between the Syrian army and opposition activists in central Homs province, as anti-government protests continue. In Rastan, seven soldiers and police were reportedly killed battling troops who have defected to the opposition.
A military court in Bahrain sentenced a group of medical staff to up to 15 years in prison for treating anti-government protesters. Dr. Fatima Hadji told the BBC she was beaten in custody and threatened with rape before being released on bail.
The sentencing of a woman to 10 lashes for driving a car shows the scale of gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International said. The sentence comes after the monarchy announced that women will be granted the vote in local polls.
Five days of armed clashes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have left dozens dead and hundreds injured. Rebel tribesmen and defected army units battle Republican Guard troops, while student protesters occupying “Change Square” are under mortar and sniper fire.
At least 24 were killed in Yemen’s capital Sanaa as security forces opened fire on protesters calling for the ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Pentagon is meanwhile stepping up drone strikes on al-Qaeda insurgents in the country’s south.
Clashes between police and Shi’ite protesters continue in Bahrain, fueled by the killing of a 14-year-old boy by riot police. The new protests erupted on the first day of the Eid al-Fitr festival.
