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31 May 2011 16:33

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World: Egyptian general says female protesters got “virginity checks”

  • “Not like your daughter or mine”: An Egyptian general, speaking on condition of anonymity, has alleged a heinous violation of the women of Egypt, though he doesn’t see it that way. The general admitted that during protests on March 9th, the military performed “virginity checks” on women. The reason? “We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place. None of them were.” It goes without saying that this rationale is nonsensical, disgusting, and beneath the contempt of a modern civil society. General Mamdouh Shaheen has denied these charges. source

24 May 2011 15:41

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World: Hosni Mubarak to be tried for the deaths of protesters

  • Mubarak will stand trial over Tahrir Square protests: Reportedly in ill health, former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak will stand trial for his alleged crimes, among them the deaths of protesters during the nation’s revolutionary movement in Tahrir Square (over 800 died before Mubarak’s departure), and the illegal acquisition of wealth during his time in office. Mubarak is in a hospital at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, while authorities also detained his two sons, also charged with corruption, in Cairo’s Tora prison. source

19 Apr 2011 15:23

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World: Syrian protests cleared out by live fire, teargas

  • The dangers of nightfall in Syria: A sit-in was held in Clock Square, in the city of Homs, but come nightfall the Assad government decided it was time to clear the square. The methods employed seem to be teargas and live gunfire. Be forewarned — while the video is a bit jumpy and hard to see clearly, it’s nonetheless very unpleasant and disturbing. source

15 Mar 2011 14:00

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World: Terrible human suffering at hospital in Bahrain

  • Truly heartbreaking video: Al Jazeera English takes us to a hospital in Bahrain, where doctors and medical staff are treating people horribly abused, beaten and teargassed. Many, it seems, have taken to sleeping in the hospital, so fearful are they about being caught up in the violence if they venture outside or return home. source

14 Mar 2011 15:22

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World: Protesters fired upon and teargassed, Governor stabbed in Yemen

  • yemen, boiling over: The vehement protests against Yemeni President Ali Abudullah Saleh have racheted up in recent days, culminating in live rounds being fired on citizens, and the attack of a provincial governor. Naji al-Zaidi was stabbed in the neck with a dagger, as were four of his bodyguards, and was rushed to a hospital from where no further information has been announced. Government forces have deployed teargas against the protesters, and all told about sixty people were injured across Yemen, part of a violent crackdown that President Saleh is employing in a bid to maintain control (h/t pantslessprogressive). source

10 Feb 2011 10:59

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World: Report: Egyptian military detaining, torturing protesters

  • Their range is very wide, from people who were at the protests or detained for breaking curfew to those who talked back at an army officer or were handed over to the army for looking suspicious or for looking like foreigners even if they were not. It’s unusual and to the best of our knowledge it’s also unprecedented for the army to be doing this.
  • Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights director Hossam Bahgat • Describing the nature of some of the arrests and detainment taking place in Egypt at the moment. Bahgat’s words go against the narrative suggesting that the military is on the side of the people in the current spate of protests, and instead paint a picture that they are in fact taking part in incidents more commonly associated with the country’s notorious state security intelligence. One protester, only offering to go by his first name, Ashraf, put his experience as such: “I was on a sidestreet and a soldier stopped me and asked me where I was going. I told him and he accused me of working for foreign enemies and other soldiers rushed over and they all started hitting me with their guns.” Harrowing. source

02 Feb 2011 22:34

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World: “The sun can’t come up fast enough”: Egypt violence by the numbers

  • 3+ number of people killed in today’s violence in Cairo (at least)
  • 600+ number of people injured, according to a report by MSNBC
  • 1,500+ people injured, says one nurse who talked to Reuters source
 

28 Jan 2011 15:56

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World: This Egyptian protester’s middle finger really says it all

Inside this man’s middle finger are the flames of a revolution. Inside this man’s middle finger are the dreams of thousands of Egyptians. Inside this man’s middle finger is all that needs to be said. source

28 Jan 2011 13:30

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World: Newspaper: Egyptian protesters cleaning up after themselves

  • Witnesses saw demonstrators cleaning up the streets of Downtown which were filled with stones, papers and fire remnants.
  • A note from independent Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm • Undercutting the view that Egyptian protesters are violent and radical by noting that they’re actually cleaning up their messes. (thanks NYT) source

25 Apr 2010 10:47

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World: Thai Red Shirt protesters plan to further intensify their protests

They can’t convince the Thai government to push up elections, but since many protesters are rurally-based, they are able to block police from reaching the capital. source