February 13, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Egyptian military council now ruling Egypt has announced, by way of an official communique (number 4), that it will suspend the Mubarak-era constitution and dissolve parliament —a central demand of the pro-democracy movement, as Mubarak’s party was given 83% in rigged elections— and that free and fair elections will be held to organize a democratic transition. Protesters remain in Tahrir Square, intent on helping to guide the transition to democracy, and labor strikes are being called.
More on page 7648
February 13, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Across Yemen, pro-democracy protests are spreading, demanding the resignation of a dictator in power for over 30 years. Yemen is one of the world’s least stable countries, with more than one ongoing sporadic insurgency and a regime that after 32 years in power is unable to stabilize the food or water supplies. As the protests in Egypt began to intensify, and it was clear there was a spirit calling for change, Pres. Saleh agreed he would not seek another term in office (he has done this before, only to go back on his word).
More on page 7624
February 12, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Across the middle east region, hardline regimes with more or less favorable relations with Washington are reportedly expressing concern about how the United States “abandoned” Mubarak after a 30-year relationship. These complaints show three crucial facts about the situation they find themselves in: 1) they are not evolving psychologically to keep pace with events; 2) they do not understand what gives them legitimacy; 3) they need to institute credible democratic reforms immediately, if what they want is “certainty” about US support.
More on page 7625
February 11, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian people’s hunger for change. But this is not the end of Egypt’s transition. It’s a beginning. I’m sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt can find the answers, and do so peacefully, constructively, and in the spirit of unity that has defined these last few weeks. For Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.
More on page 7621
February 11, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Hosni Mubarak resigned today as president of Egypt, ending 3 decades of authoritarian rule. His vice president, Omar Suleiman, said power has been entrusted to the leadership of the Egyptian military. There is music, singing and dancing, in Cairo, as demonstrators hurl fireworks into the air and chant about the fall of Mubarak and the emergence of political freedom.
More on page 7593
February 11, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Independents of Principle is an experiment, designed to explore the ways in which disparate political factions might come together to find common ground and to forge a better future, by cooperating constructively or by putting the principle of service ahead of the perceived value of one’s own factional interests. It is inconceivable to radicals, conspirators and hardliners, that such constructive cooperation could come to exist, but we believe it is possible.
More on page 7613
February 11, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
UPDATE, 11:12 am EST (6:12 pm Cairo): Shortly after 6 pm Cairo time, it was announced by Vice President Omar Suleiman that “President Hosni Mubarak has decided to waive the office of the republic”. Suleiman said the government was now in the hands of the military leadership. No further announcement has been made regarding the status of negotiations to establish a coalition government for the transition to democracy.
More on page 7602
February 11, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The new expression of political authority in Egypt is beginning to unfold, even as Hosni Mubarak and Omar Suleiman refuse to cede power to the people. Whether credible or not, the regime’s mounting “concessions” are beginning to demonstrate the real political authority of the Egyptian people, whose right to decide what is legitimate for their government is beginning to be recognized at home and abroad. The “perpetual session” of the military’s leadership council, and their “Communique 1″ and “Communique 2″ suggest the military would like to guide events with language of their choosing.
More on page 7605
February 10, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators today are intensifying their protests against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Prominent figures from the entertainment industry today formed a rally outside Tahrir Square in the center of Cairo, which numbered as many as 1,000 by the time they reached the square. A nationwide transport strike is seeking to paralyze the country’s economy, joining the call for Mubarak to resign.
More on page 7594
February 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Wael Ghonim, the new face of the Egyptian protest movement, abducted on video in broad daylight by Mubarak’s security forces and held incommunicado for 12 days, addresses hundreds of thousands gathered at Tahrir Square. Ghonim told the massive crowd that now is not a time for parties and factions, but for the Egyptian people to speak with one voice, to put the good of the nation ahead of personal interest, and to demand the end of the regime.
More on page 7585
February 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Faced with the expansion of the Cairo demonstrations to a second site, outside the parliament building, and of the wider movement into Kharga Oasis, in Wadi al-Gadid (New Valley) governorate, Vice President Omar Suleiman yesterday issued a statement describing the protests as “very dangerous” and warning they were potentially leading to a “coup”. The language is widely thought to presage a renewed crackdown on dissent. But the pro-democracy movement is now expanding across the country, as a general strike spreads, and workers join in the call for Mubarak to leave office.
More on page 7572
February 8, 2011 :: staff :: 2 Comments
Central Cairo was again today the scene of a massive demonstration numbering in the hundreds of thousands, as ordinary Egyptians traveled to lend their support to the pro-democracy movement and call for the end of the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Thousands marched from Tahrir Square to the parliament, denouncing the parliament, which Mubarak filled with 83% membership from his own party in rigged elections last year, and calling for a new government.
More on page 7547
February 8, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows the second segment of series of YouTube posts showing Egyptian democracy activist Wael Ghonim’s emotional interview with DreamTV, just hours after his release from 12 days of secret detention. Ghonim was abducted from a Cairo street in broad daylight on the 28th of January; on Sunday, Amnesty International published information it had received that Ghonim was still in custody of the secret police, was being set up for prosecution on false charges and was likely to face torture.
More on page 7556
February 8, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The people of Egypt today mark 14 days of nonviolent uprising against a brutal military regime that has ruled with near total power for 30 years. The peaceful protests are an astonishing coalition of educated and working-class, Muslim and Christian, secularist and religiously driven, old and young, male and female, and yet they are in fact a peaceful citizen-driven revolution against tyranny. The Mubarak regime has waged a brutal assault on peaceful demonstrators, human rights monitors and international press, and now there is concern the international attention may turn away.
More on page 7529
February 7, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
A video from Alexandria reportedly shows Mubarak’s police force shoot an unarmed pro-democracy demonstrator in cold blood. The man was walking in a street, and there were reportedly other demonstrators behind him, encouraging him to walk toward the armed police. The video clearly shows the man shot by the police, without any violent provocation whatsoever.
More on page 7525
February 7, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
After intense pressure from Amnesty International, foreign governments, private business and the press, Egypt’s new vice president Omar Suleiman pledged yesterday that Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who is reputed to have launched a Facebook page denouncing police brutality and political persecution, would be freed. He was abducted by regime police near the beginning of the pro-democracy demonstrations, on 28 January, and was not heard from publicly till today.
More on page 7521
February 7, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
It has recently become fashionable to say the US is not expressing a consistent policy on Egypt, that the policy has been changing every day or is noncommittal. This is patently untrue and distorts the very consistent message of support for the pro-democracy movement coming from the White House. Pres. Obama and his administration have consistently supported the just cause of the demonstrators, while urging the Egyptian government to take substantive reforms without delay.
More on page 7518
February 6, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Even as the government has begun to agree to concessions and to begin a process of democratization, there are concerns an employee of Google, reportedly abducted by the regime at the beginning of the pro-democracy protests, faces “serious risk of torture”. There is video showing the moment of his abduction by plainclothes security officers working for the Mubarak regime.
More on page 7513
February 6, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
On Tuesday, more than one million Egyptians turned out for mass demonstrations in cities across the country. On Friday, crowds massing in central Cairo and Alexandria were reported to be even larger than the Tuesday crowds, despite brutal and bloody assaults by pro-Mubarak militia on Wednesday and Thursday. It is now day 13 of the Egyptian transition to demonstrations, and opposition leaders are reportedly negotiating with the government to shape an orderly and peaceful process of transition.
More on page 7399
February 5, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
The news from Egypt this Saturday suggests pro-democracy demonstrators have begun negotiations with the authorities on ways to ease Hosni Mubarak out of power. Under pressure from foreign governments and diplomats across the region, as well as the UN, EU and US, Egyptian government officials and the military have reportedly begun planning for a process [...]
More on page 7502
February 5, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
The Guardian’s Jack Shenker has sent forward a list of human rights activists and pro-democracy leaders taken into custody by the Mubarak regime during the last week. The list, which is not considered to be complete, as it is difficult to get information on who has been arrested, and under what circumstances, includes the affiliation [...]
More on page 7498
February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Friday, for the planned “day of departure”, hundreds of thousands of non-violent pro-democracy demonstrators again massed at Midan Tahrir —Cairo’s Liberation Square—, despite two days of brutal pro-Mubarak militia attacks on demonstrators and journalists. The military today began to play a more active role in securing the square against armed gangs and pro-government cadres. They [...]
More on page 7494
February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Al Jazeera says the campaign of persecution has escalated dramatically, as a “gang of thugs” broke into their offices, destroyed equipment and set fires, threatening the staff and carrying out what appeared to be a concerted effort by government forces to shut down international media reporting on the protests in Tahrir Square. According to the [...]
More on page 7492
February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Video from the Guardian newspaper shows massive crowds, described by some as the single largest public pro-democracy protest in the history of the Arab world, at Tahrir Square in central Cairo. Demonstrators urge embattled Pres. Hosni Mubarak to “please, leave now”; one says “Everything is destroyed. What more do you want? Just leave,” while another says “Please, Mr. Mubarak, if you love this country, leave this country.
More on page 7486
February 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Over the last two days, Hosni Mubarak has made Cairo the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. After Mubarak’s new prime minister issued an “apology” for the lethal violence waged by pro-Mubarak gangs on Wednesday and into Thursday’s pre-dawn hours, the government appeared to be engaged in an even more intense campaign of violent assaults on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators and journalists.
More on page 7475
February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
The “Day of Departure” rally has swelled the ranks of pro-democracy demonstrators occupying Tahrir Square. Reuters reports the prime minister has instructed the army to “assist” journalists and protect them from the armed pro-Mubarak gangs roaming the city. The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont gave an interview describing a harrowing experience of being detained multiple times by armed men, some wielding machetes, being forced “to kneel in front of a wall”, being detained for 2 hours by the army, which he described as “polite and disciplined”.
More on page 7392
February 3, 2011 :: staff :: 2 Comments
Ahmed Shafiq, the new prime minister installed over the weekend by embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, has made public apology for the violence that occurred yesterday in Cairo’s Midan Tahrir, or Liberation Square. Shafiq addressed the nation, saying “As officials and a state which must protect its sons, I thought it was necessary for me to apologize and to say that this matter will not be repeated”. He called the bloodshed “a disaster”.
More on page 7460
February 3, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pro-democracy demonstrator tells Al Jazeera about the senseless chaos at Tahrir Square. She explained that they cannot leave the square, because if they abandon the cause, they will be “hunted one by one”. She described watching a fellow demonstrator “shot right through the head”, and urged the military, which is on the scene but not intervening. She urged the military to stand with the people and for Egypt and the world to come together and persuade Mubarak to resign.
More on page 7456
February 2, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 4 Comments
The suspicion now seems to have been demonstrated to be fact: news media across the world have shown images from Cairo of police ID cards recovered from rioting pro-Mubarak forces allegedly paid to assault journalists and pro-democracy demonstrators. The Mubarak regime has seized control of state media, is lying the Egyptian people, and is paying “goon squads” to brutally assault journalists and unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators.
More on page 7449
February 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Al Jazeera reports sounds of gunfire heard echoing across Tahrir Square, as “pro-Mubarak activists seize control of three military armored vehicles, escalating what appears to be a Mubarak-led crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. The assault on military personal may provoke a military response against the pro-Mubarak faction.
More on page 7442
February 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
King Abdullah II of Jordan responded yesterday to mass pro-democracy demonstrations in his nation’s capital Amman by dismissing the unpopular government, as protesters had urged. The move is considered a “pre-emptive” maneuver designed to show the King aligned with the democratic rights and interests of the Jordanian people. In Yemen, today, the president, in power for 32 years, announced he would not seek another term in office.
More on page 7345
February 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Less than 12 hours after Pres. Hosni Mubarak gave a defiant address on national television, and announced he would not seek another term as president but would remain in office until elections later this year, a group of “pro-Mubarak demonstrators” have reportedly clashed with pro-democracy demonstrators in Tahrir Square. Some are now calling the protest movement a “war of stamina”.
More on page 7424
February 2, 2011 :: staff :: One Comment
Reporting from Tahrir Square in central Cairo, this reporter for Al Jazeera’s English service finds protesters are camped in the square and say they will not leave until more substantive change is made. Pres. Mubarak’s declarations last night are considered insufficient, and they say “nothing has come of this regime of 30 years”, that Mubarak [...]
More on page 7421
February 1, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
United States president Barack Obama addressed the nation and the world on live television this evening, explaining that first of all the United States supports non-violence. He commended the Egyptian military for showing restraint and coexisting peacefully with demonstrators. He added that second, the United States believes in universal rights.
More on page 7406
February 1, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Marking one full week of mass demonstrations, on the 8th day of the pro-democracy popular uprising, the Egyptian people staged the largest demonstration to date. Estimates for the size of the crowd at Midan Tahrir —or Liberation Square— range from 500,000 to 2 million. Some say more may have come to central Cairo but were unable to enter the square. The military pledged not to attack or interfere with demonstrators and the rally was peaceful. Security, both military and civilian, checked people entering the square to ensure there would not be violence.
More on page 7382
January 31, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 3 Comments
A new body, called the People’s Parliament, is planning a process of peaceful and orderly transition to an electoral democracy in Egypt. The People’s Parliament has 100 delegates, representing every major opposition party, including the Muslim Brotherhood (which holds 16 seats), and is reported to also have caucuses representing youth, academia, labor unions and professionals. The People’s Parliament has grown out of the National Assembly for Change, a coalition of opposition groups that has been organizing since 2009, to bring about this transition.
More on page 7368
January 31, 2011 :: Eva Scherson :: 6 Comments
Bashar al-Assad, who inherited the hardline regime that has ruled Syria for nearly four decades, and whose government imposed strict Internet controls after the beginning of the uprising in Egypt, has announced he will move to implement political reforms in his country. It is not clear how those reforms would affect his government’s control on power, or whether his office would be up for a national election, but the announcement is the latest sign of how pervasive an effect the Egyptian protest movement is having across the region.
More on page 7364
January 31, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Thousands of Egyptian protesters are holding Tahrir Square, which has repeatedly been closed by security forces. Reports from Cairo suggest embattled Pres. Hosni Mubarak is moving to reassert control over major sections of the capital, but has yet to order an offensive against protesters in the main square. Mubarak told the nation he has asked his new prime minister to engage in dialogue with the opposition to promote democratic reform in Egypt.
More on page 7355
January 30, 2011 :: staff :: 4 Comments
A pro-democracy student movement has staged pro-democracy demonstrations in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and at two universities. According to VoA: “Hundreds of students took part in the protests, shouting slogans that criticized high prices, the government, and President Omar al-Bashir.” Security forces clashed with demonstrators, and reports suggest stones were thrown and police attacked demonstrators with batons.
More on page 7336
January 30, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
NBC journalist Richard Engel told the weekly program Meet the Press today that Egypt is experiencing a “basic collapse of law and order” and that looting overnight, prison breaks and street violence are being blamed on Pres. Hosni Mubarak, whom many say is using the unrest to make freedom appear undesirable. There are rumors that prison breaks have been “allowed” in order to frighten the people and that police have been withdrawn in order to justify their return with extreme brutality.
More on page 7326
January 29, 2011 :: staff :: 7 Comments
This video from Daily News Egypt shows a street leading to Tahrir Square, where early Saturday morning, demonstrators were confronted by armed police. The police fired shots into the air, apparently a warning to go no further. Three armored military personnel carriers are seen moving into position between the protesters and the police, apparently in an effort to prevent injury to demonstrators and/or to prevent an attack by police.
More on page 7338
January 29, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
Day 5 of the Egyptian pro-democracy uprising against the 30-year rule of Pres. Hosni Mubarak saw massive crowds of tens of thousands marching through Cairo, Alexandria and other cities across the country. While many images show demonstrators standing with or even riding joyously with military personnel on security vehicles, there were clashes near the Interior Ministry, where government snipers killed at least 12 demonstrators.
More on page 7328
January 29, 2011 :: staff :: 8 Comments
Thousands of protesters, demanding democratic reforms in Jordan, have taken to the streets. The wave of public outcry, across the Arabic-speaking world, that started with one protest in a small Tunisian city, has roiled the political landscape of Egypt, sparked an organized movement for democratic change in Yemen, and inspired protesters in Jordan to demand [...]
More on page 7311
January 29, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
Two days ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was similarly artful in her response to the protests: she called on “both sides” to refrain from violence and urged the administration of Hosni Mubarak to honor the “universal rights” of the people of Egypt, including the rights to assembly, association and expression. Mubarak has not been seen or heard from publicly since the crisis began, and observers speculate he may be considering concessions that would allow him to remain in power, at least temporarily.
More on page 7321
January 28, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 7 Comments
Pro-democracy protests are spreading across the Arabic-speaking world. After popular middle-class protests ended the authoritarian reign of Pres. Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt has been gripped by mass street demonstrations, in Cairo, in Alexandria, in Suez. Hosni Mubarak’s regime has responded with brutal attacks in demonstrators and an expanding ban on Internet usage and other forms of communication. Now, a pink revolution has flooded the streets of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen.
More on page 7288
January 26, 2011 :: Evelyn Winston Perez :: 8 Comments
Yesterday, in defiance of a total ban on public gatherings, tens of thousands of Egyptians marched in Cairo, decrying the authoritarian methods of the regime of long-time president Hosni Mubarak. Organizers said they planned to repeat and expand the protests today, but thousands of military and riot police are reported to be lining the streets of Cairo, and the government has shut down all access to Twitter inside Egypt, in an effort to prevent social media organizing.
More on page 7302
January 16, 2011 :: staff :: 3 Comments
The hardline government of Tunisia, which had ruled for 23 years, was toppled this week by street protests which at times turned violent. Clashes between police and demonstrators raised questions about whether authorities would be able to quell an uprising. The president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee the country, after one of [...]
More on page 7211
January 10, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Tom DeLay has been sentenced to three years in prison, on conviction for charges of conspiracy and money laundering. The former House majority leader, known in his heyday as ‘The Hammer’, is accused of having committed these crimes as part of a coordinated manipulation of the Texas state-level electoral process aimed at handing Republicans control of seats held by Democrats in the US House of Representatives.
More on page 7191
January 10, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
South Sudan, a region that lives every day with the deep wounds of a long-running civil war that took more than 2 million lives, yesterday saw democracy play out peacefully, as locals went to the polls to vote in the referendum promised by a 2005 peace treaty with the Khartoum government in northern Sudan. The referendum will decide whether southern Sudan secedes from the larger nation, and with international observers and aid groups staging a formidable presence, and Khartoum sounding peaceable, day one of the vote was free of violence, and much like a celebration.
More on page 7171
January 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Two days before she suffered a bullet wound the head in an assassination attempt, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords took to the floor of the House of Representatives to participate in the first-ever reading of the Constitution of the United States into the official record of House business. She read the First Amendment, which reads as follows: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
More on page 7153
CafeSentido Partner Sites: