(Sanaa, Yemen, March 1, 2011) -
anonymous source Today’s “Day of Anger” in Yemen’s capital has been relatively calm so far, in contrast to deadly protests over the past several weeks in which security forces and pro-government gangs fired on protesters in Aden and Sanaa, killing at least 11 and wounding many more. Demonstrators here in Sanaa continue to gather in two locations. People seeking the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh camped out at the gates of Sanaa University—a site they call “Change Square.” Demonstrators who back Saleh—with assistance from the government—are camped out five kilometers away at Tahrir (Freedom) Square. A festive air prevailed at the university site, with protesters dancing and singing. Protesters have to pass through military and student checkpoints to reach the sit-in. They have erected dozens of small tents and about 10 larger tents, where hundreds -- if not thousands -- of people sleep at night and around which they congregate by day. A camera at the site provides a live feed. There have been isolated scuffles between soldiers and demonstrators today but no attacks on the protesters, and security forces have allowed national and international media to film the crowds with relative freedom. |
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(Tunisia, February 28,
2011) - Sarah Leah Whitson,
director, Middle East North Africa |
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(Ras Ijdir, Tunisia, February 27, 2011) -
Tirana Hassan, emergencies researcher
Crowds of Tunisians, along with Egyptians and Iraqis, crossed from Libya into Tunisia near Ras Ijdir today. They spoke of relative calm in the west of Libya, though some heard nighttime gunfire in Tripoli, the capital, and expressed worries that government-employed foreign mercenaries might harm them.
(Aden, Yemen, February 27, 2011) - anonymous source
We can confirm that security forces have killed at least nine people during anti-government protests since February 16 in the southern port of Aden, but we believe the toll is higher. We established the exact circumstances of these nine killing trough interviews with family members and witnesses. Six people were killed by police and military who opened fire in several districts of Aden the night of February 25. Of those six, one was a young male bystander and another was a man watching the protests from his window. |
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(Tunis, Tunisia, February 27, 2011) -
Eric Goldstein, researcher Today, at 6pm, hundreds of police in uniform, many in riot gear, patrolled the main avenue. In addition, scores of young men in street clothes, some of them masked, clutching clubs, wooden planks and table legs, milled about, some of them fraternizing openly with the uniformed police. Their affiliation, if any, could not be determined. (Tunis, Tunisia, February 27, 2011) - Eric Goldstein, researcher This afternoon at about 4 o'clock, theTunisian government announced the resignation of its controversial prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi. It was the culmination of a weekend in which the Tunisian capital was beset by the worst violence it has experienced since the departure of President Ben Ali on January 14. (Tunis, Tunisia, February 27, 2011) - Eric Goldstein, researcher The worst violence to hit the Tunisian capital since the departure of President Ben Ali on January 14 continued for a third straight day today. The main downtown artery, Habib Bourguiba Avenue, was this afternoon the scene of battles between security forces and rock-throwing youths. |
Police charging rock-throwing youths on the Avenue Habib Bourguiba, February 27, 2011. |
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(Manama, Bahrain, February 26, 2011) -
Human Rights Watch researcher Human Rights Watch is observing at Pearl Square. Thousands of Bahrainis have packed the square awaiting Hassan Mushaima's arrival. The energy is unbelievable. Crowds chanting and fireworks going off every now and again. Mushaima is the leader of the banned opposition group Al-Haq. He was one of 25 opposition members and activists charged with terrorism. Twenty-three of the 25 were released several days ago after seven months in prison. Mushaima was in London at the time of the crackdown and remained in exile -- until now. (Yemen, February 26, 2011) - anonymous source The casualty toll from last night's attacks on protesters in Aden is rising. This afternoon, we spoke to doctors from two out of three hospitals that received the victims last night. One hospital treated 29 wounded victims, one of whom died and two remain in critical condition. The wounds, according to the doctor, were mostly in the legs. Two victims had been wounded by machine-gun bullets, the doctor said. A doctor from another hospital said that he saw at least two killed and five wounded protesters last night. Another two injured were delivered to the third hospital. One of the doctors told us, however, that he believed more people were killed last night as patients reported seeing many bodies on the street after the shooting. The doctor thought that police might have picked up the bodies and delivered them directly to morgues.
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(Cairo, February 26, 2011) -
Dan Williams, senior emergencies researcher The Egyptian Army issued an apology today for having driven off demonstrators from Tahrir Square and a street near parliament in post-midnight raids. Military police used electric prods and sticks to chase the protestors from both places, witnesses told Human Rights Watch.
(Cairo, February 26, 2011) - Dan Williams, senior emergencies researcher Early Saturday morning, soon after midnight, according to protesters in Tahrir Square, security forces used batons and fired into the air to disperse the demonstrators who remained from the large demonstration there much of the day on Friday.
(Tunisia-Libya border, February 25, 2011) - Sarah Leah Whitson, director, Middle East North Africa Standing today on the Tunisian side of the border with Libya, we watched hundreds of refugees stream across. We have talked to a dozen Egyptians who have come directly from Zawiya, a city between Tripoli and the Tunisian border, that they say is encircled by troops loyal to Qaddafi. Although Zawiya is largely under the control of demonstrators, they say that pro-Qaddafi troops reportedly fired live ammunition at persons exiting mosques after the Friday prayer, killing several of them.
(Tunis, February 25, 2011) - Eric Goldstein, North Africa researcher For the past 90 minutes, Human Rights Watch has watched police firing tear gas at demonstrators in front of the Interior Ministry in downtown Tunis. The demonstrators, who crowded the ministry steps, the sills of its ground-floor windows, and the sidewalk and street outside, chanted patriotic songs and slogans against the transitional government. Some began hurling stones at the building and lit bonfires on the Avenue Habib Bourguiba.
(Cairo, February 25, 2011) - Dan Williams, senior emergencies researcher A crowd filled Tahrir Square, home of the demonstrations that brought down Hosni Mubarak on February 11, reminding the current military rulers of Egypt that the protesters want a clean break with the dictatorial past. The main slogans put out by organizers, which included youth groups, opposition political parties and the Muslim Brotherhood, aim at a cabinet shake-up to remove Mubarak-era ministers, in particular Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy, appointed while Mubarak was still in power to replace the widely despised Habib al-Adli. A few signs called for the ouster of the Mubarak-appointed prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, a former air force marshal; a poster showed him on a jet flying to the moon. Clusters of demonstrators called for release of political prisoners. |
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(Benghazi, Libya, February 24,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director We arrived in Benghazi towards evening and were greeted with joy. The lawyers took us straight to the courthouse where the revolt in Benghazi started after the arrest of a lawyer. There’s a big celebration on the Corniche tonight, despite the bad weather. Everyone is excited and hopeful, saying they can't believe what’s happening. (Tobruk, Libya, February 24,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director After long delays at the Egyptian-Libyan border we entered eastern Libya. On the Libyan side of the border, we found no officials, just a lot of people, many armed, but very friendly. There were thousands of Egyptians leaving Libya, many carrying their few possessions on their shoulders, wrapped in blankets. Everyone kept saying “welcome, welcome,” and flashing us victory signs. One of the more arresting sights at the border was a woman in a leather jacket with an AK-47 manning a checkpoint, her hair uncovered – this is definitely not an Islamic revolution. We were waved through checkpoint after checkpoint by friendly armed men on the road to Tobruk, and several times were offered free bottled water. The situation in the villages along the road is calm, with many groups of men sitting around discussing the situation, and electricity is normal, shops are up and running. Our driver explained that the tribes in the East have taken control of the security situation, and that the army and the police in the East are now 'with the people.' Gaddafi's remaining government is making life difficult for the many foreign observers entering Libya. Most of the internet and mobile phone network has been taken down, and even the Thuraya satellite coverage over Libya has been closed. So it is extremely difficult to get news out, and journalists at our hotel were struggling all night to contact their media outlets and file stories. At our hotel, local residents were glued to the TV, watching the coverage of events in Libya, and occasionally stopping to view mobile phone footage taken by witnesses to the carnage in Benghazi. Among the footage we viewed was one of several dozen bound and blindfolded men, many in military and police uniforms, we were told had been executed in Benghazi, under unclear circumstances. The person who took the footage said the dead were soldiers and police who had refused orders to attack the civilian population, and had been killed for their refusal. We have a lot to investigate in the coming days. (Manama, Bahrain, February 24, 2011) - Tirana Hassan, emergencies researcher Several hundred protesters have taken to the street to protest, walking from Pearl Square to the financial district. It is the first time I have seen them come this far from the square and disrupting traffic. They are carrying seven fake coffins, commemorating the seven people killed by security forces since February 14, and marching past a police station. There are no police to be seen around the march. They are being allowed to protest. They are saying it's a lead up before tomorrow, when the weekend starts. |
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(Washington DC, February 23, 2011) -
Tom Malinowski, advocacy director |
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(Rabat, Morocco, February 23, 2011) -
Human Rights Watch researcher Police in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat today forcibly dispersed a small demonstration called for by the Moroccan Democratic Network for Support of the People. It was due to take place at 5pm in front of the Libyan Cultural Center in the Orangers neighborhood, in protest against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddhafi. The police beat would-be participants as they arrived, including Abdelkhaleq Benzekri, Abdelillah Benabdeslam, Montassir Idrissi, and Taoufik Moussa’if. Moussa’if, a human rights lawyer who is active in the judicial reform association Adala, said that as protesters arrived, an official warned if they did not disperse he would order the use of force. When they refused to obey, the official ordered the use of force. Moussa’if told Human Rights Watch that the police beat him on the head, shoulders, and feet. Benabdeslam, of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, told Human Rights Watch that baton-wielding police clubbed the protesters hard on various parts of their bodies. The Moroccan Democratic Network for Support of the People is a recently formed coalition formed to support reform movements across the Arab world. This police violence come one day after the police assaulted demonstrators in Bab el Had square, including Khadija Ryadi, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. In the southern city of Agadir, police arrested at least four students today, as they were distributing a bulletin announcing a sit-in planned at al-Amal plaza downtown. The police questioned and photographed them before freeing them with a warning they would be arrested if they proceeded with the sit-in, according to Mohamed Nafaa, a member of the Inezgane-Aït Melloul branch of the AMDH. Reports from Fez say that at least 30 people, among them 16 students, are still in detention after demonstrators clashed with security forces on February 21. |
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(Manama, Bahrain, February 22, 2011) -
Tirana Hassan, emergencies researcher Elated and resolute crowd marching to the pearl roundabout this afternoon, men, women, children in their thousands. Chants ringing out, with the crowd calling for the fall of the regime and for sunni,shia unity."No Sunni, no Shia, we are all Bahraini." At the roundabout the crowd erupted in cheers as several policemen joined the protestors and were carried on their shoulders. |
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(Rabat, February 21, 2011) -
Dan Williams, senior emergencies researcher Anti-riot police and uniformed auxiliary forces used violence to break up a small demonstration of pro-reform activists at Bab Al Had Square in central Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Two witnesses told Human Rights Watch that police charged the group of about two dozen demonstrators after the group staged a sit-in at the plaza and chanted, “Freedom, freedom.” Khadija Riyadi, who heads the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, was first attacked by police bearing truncheons and then punched by a person in civilian clothes while standing near a journalist. She was taken to Ibn Sina Hospital for observation. Three demonstrators – Rabia Bouzidi, Driss O’mhend, and Mohammed Sbar – along with a bystander named Fouad were injured, and also taken to the hospital. Other protesters were beaten but not taken to the hospital. Among them was Mohamed Elaouni, a member of the Democratic Coordination for Support to People, an independentnon-governmental organization. The incident took place just a day after nationwide protests were largely carried out peacefully and without police interference. The country’s ruler, Mohammed VI, speaking at a ceremony today in Rabat, said he would not give in to what he called “demagoguery.” |
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(Cairo, February 15, 2011) -
Tom Porteous, director On the surface things are getting back to normal. Shops have reopened, and the dust and din are back to choking, deafening levels. Motorcyclists have returned to their dangerous habit of speeding along pavements to avoid the epic traffic jams. On Saturday I was able to sip tea peacefully at the recently revamped Hurriya (Freedom) Café in Bab El-Louk, where just a week before protesters were fighting pitched battles with the hired thugs of the ruling Hizb al-Watani (National Democratic Party). The atmosphere retains the hope of the revolutionary moment. The departure of President Hosni Mubarak on Friday evening, greeted by rapturous and noisy celebrations that continue days later, have filled Egyptians with rediscovered dignity and hope for a better future. But under the surface things are far from normal. The victory of the protesters has also left a political vacuum and much uncertainty and apprehension about the future. Will the Egyptian Army Work With the People? |
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(Bahrain, February 15, 2011) - From
a Human Rights Watch source in Manama Police shot to death Fadhel Ali Matrook, 31, when they fired on a burial procession for Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, 27, a protester killed on February 14 when riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition rounds against pro-democracy demonstrators. Matrook is the second demonstrator killed in as many days of protests. [Bahrain’s “Day of Rage” protests, which were inspired in part by events in Egypt, have mobilized Bahrain’s Shia majority to take to the streets and voice their complaints against the government.] |
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(Tehran, February 14, 2011) - A
demonstrator who participated in demonstrations close to
Tehran's Enghelab Square: Security forces had occupied the demonstration routes earlier in the morning. But after 3 p.m. their numbers increased dramatically... Around 3:30 we arrived close to Enghelab Square. There were about 500 of us. For about 10 minutes we chanted some light slogans. After that the riot police attacked us and we were forced to move toward Avesta Park. When we entered the park, they began lobbing teargas at us. Iran: Stop Attacks on Peaceful Demonstrators |
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(Cairo, February 13, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Listen: Back to Work in Cairo Most people are back to work in Cairo, but some protesters linger and the need to investigate human rights abuses has not abated. |
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(Cairo, February 12, 2011) -
Tom Porteous, director Egyptians are celebrating the end of the Mubarak era and all that it had come to represent in terms of repression, torture, corruption and stagnation. The downfall of Mubarak has been messy but not nearly as violent as it could have been. The military stated yesterday that it will not be a substitute for the will of the people and the outpouring of joy in Egypt last night suggests that Egyptians believe them. There is good reason to hope that the military will help to give birth to democracy in Egypt. The people of Egypt have won a great victory and if their demands and aspirations for freedom and respect for fundamental rights are not realised they will be back on the streets. At the same time there is a huge amount of work to do to achieve this and to clean up the appalling legacy of the Mubarak government. We will start by pushing hard for the immediate and complete eradication of torture, for accountability for the abuses of the Mubarak era, including those of the past dramatic weeks and for the release of political prisoners. One of the people I bumped into last night was the uncle of Khaled Said, the young man whose brutal murder by the police last year was a trigger for the protest movement. Asked whether he thought that Khaled himself had contributed to the fall of Mubarak he pointed to the crowd and said: “There are 80 million Khaled Saids and 80 million presidents of the republic". On Tahrir Square today I heard the relatives of detainees demanding the release of their sons and brothers or for information about those who are missing and declaring that they would not leave the square until they had answers. |
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(Cairo, February 10, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Listen: Jubilation in Cairo I was walking back to the Tahrir which was much more subdued than the normal atomosphere that we got used to and suddenly this massive roar went up over the square and people started jumping up and down like crazy, and saying "He's gone, he's gone". (Yemen, February 11, 2011) - From a Human Rights Watch source in Sanaa: Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators arrived at a rally of more than 1,000 anti-government protesters in Sanaa's Tahrir Square. The pro-government groups have started confronting the anti-government protesters, who appeared to be demonstrating peacefully until they arrived. Riot police have arrived with water cannons, but are mostly standing by watching the disturbances. The police and pro-government demonstrators are entirely surrounding the anti-government protesters. The opposing crowds are pushing each other and throwing water bottles; violence would likely have erupted without the security presence. Some riot police have gas masks and gas canisters. Earlier this afternoon the rally began in response to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's decision to step down. Independent Yemeni activists in the capital city of Sanaa called for a candle-light vigil to celebrate the events and by 8:30 in the evening, hundreds of Yemeni students, academics, activists and citizens gathered in front of the new university. Their numbers grew to the thousands. People chanted in support of Egypt. Chants included: The Egyptian people brought down MubarakLong live the Egyptian people Revolution until victory One thousand greetings to al Jazeera These soon became chants focusing on the Yemeni regime such as: Yesterday Tunisia, today Egypt, tomorrow Yemen will open the prisonDown with the regime The people want the regime to collapse Revolution oh Yemen from Sanaa to Aden The Yemeni people is fed up with Ali Abdallah Salih People marched for an hour from the new university to the Egyptian embassy and their numbers grew to the thousands. They marched past neighborhoods and were cheered by onlookers. They were eventually met by soldiers guarding the Yemeni embassy and they turned around and gathered in Sanaa's Tahrir (Liberation) Square. By about 10:30 pm several trucks full of heavily armed soldiers began to arrive although until then the demonstration had been peaceful. (Yemen, February 11, 2011) - From a Human Rights Watch source in Sanaa: Approximately 200 Yemenis in Sanaa participated in an anti-Mubarak demonstration today and marched towards the Egyptian martyrs cemetery, where Egyptian soldiers who fought in Yemen’s 1962 war are buried. A few dozen uniformed officers, accompanied by plainclothes men who arrived in two buses, armed with clubs and stones, followed the protesters at close range for about an hour, creating a climate of fear and intimidation. The protesters dispersed soon after. (Cairo, February 11, 2011) - Tom Porteous, director Today belongs to the people of Egypt as they celebrate a great triumph in their stuggle for freedom, dignity and human rights against decades of repression and corruption. The road ahead is full of challenges and the Egyptian army must honor its pledge to protect the gains of this courageous protest movement. But tonight as darkness falls on Tahrir Square, it's packed with elated, cheering patriotic Egyptians who can hardly believe what they have achieved. We celebrate with them their courage and persistence in the face of dictatorship. This is a moment of huge emotion and a moment of great hope for Egypt and the region. |
Tahrir Square,
February 11, 2011. |
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(Cairo, February 10, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Audio Dispatch following Mubarak's speech Disappointment in Tahrir Square " [During the speech]It was the first time I've seen the square fall so silent. [Following the speech]...people I've spoken to are shrugging in disbelief at how the President seems to be out of touch with the mood on the streets and the main demand for his resignation." |
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(Cairo, February 10, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Audio Dispatch Part I: Anticipation in Cairo, Part II: Waiting for Mubarak, Part III: Egyptian Bloggers React |
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(Cairo, February 9, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher |
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(Cairo, February 9,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director Egypt's Foreigner Blame Game A week into the demonstrations in Egypt, Hosni Mubarak's once unshakeable power structure was in full panic mode. What was once unimaginable had become reality: Egyptians seemed on the verge of overthrowing their government. Last week, hundreds of thousands marched through the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and other Egyptian cities, shouting again and again their Tunisia-inspired mantra: "The people demand the downfall of the regime!" As one protester told me and my colleague after viewing some of the dead at one of Alexandria's morgues, "We want to uproot this tree all the way down to its roots, and then plant a new tree" -- terrifying words for the entrenched Egyptian autocracy. Now, however, on day 16 of the protests, Mubarak and his cronies seemed to have turned a corner. Instead of running scared, the regime is fighting back with both words and violence to quash its opponents, portraying the opposition as a foreign-backed, un-Egyptian group of conspirators. Sadly, its propaganda campaign appears to be as crude as its actual physical crackdown has been. |
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(Cairo, February 9, 2011) - Joe
Stork Deputy Director, Middle East and North
Africa Egypt: Investigate Arrests of Activists, Journalists Army officers and military police arbitrarily detained at least 119 people since the army took up positions in Egyptian cities and towns on the night of January 28, 2011, and in at least five cases detainees say the security forces tortured them. Arrests by military police of journalists, human rights defenders, and youth activists since January 31 appear intended to intimidate reporting and undermine support for the Tahrir protest. These arrests and reports of abuse in detention are exactly the types of practices that sparked the demonstrations in the first place. The government should order military police, army officers and State Security Investigations officers to cease arresting journalists, activists, and protesters arbitrarily and needs to ensure the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the illegal detentions and torture and ill-treatment which have occurred. |
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(Cairo, February 8, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Egypt: Documented Death Toll From Protests Tops 300 Human Rights Watch has collected figures from doctors in eight hospitals giving a total of at least 302 killed in the unrest in Egypt since January 28, 2011. The breakdown of these figures is: 232 in Cairo, 52 in Alexandria, and 18 in Suez. These figures are based on unofficial information obtained from doctors by Human Rights Watch at two hospitals in Cairo, two in Alexandria, and one in Suez and by the International Federation for Human Rights, which visited a further three hospitals in Cairo. |
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(Cairo, February 7, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Traffic is back on the streets of Cairo in typically chaotic manner though much slower in central Cairo since Tahrir square is still blocked off. Beyond the boundaries of the square concerns are growing about the economy and a succcessful campaign by state television blaming insecurity on foreign spies has created high level of paranoia among neighborhood patrols who’ve been handing over Egyptians they consider look foreign (and therefore suspicious) to the army. But inside the square the sense of freedom and security prevails. Energy levels and attendance in Tahrir remain high: protesters are chanting the slogans to a drumbeat and street vendors have informally set up stalls to sell tea, cigarettes and bread. There are concerns among protesters about the ongoing negotiations and to what extent those negotiating represent everyone in the square. Today was a day of remembrance in the square – large blown-up pictures of those who died during the protest line the Kasr El Nil Entrance and I spoke to some of their relatives who were holding up posters of them in the square. One man told me his brother had been in the Tahrir protest on Friday January 28 in the evening: he was on Kasr Aini Street reaching for a tear gas canister to throw it away from the protesters when he was shot in the side twice. His friends spent three hours trying to get him to a hospital because they didn’t trust the public hospital nearby which was known to have security on the premises, but by the time they got to one he had died. Another told me of how his 10-year - old nephew had been playing in his neighborhood near the Rafah police station and was shot in the back three times as he ran away. The pictures and the speeches show just how raw the scars of the past protests are. |
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(Cairo, February 7,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director Last Wednesday, we visited all the four morgues in Alexandria, to attempt to get a total number of those killed in the violence there on Friday, January 28. After a bit of discussion, the officials at the two main morgues agreed to give us the names of the bodies received there, and the two other morgues confirmed that they had transferred any bodies received at their morgue to the two main morgues. We found 52 deaths in Alexandria. The names are listed below, with some ages. There were a few names which were partly illegible, so the missing words are noted in [] List of confirmed dead in Alexandria University Hospital Morgue:
Kom El Dekka Morgue:
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(Cairo, February 6,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director After a hectic two weeks of protests, the detention and release of one of our Human Rights Watch researchers, and an overwhelming workload, things were a bit calmer in Cairo today. Traffic jams returned for the first time, which somehow seemed reassuring. At Tahrir Square, a moving prayer service conducted by Muslims and Christians together took place to commemorate the hundreds of protesters who have died in the the past two weeks, a reminder of just how much blood has been shed. The focus of our research has shifted from the protests themselves to the ongoing detentions and harassment of local and international journalists, bloggers, democracy activists, and human rights lawyers by the military intelligence and military police. This is a new development in Egypt, as in the past it was mostly the police forces and security services of the Ministry of the Interior who conducted such arrests and abuse, not the army. Many activists are very worried about this new wave of army arrests, afraid that the number of such incidents will increase sharply in the coming days. On Saturday night, several local journalists were detained, and today, al-Jazeera journalist Ayman Mohyeldin was detained by the military police at Tahrir square, while his colleague Sherine Tadros was briefly detained and questioned by the military police before being released. We also are using the power of social media to help us document abuses in Egypt--a new approach for us, so we'll have to see if it helps. We've asked our fellow tweeters to send us any information they have about human rights abuses (tweet to @bouckap or @tweet4justice). Of course, we'll have to go confirm the information sent to us, but we've already received many names of missing persons, video clips of deadly shooting incidents, and information about incitement to violence on Egyptian state television. It has been a difficult work environment for all of us in Egypt, with a heavy work load and constant threats to our security. We really appreciate all of the messages of support we've received from you all! Thanks so much. |
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(UAE, February 5, 2011)- Ahmed Mansoor, MENA
Advisory Committee member UAE Authorities yesterday arrested Hassan Mohammed on Friday following a speech he gave supporting the Egyptian demonstrators following Friday prayers in Khour Fakkan, in the Emirate of Sharjah. He remains in detention. |
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(Cairo, February 5, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher We just returned from Tahrir square, where the mood is more subdued than yesterday, and the crowds smaller. One reason may be that the weather is colder and there is a slight drizzle. But it is also likely that the protesters need a break after the rollercoaster events of the last 12 days. Many protesters did sleep over in the square, and we saw families arriving in the square to check out the scene.
The military is becoming more restrictive in allowing
access to Tahrir square and seems to be preparing to
pressure the protesters to end their occupation. A new
army checkpoint has been put up on the Gezira side of the
Qasr al-Nil bridge, and a second military checkpoint at
the entrance to Tahrir square. Because of these
checkpoints it is taking longer for people to get into
the square. Long lines are backing up.
The organizing committee are informally coordinating
security in the square and their informal security
volunteers intervene when suspected troublemakers are
‘caught'. We stressed it was important for them not to
mistreat detained persons, and to hand them over to the
army as soon as possible. The person we talked to said
that it had been difficult to prevent suspected
infiltrators from being attacked by the crowds, as many
people were very angry after the violent attacks they had
undergone. But he said that they tried to surround
suspected infiltrators and trouble-makers as soon as
possible and bundle them off to a cordoned-off area of
the square, before handing them over to the army. We
noticed that they had solid security in the square and
the cordoned-off area: our IDs and passports were
carefully checked before we were allowed access, and we
were patted down repeatedly. Soon after we left, around 3:30 p.m., an even more important visitor arrived at the square: Army General Hassan el-Rawini, Commander of the Central Region. He tried to tell the protesters they should leave, but had to leave in a hurry when the protesters began shouting 'we won't leave, he must leave,' referring to Mubarak. These are momentous and unprecedented days for Egypt, and every day brings new surprises. |
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(Cairo, February 5,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director Great news this morning, all our Egyptian colleagues detained on February 3 have been released. Late last night the military released Dan Williams of Human Rights Watch, two researchers from Amnesty International and two journalists, one French, the other Portuguese. This morning they freed the Egyptian lawyers and activists who were also picked up in the raid on the Hisham Mubarak Law Center. Ahmed Seif al-Islam, former director of the center, was the last to leave the military camp where they were all held because he was insisting on the return of all the equipment and documents the military took from the center. We are so relieved to have our colleagues back safely. Now we can get back to our work of monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation here. |
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(New York, February 4, 2011) - Egyptian authorities on
February 4, 2011, released researchers from Human Rights
Watch and Amnesty International and two foreign
journalists, but should immediately free Egyptian
colleagues who are still detained, Human Rights Watch said
today. "We are delighted our international colleagues have been released," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "But the Egyptian lawyers and rights monitors held should be freed at once." Those released among more than 30 people arbitrarily arrested on February 3, 2011, were Daniel Williams, a Human Rights Watch researcher; Amnesty International researcher Said Haddadi and a female colleague; and two foreign reporters. Remaining in detention are Ahmed Seif Al Islam, the former director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, and at least nine other lawyers associated with the Hisham Mubarak Law Center or volunteers from the Front to Defend Egypt's Protesters. "The Egyptian government should never have arrested human rights monitors and journalists in the first place," said Roth. "The Egyptians still being held have a vital role to play as Egypt's crisis and serious human right abuses continue. The authorities need to free them without further delay." |
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(Cairo, February 4,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director When lawyers went to Camp 75 and requested access to their detained colleagues, the army officials refused to confirm that they had any of the missing in detention. Those detained include:
1. Dan Williams, US citizen, Human Rights Watch emergency
researcher |
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(Cairo, February 4,
2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher The square is almost surreally calm after the violence of the past two days. Reports of arrests by the military of journalists, especially targeting foreign journalists, and the raid on the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre and arrest of human rights activists, have been greeted with concern by some. But what the calm seems to show is that whoever ordered the thugs out into the streets can also order them to stop. The prime minister's apology and promise to investigate is important but is not enough. What the government has to do is to protect peaceful protesters and stop trying to de-legitimize them through the state media. |
Friday prayers in Tahrir Square, February 4, 2011. |
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(Cairo, February 4,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director |
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(New York, February 3, 2011) - Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director, Middle East North Africa Sarah Leah Whitson in New York received this email tonight from a trusted source in Cairo: Coming home from Tahrir Square to Maadi tonight by car took almost two and a half hours even though the streets were virtually empty, because all the Nile bridges were closed by army checkpoints. First, Tahrir Square was very full when we left around 6:30 pm. My nephew, who has been there every day since this started, says this was the next biggest crowd after Tuesday. The mood was good, better than I expected after the violent events of yesterday and there was plenty of singing and chanting.
We heard occasional gunshots from what sounded like the
other side of the square and there was some tension and
rock-throwing at a couple of the entrances we tried
initially but once inside the square things felt pretty
safe.
Kasr El Nil Bridge was closed so we walked all the way to
Giza to meet relatives for the drive to Maadi. Crossing
Gezeira, we passed two more army checkpoints and were
treated with good humor by the soldiers and civilians. We
tried to cross back to the east bank of Cairo by car, but
all the bridges were closed. We ended up driving south
through Giza, crossing back on Kobry Marazeek way south
of Giza, and then back up to Helwan then Maadi. We must have crossed 15 or more army checkpoints and twice as many civilian ones by the time we got to Maadi. The army guys were unfailingly courteous and good humored, even when turning us away. So were the civilians and the neighborhood watch folks in Maadi.
We learned that tomorrow the army plans to keep the
curfew at 5:00pm but will be closing roads and setting up
checkpoints immediately after prayers. We got this
information from a sympathetic officer at an army
checkpoint south of Helwan, and confirmed it twice in
other checkpoints as we traveled north. Basically, the
army advised that anyone trying to get into downtown
should get there before Friday prayers. At times it did feel like the army was trying to make it up to civilians today. We heard from a doctor in Tahrir Square that they are now getting all the medical supplies they need through the army checkpoints and have been assured by the army that this will continue. That said, we have also had unverified word that the foreign journalist detentions and the arrests at the Hisham Mubarak Law Center were done by army police, not the general security forces or other police. So either the right hand of the army doesn't know what the left hand is doing, or it's some kind of crafty divide and conquer strategy. My sense is that the civilian side of government is probably in disarray. Let's face it, it wasn't that organized even when it had the field to itself. But now we have some members of the cabinet playing hardball with the crowds, others are apologizing for the violence, some longstanding members of the previous cabinet are getting hung out to dry and others circling the wagons. I would bet that they don't know where they are going with this backlash project. It cannot help their morale that some of their colleagues are already having their assets frozen and being put under house arrest by the 'new' government. The edifice built on mutual loyalty and profit is crumbling. This disarray may be true of the army too, but is harder to see. Definitely there is a disconnect between the tough way they are treating activists and foreign journalists on the one hand, and relatively tender approach to the folks in the square. Egypt is pretty calm tonight all things considered. I think that the crowds tomorrow will be very large. |
Marshaling Friday prayers from atop a traffic light in
Tahrir Square, February 4, 2011. |
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(Cairo, February 3,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director Williams' detention is part of a clear campaign against independent eyewitnesses of the violence in Egypt, including journalists and civil society activists. Human Rights Watch condemned the crackdown and called on the Egyptian government to release those detained immediately. The offices of the law center were raided by police and army personnel. The human rights monitors were interrogated in the office before being taken away in a microbus. As they were taken away they were insulted by a group, apparently government supporters, who had gathered in the street. Human Rights Watch is currently unaware of the whereabouts of those who were detained. Egyptian authorities should immediately and safely release our colleague and the other human rights monitors detained today. The authorities should immediately halt the arrest and harassment of independent witnesses to the orchestrated attacks on peaceful demonstrators in Egypt. |
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(Munich, February 3,
2011) - Christoph Wilcke, senior researcher, Middle East
and North Africa Division |
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(Munich, February 3,
2011) - Christoph Wilcke, senior researcher, Middle East
and North Africa Division |
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(Cairo, February 3,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director |
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(February 3, 2011) - Kenneth Roth,
executive director The events in Tahrir Square and elsewhere strongly suggest government involvement in violence against peaceful protesters. The army, which had been controlling access to Tahrir Square very tightly, with tanks at all the main entrances to the square, checking identification cards and searching bags, allowed pro-Mubarak protesters into the square, including men riding horses and camels and brandishing whips. Soldiers mostly stood by and did not act to protect peaceful demonstrators or try to stop the attacks on them. The Egyptian Health Ministry said three people were killed in the violence and more than 600 injured. It boggles the imagination that armed pro-Mubarak demonstrators on camels and horseback could have assembled themselves and passed through army checkpoints without government complicity and coordination. |
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(Cairo, February 2, 2011) -
Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher The Egyptian Army has acknowledged the protesters' right to peaceful protest and assembly, and they should remember that the role of the security forces is to uphold those rights. Maintaining security means showing restraint in the use of force, but also in taking appropriate action against those who are using violence. Restraint does not mean failing to protect when there are violent attacks against peaceful protestors - or allowing in men on horses and camels . |
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(Beirut, February 2, 2011) -
Nadim Houry, Lebanon/Syria researcher Sources in Damascus told me that at around 8:30pm, Syrian security forces violently dispersed a candlelight vigil held for Egyptian protestors. The vigil was held in the Bab Touma neighborhood in old Damascus. The police beat those gathered and took some of them, including known activist Suheir Atassi, to the Bab Touma police station. Suheir has been released and is doing fine. |
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(Gaza, February 2, 2011)
- Bill Van Esveld, Middle East researcher Egyptian authorities should investigate claims from escaped Palestinian prisoners that prison guards used unnecessary lethal force during a prison break, killing and wounding prisoners.We interviewed one escaped prisoner, Omar Shaath, who described heavy shooting during an escape from Abu Zabaal prison, near the Libyan border, and shared with us the short videos that he and other prisoners made with their mobile phones during the prison break, showing wounded men, prison officials firing, and a fire on the prison roof.
Shaath, a resident of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, told us that Egyptian authorities detained him in January 2010 when he tried to enter the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip. He was held without charge for more than a year under Egypt’s emergency law on suspicion of being affiliated with the “Army of Islam” in Egypt. On the afternoon of January 28, 2011, Shaath said, prisoners in the criminal wing of the Abu Zabaal prison began burning food supplies and attempting to escape.Shaath described a chaotic scene as prison guards in a watchtower opened fire on him and other detainees on the third floor of a separate section of the prison as they tried to break through the iron bars and metal mesh on their windows. “Other prisoners were already out of their cells in the prison yard, and when I waved to get their attention, a guard shot at me,” Shaath said. “The guards kept firing when the other prisoners saw us trying to get out and began helping us tear down the windows.”
Prison guards used large amounts of teargas as well,
according to Shaath, but it is not clear if they first
resorted to less lethal means of controlling the
prisoners before opening fire with live ammunition. |
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(Alexandria, February
2, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director The situation at the Northern HQ of the army in Alexandria is very tense. The army has used the HQ as a detention center for all of the suspected looters and other troublemakers handed over to them by the neighborhood security committees since Friday. This is an unfamiliar role for the army, and they are clearly at a loss as to what to do. Many of the detainees are probably innocent, just caught in the wrong neighborhood without identification. About 150 angry relatives are gathered outside the army HQ, desperate for information about their missing relatives. The army has not produced any lists of those they have detained, and have not allowed anyone into the base to visit the detainees. We tried to gain access, but were refused. One old woman told me she had been there since Saturday, looking for her son, and had no news. The relatives are very concerned about the treatment the detainees are receiving. As we were there, a group of female relatives of the detained started a protest, shouting 'We want our children, give us back our children!' The army is in a difficult position, as it has no evidence of wrongdoing by most of the detainees and no judicial system to process or release them. But they are the only functioning security institution. At the very least, the army should publish a complete list of the detainees and allow lawyers to visit them and ensure they are properly treated. And they should release the innocent as soon as possible. |
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(Cairo, February 1, 2011) - Joe
Stork Deputy Director, Middle East and North
Africa It's dark now and I'm in a room overlooking Tahrir Square. There's a huge crowd still, very vocal, lots of chanting - it took a long time to get here at noon because the streets around are sealed off by the army. People don't have mass-produced posters, they're all home-made. The sense of people finally getting their voice is astounding, especially when you compare that with the near-total silence from the government - their response has been little or nothing to say, it's as if they don't know how to respond. I suspect it also reflects divisions within ruling circles about how to respond - how else can you explain that it took Mubarak six hours to speak after the announcement on Friday that he would address the nation? I think that also explains the confusion about the security services - they pulled police off the streets and although we heard that police were ordered back on the streets yesterday we don't see many in Cairo today. I didn't see any police around Tahrir Square or anywhere downtown. There's a very strong sense of civic-mindedness that comes through in the demand for free elections, the slogans, the security. People spontaneously coming out and picking up trash - I've never seen that before in Cairo. The tanks are set up to allow very narrow passages to Tahrir Square and at each one there are young men, self-appointed protest security guards, who check your ID and your bag, almost in single file, two or three people at a time, as the soldiers watch. The idea is not to let in infiltrators, people who might cause trouble. Many prominent people were spotted at the demo today in the crowd (there's no stage, but there are places where someone has a megaphone or has jerry-rigged a loudspeaker on a lamp-post).Many prominent people were seen at the protest: judges, Sheiks from al Azhar university, politicians, actors, and people of all classes - a real cross-section of society. There are more men than women, a few in suits and ties, but there were many women, veiled and unveiled. |
The march swells in Alexandria. February 1, 2011. |
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(Alexandria, February
1, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director And now a second large crowd has come down. Very impressive numbers! This is the front of the crowd. People shouting Freedom and We have had enough.
(Cairo, February 1,
2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies
director Just passed another army roadblock on the Agricultural Road between Cairo and Alexandria. Tank blocking the road in direction of Cairo and officer standing on top of tank with handgun drawn. Lots of angry people and massive traffic jam. Food and other prices have risen at least 20% in most shops since last week, and shortages are starting to show up. Bread, milk, cheese and other main foods are hard to find as shops can't replenish. Most ATMs are not functioning, so it is very difficult for people to find cash.Many shops and restaurants have stayed closed since last Friday out of security concerns. This is leading to increasing frustration as people want life to return to 'normal'. (Cairo, February 1, 2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher Hundreds of people are streaming into the main square 10s of 1000s already there (easily 60,000+) and it's only midday. Hundreds of people are streaming into the main square 10s of 1000s already there (easily 60,000+) and it's only midday. People are checking IDs an searching bags, the woman who searched my bag told me they were making sure no one smuggled in knives /not to cause violence. I can see the Qasr El-Nil bridges across the Nile with hundreds of people on it coming towards the square. On the square the mood is still very festive. In one corner a loud speaker is blasting popular nationalist songs. In other corners, people have brought loud speakers and are chanting slogans. There is a group of Sheikhs from the university of Al-Azhar. In another corner are a group of senior judges with a banner which read: "The Judges and the People are one Hand together" A senior judge made a speech from a loud speaker in which he called for the Minister of the Interior and others to be held accountable and for an end to state of emergency (loud cheer) and for free elections under full judicial supervision. I saw people I know who work for the government who have joined the protest. One sign read: "Christian or Muslim, We are all Egyptian!" |
Start of a March in Alexandria. February 1, 2011. |
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(Cairo, January 31,
2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher: It's very hard to estimate how many people, but it was very loud, sounded like at least a few dozen. I'm not sure what it means, some protesters have told me they're afraid that pro-Mubarak demos will come and pick a fight with protesters in Tahrir Square: classic elections tactics. At election time the use of renta-crowds to support the ruling National Democratic Party is very common and what's worrying is that these are the ruling party supporters who tend to turn violent at election time. I was in Zamalek on the Western side and I could hear the chants coming from the west bank of the Nile, maybe in the direction of Imbaba, a working-class neighborhood about a 15-minute drive from Tahrir Square. Meanwhile, friends of friends who work at phone companies say they believe the phones will be cut tonight or tomorrow morning. Last time they heard that it turned out to be true
(Jerusalem, January 31, 2011) - Bill van Esveld,
Human Rights Watch researcher in Jerusalem An eyewitness told Human Rights Watch that shortly after 2 p.m. on January 31, plainclothes detectives forced three women demonstrators into a civilian car and drove them away. Others who walked away from the planned demonstration were followed by a police detective on a motorcycle, who demanded that they turn over their ID cards and mobile phones. When they handed over their IDs but refused to surrender their phones, the detective called for support to arrest them, and the demonstrators fled, the witness said. One of the women detained told Human Rights Watch that police women apprehended her and took her for questioning at the Gaza City police station, where she saw five other women being held pending interrogation after attending the planned demonstration. Police women told the detainees to sign pledges that they would not participate in demonstrations without first obtaining police permission and would respond to police summons at any time. Women police officers insulted demonstrators who were not wearing headscarves and questioned whether they were really Muslims, and slapped one demonstrator and pulled her hair, witnesses said. The women were later released. Under international human rights law, no restrictions may be placed on the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are strictly necessary and proportionate for national security, public safety, or public order. (Cairo, January 31, 2011) - Joe Stork Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Egypt: Impunity for Torture Fuels Days of Rage Torture is an endemic problem in Egypt and ending police abuse has been a driving element behind the massive popular demonstrations that swept Egypt over the past week - Human Rights Watch has documented the torture in a 95-page report, "'Work on Him Until He Confesses': Impunity for Torture in Egypt." Egyptians deserve a clean break from the incredibly entrenched practice of torture. The Egyptian government's foul record on this issue is a huge part of what is still bringing crowds onto the streets today. Prosecuting torture and ending the emergency laws that enable a culture of impunity for the security forces should be a priority for the new Egyptian government. (Cairo, January 31, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director: Just Left Dora prison: standoff between prisoners inside and army continues, with live fire audible from army or police positions shooting into the prison. Army refused HRW access. Soldiers threatened to shoot us if we didn't leave. An international journalist who was there on Sunday described watching police or army shooting at unarmed prisoners huddling on the roof of a prison building. Obviously shooting unarmed prisoners is a crime. (Cairo, January 31, 2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher: Thousands are still gathered in TSq, reiterating their demands for the departure of Mubarak. There's widespread dissatisfaction with the annucment of the cabinet and the proposed interior minister. Army is controlling the square and checking people's IDs at all entry points. When I asked why a soldier replied: "it's to keep the police out and make sure none of the escaped criminals get in." There are some police elsewhere jn Cairo, some traffic cops, but no state security police anywhere downtown that I can see.
@hebamorayef:
Military officers at entrance to square tell me they are
checking IDs to keep out police and escaped
criminals. (Cairo, January 31, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director: Many essential supplies are running low in Egypt. Gas stations throughout Cairo and Alexandria are closing because they are out of fuel. Food in shops is low, and many shops are rationing how much food people can buy. (Brussels, January 31, 2011) - Kenneth Roth, executive director We've written to the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, urging him to maintain the military's restraint in dealing with protesters and assist in the peaceful transition to democracy. We asked him to shoulder his historic responsibility and help in bring about a swift and orderly transition to a democratic order in which rights are respected. Under international law, the Egyptian military must respect the rights of the Egyptian people to freedom of assembly and peaceful protest against a repressive government. And to the extent that the Armed Forces are engaged in protecting public security, they may use reasonable and proportionate force to prevent crimes, but firearms should only be used in situations of grave and imminent threats of death or serious injury. A failure to abide by these international standards would open individual soldiers, officers and their superiors to investigation and prosecution. (Cairo, January 30, 2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher: Several thousand people remain in Tahrir Square, many say they're planning to spend the night and stay till Mubarak resigns. There was a huge cheer when we heard Mohamed ElBaradei was coming but unfortunately most of us couldn't hear what he said - no loudspeakers, apparently. A crowd of about 800 and lots of journalists crowded around to hear him speak but everyone else just carried on chanting, "Mubarak you must leave." People were also very angry to hear that the Interior Ministry is ordering police back on to the streets - though the Army still has control in Tahrir Square. Yesterday they were calling for the minister's resignation, so they're very upset about that. It's been much more organized today, people going around with loudhailers urging people not to leave. The square has emptied out since the afternoon but it's still a great atmosphere, a sense of solidarity, and very well-behaved – people are sitting around bonfires, or walking around picking up rubbish. Crowds who find occasional looters drag them over to the soldiers and hand them over. And no sexual harassment – which is not the norm downtown, especially when there are big groups gathering! We're happy to be eating koshary – thank goodness vendors are still selling street food because we're starving. (Ramallah, January 30, 2011) - Human Rights Watch Palestinian Authority Disrupts Egypt Solidarity Protest in Ramallah Palestinian Authority security forces shut down a demonstration on January 30, 2011, in front of the Egyptian embassy in Ramallah, after calling in one of the organizers for questioning multiple times on January 29 and ordering him to cancel the event notice that he had created on Facebook. Human Rights Watch monitored the demonstration and spoke with participants. At around 4 p.m., the first of roughly 40 to 50 Palestinian demonstrators began to gather in front of the embassy to show solidarity for ongoing protests in Egypt, but were met by 20 armed police who immediately tried to confiscate cameras and ordered a journalist to turn off her microphone and recorder. Security agents wearing masks drove up in a Palestinian Preventive Security service jeep – which was driving very fast, apparently to intimidate protesters – and were soon joined by officers in two other jeeps and three police cars, and a van of the kind the PA uses for arrests and prisoner transport. Demonstrators said they had expected a higher turnout, but that Palestinian security agencies had called in one of the organizers of the protest for questioning three times in the last 24 hours and told him to cancel the event because "there were orders that no event related to Tunisia or Egypt was allowed at this time." Members of the Facebook page calling for the demonstration received Facebook messages late last night saying that it was canceled. Security forces pushed the demonstrators around 300 meters away from the Egyptian embassy. At that point, a man who identified himself as a police commander said the demonstrators were in a "security area" and would have to disperse. Several women demonstrators told the police that Palestinian law required the demonstrators to notify the authorities 48 hours in advance and that they had done so. Women also convinced three policemen to release a demonstrator they had seized and dragged away when he shouted, "Long live Egypt!" The police dispersed the protest after one hour. Human Rights Watch called on the Palestinian Authority to stop security forces' arbitrary interference with peaceful demonstrations (Kuwait, January 30, 2011) - Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director, Middle East North Africa The Egyptian government continued its efforts to interfere with access to information about the events in Egypt by revoking the Al Jazeera Network's license to broadcast from the country. Al Jazeera reported that its Arabic service had been taken off Nilesat and that the government was planning to shut down its Cairo bureau. Shutting down Al Jazeera is a sign of just how desperate the government has become to cut Egyptians off from news, information, and communication. |
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(Suez, January 30, 2011) - Joe
Stork Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa
Division: Just back from Suez where we met the director of the main hospital, who confirmed 17 dead so far. On Friday 12 dead, killed by gunfire, and 104 injured, three dead on Thursday and 2 more gunshot victims on Saturday. This is the largest medical facility in Suez City, one of two big public hospitals. The atmosphere in Suez is tense, the big complaint is the absence of security. A lot of rubble in the streets from stone-throwing, street battles etc. The army is out in force, tanks are stationed on the streets and the area around the main government buildings is completely blocked off. A major police station that on Thursday was surrounded by security and said to be holding many detainees picked up at protests was torched and is now gutted. Police and government officials have pulled out so there are no government services - the governor's been gone since Tuesday so there's a power vacuum. People formed impromptu block committees to provide local security, armed (they say) with only sticks and kitchen knives. The locals say the only people with weapons are police who've taken off their uniforms and are responsible for most of the looting and crime. (Cairo, January 30, 2011) - Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher: At least 20,000 protesters in Tahrir square now, it's absolutlely packed. Two fighter jets have been flying overhead for the last 10 minutes - people are cheering the flyovers. They're chanting "we will not leave until he leaves" and "long live the crescent together with the cross." There are judges, independent journalists, the Muslim Brotherhood, the National Association for Change, April 6th movement - all standing together and leading the chants. I'm in Tahrir Square and there must be 7,000 people already, a festive mood inside the square, families, a few with children and many women, veiled and unveiled. That shows people feel safe. People are chanting enthusiastically, "Get out!", aimed at Mubarak. Someone strung up a large banner between two lamp-posts with their demands: that Mubarak should resign, Mubarak should be held to account for the destruction of Egypt, the Interior Minister should be prosecuted and a temporary government should be created to restore the nation and dissolve parliament. People are holding up signs all over the square, some hand-made, some printed, all saying more or less the same thing - Down with Mubarak, the people and the Army against the enemy, stop police vandalism or police are terrorizing people. These last refer to widespread reports that some looting was carried out by police. They haven't been seen on the streets of Cairo since 6pm on Friday. It's the first day of the working week but most shops and offices are closed. Only a few food stores are open. (Alexandria, January 30, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director: Hospitals in Alexandria and Cairo are requesting that people come in and donate blood. The Cairo-Alexandria desert road is blocked because of a prison outbreak at Wadi Natroun - several thousand prisoners released. The army is deployed. Residents of local villages say the prison had 8,000 inmates. The old Cairo-Alexandria "agricultural road" is open and traffic is running smoothly. People in Menoufeyya say criminals stopping cars at night demanding money. But day travel is safe. |
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(Alexandria, January 29, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert,
emergencies director: 2 looters were just caught in Muharram Beyh neighborhood of Alexandria who had police ID cards and were members of undercover plainclothes force. Looting is reported in Alexandria, in the low-income neighborhoods of Bokkla, Sidi Bishr and Assafre.
(Alexandria, January 29, 2011) - Peter
Bouckaert, emergencies director: The Egyptian government has got to rein in its security forces on the streets of Egypt's cities today. Things are very tense in Alexandria. Large protests are ongoing. The police stations appear to have all been burned. Yesterday, demonstrators tried to burn down the building of intelligence services, but seem not to have succeeded. The army is not intervening -- so far. |
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Watching a New
Beginning in Egypt (Alexandria, January 28, 2011) - Egyptians in Alexandria did the unimaginable on Friday, fending off a police attack for the first time in their lives. They are walking around in shock, unable to digest the significance of what they have done. A few hours ago, everyone was saying: Now, the army will come. But it is no longer clear on whose side the army will intervene. Tomorrow is the first day of a new Egypt.
Egypt: Demonstrators Defy Riot Police,
Censorship
Egypt:
Nationwide Internet Blackout Endangers Rights
(Alexandria, January 28, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert,
emergencies director: |
Soldiers talk to protesters in Alexandria, on January 28, 2011. © 2011 Human Rights Watch |
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(Alexandria, January 28, 2011) - Peter Bouckaert,
emergencies director: Then the police just gave up, at about the time of afternoon prayers. Protesters gave water to police and talked to them. It was was all peaceful. Hundreds of protesters were praying in the street. Now walking down to downtown Alexandria, the whole road is packed as far as we can see, people shouting slogans against [Hosni] Mubarak and his son Gamal. Asking others to join them. It is a very festive atmosphere. Women in veils, old men, children, I even saw a blind man being led. And there are no police anywhere. |
Police cars on fire in front of Alexandria's Siddi Brahim mosque. © 2011 Human Rights Watch |
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Egypt: The View From Liberation Square |
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Interview with Washington director Tom Malinowski |