The Green Wave (2010), a documentary-collage about the 2009 protests in Iran against fraudulent presidential elections and the subsequent crackdown on what became known as the Green Movement, is now available nationwide for viewing (trailer here). The L.A. Times calls the film “deeply moving,” and NPR calls it “soulful.”

You can find the film on Movies on Demand and iTunes. POMED screened the film at the West End Cinema last night, featuring remarks from Iran experts Alireza Nader of the RAND Corporation, Jamal Abdi from the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), and Suzanne Maloney from Brookings.

On Thursday The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion and screening of The Green Wave (2010) which featured speakers Alireza Nader, Senior International Policy Analyst for the Rand Corporation; Jamal Abdi, Policy Director for the National Iranian American Council; and Suzanne Maloney, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. The discussion was moderated by Stephen McInerney, Executive Director of POMED. The trailer for the film can be viewed here.

For full event notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF version.  Read more…

Photo Credit: Ahram Online

Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of a television station owned by conservative, anti-revolution talk show host Tawfiq Okasha Thursday. Okasha’s Faraeen satellite television channel, which is known for its ultra-nationalist, anti-revolutionary, anti-Brotherhood stances, ceased transmission yesterday after authorities ordered the station’s closure for at least one month. The closure follows a lawsuit filed by the Freedom and Justice Party, which has accused Okasha of encouraging attacks on President Morsi.

Meanwhile, Egyptian security claims that authorities have arrested nine Islamic militants in the norther Sinai, believed to be linked to last weekend’s attacks that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. The arrests, which are the first since Sunday’s attacks, took place during joint army and police patrols searching for criminals in North Sinai province. The arrests came after an amassing of troops in the region, where according to Aljazeera, “Military trucks carrying dozens of armored personnel carriers mounted with machine guns rolled through the town of al-Arish heading eastwards.” In a televised statement, the Egyptian armed forces called on residents and Bedouin tribes in Sinai to help troops restore order and fulfill their security tasks.

Finally, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems released a report that “examines the legal challenges against the electoral systems used in the recent elections, the impact of decisions made by the Supreme Constitutional Court, and what the future electoral framework might look like.”

According to reports, veteran diplomat and former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi, who played a role in negotiating the end of the Lebanese civil war, will be named as the new UN-Arab League envoy to Syria in place of Kofi Annan. The appointment remains unconfirmed and other contenders include ex-Spanish foreign affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and Javier Solana, a former NATO chief and European Union foreign policy leader. The announcement came as rebels in Aleppo took heavy fire from regime forces backed by jets, helicopters, artillery and tanks, forcing the rebels to retreat from portions of the city.

Meanwhile, British foreign secretary William Hague  pledged additional support to the Syrian opposition, announcing a package of £5 million in non-lethal aid. The announcement came as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced an additional $5.5 million in aid to Syria. Additionally, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird flew to the region to meet with Jordanian and Lebanese diplomats, aiming to boost Canada’s role in the Syria crisis and offer additional support to the two countries largely impacted by Syrian refugees. The diplomatic visits occurred as the U.N. announced that more than 150,000 people have fled Syria since unrest began last year, more than a third of which have fled to Turkey.

Finally, Christopher Dickey writes that Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq will continue to feel the negative effects of the Syrian conflict despite efforts to keep a safe distance. Jonathan Marcus asks how Syria’s Kurdish minority will benefit from the crisis, and Andrew Bossone discusses how various media outlets are covering the conflict and what that means for the fight going forward.

AFP/Getty Images

A civilian appeals court in Bahrain reduced the sentences of 15 protesters convicted last year in a much-criticized military court. The protesters had been charged with attempted murder of a police officer and been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The new court dropped all charges for 4 of the 15, and lowered sentences for the remaining 11 to between 6 months and two years.

Meanwhile the country’s leading opposition party, al-Wefaq, while meeting with the minister of justice, demanded a more serious dialogue with the government. The delegation of opposition members met with the minister to discuss issues of political association and to complain of police violence against protesters. State news agency BNA reported that the justice minister called on “all parties to renounce violence,” echoing earlier government statements last week that rejected bilateral talks with the opposition because of violence.

Also, Amnesty International issued a statement demanding the release of 13 Bahraini opposition activists whose appeal decisions are due out next week. In condemning the prisoner’s convictions as “a travesty of justice,” the statement urges the government to use the appeals trial to show their promised commitment to reform, while also calling for an investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment.

Photo Credit: ChinaDaily

Iran convened a ”consultative meeting” of representatives from around 20 countries Thursday in Tehran to discuss the crisis in Syria. While the attendance list remains unknown, Russia confirmed that their ambassador would be present, and China, India, Algeria, Pakistan, and Iraq, among others, were also suspected to attend. Lebanon notably refused their invitation due to its policy of “restraint” in Syria, as did Kuwait. In a Washington Post opinion piece announcing the conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi reiterated his country’s desire to play a negotiating role in Syria, as well as Iran’s support for a solution “that will allow the Syrian people to decide their destiny.” Also, in a sign of rising tensions with Turkey, Iran suspended special arrangements between the countries that had let Turks travel to country without visas.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Vice President Hamid Baghaei met with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi Wednesday in what is the highest level meeting between the two countries since before the Iranian revolution 1979. The visit avoided any major policy discussions, focusing instead on the symbolic nature of the meeting, with Baghaei also inviting Morsi to the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in the Iranian capital later this month.

Additionally, senior cleric Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani condemned media restrictions in Iran during a recent conference with independent journalists, saying the country’s supreme leader “should welcome expert criticism from the media…to guarantee the health of the Revolutionary path.”

At a conference in Tehran, Iran’s minister of communication and information technology announced that all government ministries will go offline in September to protect the government from cyber attacks. The move will be the first step in a plan to move the country away from a global internet in “the hands of one or two specific countries” and instead construct an Iranian intranet by 2013. The new network, in the style of North Korea’s Kwangmyong intranet, will be censored to adhere to strict moral standards.

Photo Credit: C-SPAN

Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was at the Council on Foreign Relations Wednesday speaking about U.S. policy toward Yemen. “Two months ago, a number of experts on Yemen wrote an open letter to President Obama arguing that there is a perception that the United States is singly focused on AQAP to the exclusion of Yemen’s broader political, economic, and social ills,” Brennan said, referencing the Yemen Policy Initiative letter coordinated by the Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council and the Project on Middle East Democracy. The letter, which can be found here, recommended that the president reevaluate the drone strikes strategy while providing Yemen with political, economic, and humanitarian support so the country can achieve long-term stability. ”President Obama understands that Yemen’s challenges are grave and intertwined,” Brennan said. “He has insisted that our policy emphasize governance and development as much as security, and focus on a clear goal to facilitate a democratic transition while helping Yemen advance political, economic, and security reforms, so it can support its citizens and counter AQAP [Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula].”

The State Department also issued a fact sheet highlighting U.S. government assistance to Yemen. U.S. assistance for Yemen is projected to total $337 million for FY 2012, which includes development and transition assistance toward electoral reform, improving service delivery, providing youth with civic opportunities, and job creation.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government has reportedly foiled a plot by an al-Qaeda linked group to carry out attacks in Sana’a. The Defense Ministry also said seven militants were detained in Jaar, where a suicide bomber killed 45 tribal fighters earlier in the week.

Photo Credit: Reuters

Tunisian activist and blogger Lina Ben Mhenni recounted on her blog her beating by police during a sit in in front of parliament on August 5th in what she described as a “scene…worthy of December 2010.” Police broke up the planned demonstration to protest failings of the Ennahda government, during which Mhenni says she was detained by around 10 officers and received blows to the head and legs. “One of them was holding me by the neck, two others tried to tear out my bag whereas the others were having fun beating me and tearing my clothes,” she recalls, adding that the officers also stole her camera.

Meanwhile, a government proposal for a new media regulatory committee drew criticism from the National Union of Tunisian Journalists over concerns that the body’s lack of independence would interfere with the freedom of journalists. In a statement rejecting the proposal, the union cited a change that lets the government be “able to choose the members of the regulatory committee by itself. This interferes with the independence of journalism, and will put us back under censorship.” The proposal will still be presented before the entire National Constituent Assembly for ratification.

Also expressing concerns for press freedoms, Amnesty International released a statement saying there is “growing evidence in Tunisia that the new government is increasing restrictions on basic freedoms.” The group cited the recent arrest of blogger Sofiane Shurabi and two friends for drinking alcohol in public.

In addition, Samuel McNeil reports on the controversy swirling around a compensation fund for political prisoners from the Ben Ali era, one critics say is a means to buy votes for Ennahda. The $470 million fund for 11,000 victims has been derided by protesters and government officials alike, including  former Finance Minister Hussein Dimassi who cited the fund as a reason for his resignation. Because the Ben Ali regime persecuted Islamists, many including Dimassi say the fund’s creation was partisan, and question the timing when the country faces major financial challenges.

Photo Credit: Mamfakinch

Reporters Without Borders expressed serious concern for the safety of Moroccan journalist Hamid Naïmi due to what the group alleges is ”almost constant harassment and… death threats.” Naïmi lives and reports in the Spanish enclave of Melilla where he participates in television programs that investigate embezzlement and corruption by Moroccan officials. Since the program’s debut on July 6, Naïmi has received threatening phone calls and has been followed by unknown people suspected to be from the Moroccan government and the Department for Territorial Surveillance.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Libyan officials, including Interim Prime Minister Abderrahim El Kib arrived in Morocco Tuesday for a two day visit to discuss economic cooperation and mutual concerns about security in Mali. The meeting follows last week’s signing of an agreement loosening restrictions on the movement of citizens between the two countries.

In addition, Morocco is cracking [French] down on illegal immigrants living in the kingdom due to perceptions that many are trained and armed “war criminals.” Assanatou Balde writes on how this view of immigrants in Morocco has persisted in political discourse and in the press, and has been used as justification by police for detentions, tortures, and forced expulsions.

Also, Youssef Aït Akdim comments [French] on the phrasing of King Mohammad VI’s speech last week calling for continued reforms, which in his view took aim at both Islamists in government and youth movements in the streets. The king spoke of recent reforms as being “neither a fact of chance nor a product of circumstances,” but instead as the outcome of a long trajectory of modernization led by “fully sovereign will.” Akdim argues the king’s wording intentionally sought to marginalize remaining youth protesters, while the king’s call to protect certain government programs from “political tendencies that would deviate from the noble trajectory” as a direct shot at the ruling Islamist party.

Photo Credit: Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Ali Shuaib

According to Reuters, an Omani court sentenced 12 people to up to one year in jail for “illegal gathering” Wednesday, in what appears to be continued dissent over joblessness and the pace of reform. The 12 defendants are  now arranging to pay a bail of 1,000 rials ($2,600) each since they say they want to appeal against the sentencing. However, “Since the judgement came at the end of the day’s proceedings, we had no chance of filing appeal or applying for bail,” Badar Al Bahry, a lawyer representing the defence, told Gulf News.

On Monday, eight others were sentenced to a year in prison for internet posts a court considered “incitement” against the government. A court official told Reuters, “They have been convicted of abusive writing and incitement on the Internet and were also found guilty of slander and violation of the Information Technology Law,” adding that the defendants criticized the government for inefficiency in job creation and crackdowns on recent protests. Oman has now sentenced 29 people for either allegedly defaming Sultan Qaboos Bin Saaed and committing cybercrime or for wrongful gatherings.

Meanwhile, a recent editorial in the Washington Post criticizes recent U.S. policy in nearby Bahrain. According to the editorial board, efforts to strengthen the position of moderates within the monarchy like Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, are “clearly not working.” Instead, the editorial recommends taking the position of Tom Malinowski, who “proposed that officials and security force members linked to human rights crimes be denied U.S. visas and access to the U.S. banking system.” “Since Bahrain regularly denies visas to critical U.S. journalists and human rights activists,” the editors note, “it should have no cause for complaint if those who are sustaining its repression are similarly sanctioned.”

Photo Credit: AFP

The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) is preparing to hand over power to the assembly that Libyans elected one month ago. Mustafa Abdel Jalil will transfer authority to the eldest member of the assembly tomorrow in a late-evening ceremony in Tripoli, after which the NTC will officially be dissolved. A committee will also be chosen to write internal procedural rules for the assembly.

Najla Abdurrahman writes for Al-Jazeera on developments on the ground in Libya this summer and criticizes coverage in Western media which has portrayed the country as chaotic, a representation she says is largely false: “alarmist descriptions of unbridled violence, chaos and state failure are simply untenable at this point, and betray a lack of judiciousness in much of the current discussion on Libya.”

Additionally, Libyan Prime Minister Abderrahim al-Kib visited Egypt Monday, where he met with various ministers and discussed bringing Egyptian workers back to Libya, border restrictions, and economic cooperation. Al-Kib was in Morocco Tuesday, where leaders also discussed economic cooperation, as well as the crisis in Mali, which has been exacerbated by the flow of weapons from Libya.

Meanwhile, Western music can now be heard on Libyan radio for the first time in decades. Radio Zone, a station founded by young Libyans after the uprising, broadcasts hip-hop and rock music, and English-language programming, all of which were banned under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Young workers at the station talked about the importance of newly free outlets for expression: “Now we have a say, and we care. The youngsters are watching and they are not going to tolerate another Gaddafi.”

Photo Credit: Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP

Only four members of Kuwait’s 50 seat parliament attended a session on Tuesday to swear in a new cabinet, in the second such boycott in a week. The speaker of the assembly said that he will not try to convene another such assembly, and will instead “take the matter to his highness the emir,” making the prospects for the body’s dissolution much more likely.

Meanwhile, the ruling al-Sabah family continues to distance themselves from one of its own members who had criticized the government for corruption. An official press release touted the royal family’s pride in Kuwait’s democracy while condemning any family members “who misuse their freedom of expression to instigate chaos through the media.” In particular, the statement adds “We outrightly reject the statements issued by Sheikh Meshal and we have repeatedly asked him to give up his wrong ideologies.” Sheikh Meshal was arrested last week for expressing political views deemed offensive after suggesting on Twitter that he would run for parliament and expose corruption.

Also, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen blasts neighboring United Arab Emirates for what he calls a disturbing trajectory that “suggests that its rulers are simply unable or unwilling to comprehend or tolerate any form of political plurality.” With 50 people detained since May 2012, of whom the whereabouts of 38 remain unknown, and a political structure with little institutionalized constraints on the royal family’s power, Ulrichsen argues that the UAE has marked itself as “one of the most authoritarian political systems in the region.” Ulrichsen also laments that given the heavy investment of foreign institutions in the country, the likelihood of Western objection to these alarming crackdowns remains slim.

Photo Credit: Mohamed Omar/EPA

The Secretary General of Egypt’s Constitutional Assembly, Amr Darrag, announced Tuesday that the country’s new constitution will be drafted by the week’s end. According to Darrag, all committees have finished reviewing proposals and will submit their suggestions to the drafting committee, who will then present a constitution to the full assembly. The vote on whether to keep Egypt’s upper house, the Shura Council, will also take place this week.

Additionally, in a post on their website, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood placed the blame for Sunday’s attack in Sinai that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers on Israel’s spy agency Mossad. The Islamist group alleged that Mossad plotted the attack in an attempt to thwart the revolution and cast a shadow on the Morsi administration. Israel, however, has blamed Hamas for the attack.

Meanwhile, the Rafah border station, the only Gaza crossing controlled by Egypt, has been closed until further notice, the government announced Tuesday. The closure is part of a broader campaign to assert control of all movement across the border, including an effort to seal off smuggling tunnels into Gaza that bring people as well as goods back and forth. Gazans reportedly waited in long lines Monday to buy supplies for fear that the tunnel closures will lead to soaring prices.

Also, the Washington Post editorial board argues that Sunday’s attack in the Sinai is further evidence of the urgent need for increased U.S. cooperation with the Egyptian government on the security of “a border vital to the preservation of Middle East peace.” Rather than U.S military aid being spent on F-16′s and other weapons systems, the board says these funds would be better allocated to counterinsurgency and intelligence training for “what will be, at best, a difficult and prolonged campaign to restore order in the Sinai.”

In addition, Barak Barfi writes that the U.S. is overly focused on Egypt’s transition to democracy at the expense of addressing the vast structural problems which, he says, are at the root of popular discontent. “Egyptians are focused on purifying an ossified political system that prevents social mobility and is rife with corruption,” Barfi writes, adding that the power struggle between the Brotherhood and the military is neglecting this demand, and so the U.S. must step in to refocus their priorities.

Photo Credit: AP

Bahrain’s Cheif Prosecutor, Nawaf Hamza, announced Monday that 15 police officers will be charged with the torture of doctors who were detained during last year’s uprisings. The plaintiffs said they were badly mistreated during their detention. ”This procedure confirms the intention of the Bahrain government to bring to account all those found guilty of human rights violations and to recompense the victims,” Hamza said. The official statement of the International Affairs Authority claimed the charges “came as part of the serious commitment to punish all human rights violations.”

However Justin Gengler notes that the Government of Bahrain has been under very little external pressure for political reform. “Substantive political changes have been off the table,” he argues, “replaced by a nearly single-minded concern for police reform.” While police reform is important, “even better would be to begin to address some of the underlying concerns motivating people to take to the streets for the past decade or more,” says Gengler.

Meanwhile, The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), called for the immediate release of Nabeel Rajab, the President of the BCHR and director of the GCHR, and to drop all charges against him. Rajab was recently sentenced to a three month jail sentence for comments made on Twitter. His lawyers filed two appeals, the first one requesting that the sentence be commuted into community work, which was rejected, and a second appeal requesting to have the sentence suspended.

Additionally, Reuters reports that a Bahraini policeman has been seriously wounded in a petrol bomb attack Tuesday. A government statement said that 700 policemen had been hurt since protests began last year. Also Bahrain’s Court of Appeals lowered the prison sentences of two Bahraini citizens arrested during political unrest. Wael Mahdi of Bloomberg reports that, “The court sentenced Younis Achouri, 63, the manager of Muharraq maternity hospital, to one year in prison instead of three for stealing oxygen cylinders from the hospital and transferring it to Pearl Roundabout during last year’s riots,” and “lowered a 3-year prison sentence on another citizen to 18 months for being involved in the killing of a police officer.”

Photo Credit: Bernard Avishai

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is calling for parliamentary elections in the West Bank to be held soon, without waiting for a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. He compared the Gaza-West Bank split to that of East and West Germany during the Cold War, and said that it does not make sense to stall on elections simply because of the division. President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he will not allow such elections unless East Jerusalem residents can vote as well, to which Fayyad countered that “we are creating obstacles by saying, ‘if we can’t do it in Jerusalem, then we can’t do it’”. Meanwhile, voter registration in the West Bank opened on Sunday for local elections to be held in October. The same elections commission was supposed to register voters in Gaza in July, but Hamas cancelled the process before it began.

Israelis are still taking to the streets over economic inequality, and the most recent demonstrations have seen thousands protesting against government austerity measures which include steep tax hikes and spending cuts. Protesters are also calling for universal conscription for military or community service, as opposed to the current exemptions which allow religious Jewish Israelis to defer military service. The Workers Advice Center writes on the cuts, contending that instead of stimulating economy activity and creating jobs, they will worsen the economy and cause more unemployment: “This is a slap in the face for the social protest movement which for over a year has been demanding social justice and a halt to the privatization and retrenchment of public services.”

More details are emerging about the attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border in the Sinai. The Israeli government had been issuing warnings about the increasing lawlessness in the Sinai for months, but both Hamas and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood made accusations yesterday that the Mossad was somehow behind the incident. The Washington Post published an editorial yesterday warning of the dangers of Islamic extremism and destabilization in the Sinai, and Issandr el-Amrani writes at The Arabist about the consequences and potential ramifications of the attack for Egyptian politics, the peace process, and the status of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah.

Photo Credit: globalhumanrights.org

Anti-government protesters clashed with hundreds of police in the Tunisian capital as they attempted to rally against government corruption. The Interior Ministry had banned demonstrations for Sunday in Tunis, and police attempting to prevent gatherings confronted protesters. In addition to claims of corruption and favoritism in the nation’s government, activists say the objectives of the revolution have not been met. One of the protesters, Ghada Ahmad, said, “We have to claim the right for an independent judiciary, an independent elections committee and to claim the right for better social and economic situation,” adding, “We haven’t been allowed to gather and to protest. We’ve been aggressed physically and verbally.”

Meanwhile, blogger and secular activist, Sofian Shurabi, was arrested Sunday for allegedly drinking alcohol during the month of Ramadan. Shurabi, who works for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, became well known for his scathing criticism of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s policies prior to the revolution. “He may be charged with public drunkenness and breaching morality and could be jailed for six months if found guilty,” Shurabi’s lawyer said.

Additionally, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Tunisia’s elected National Constituent Assembly to address the draft law, which they claim lacks protection against the arbitrary removal of judges. Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, said “An independent judiciary is a key pillar of a democratic government. The assembly should adopt strong safeguards for judicial independence.” According to HRW, the draft law “would give the prime minister discretionary power to accept or reject the decisions of the council regarding appointments, promotions, and transfers of judges, thus perpetuating effective executive control over the judiciary.”

Photo Credit: Reuters

In the most senior defection to date, Syrian Prime Minister Riyad al-Hijab, along with two as-yet unnamed ministers, fled to Jordan Monday to join “the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution,” according to the prime minister’s spokesman. Syrian state media announced shortly after the news that Hijab left because he had been fired, and will be replaced by deputy Prime Minister Omar Ghaliwanji in a caretaker government. Hijab’s spokesman rejected the government’s version of events, saying the prime minister had originally only taken the position under death threats and had been planning his defection with the Free Syrian Army for at least three months.

Additionally, a Syrian National Council spokesman announced that another 15 diplomats and officials are planning to defect, adding that “the unravelling of the regime has entered a very sensitive phase”. A U.S. official traveling with Secretary Clinton echoed the SNC wording, saying the defection is proof that the Syrian regime is “crumbling,” while calling on more officials to defect.

Meanwhile, a bomb exploded on the third floor of Syrian Arab News Agency’s headquarters in Damascus. The attack on the state news agency, however, did not interrupt broadcasting and resulted only in minor injuries. Also, armed rebels who kidnapped 48 Iranian pilgrims have reportedly threatened to kill the hostages unless the government halts its assault on Damascus. The group announced that three Iranians had already been killed in government shelling, and that the government has one hour to spare the remaining 45.

POMED’s Weekly Wire for August 6th is now available. This week we cover these top stories:

• Bahraini Protests Sparked, Activist Arrested

• New Cabinet Announced in Egypt

• Deadly Clashes with Protesters in Saudi

• Pressure on Jordanian King Mounting

• Annan Resigns from Syria Mission 

Photo Credit: AP

Unknown gunmen in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi kidnapped seven Iranian members of the International Red Crescent last week shortly after their arrival in the country to help with relief work. Despite rumors that the seven would be released Friday, the aid workers remain with their abductors somewhere south of Benghazi, and thus far no clear demands have been made for their release. An official who has been in contact with the captors says the group is made of religious extremists who kidnapped the workers to ensure they would not spread Shiite Islam in the country.

Meanwhile, Iran has reached out to Turkey and Qatar for help in securing the release of 48 religious pilgrims kidnapped from their bus in Damascus. Both the Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers agreed to assist in mediation, but the abductors reportedly believe the pilgrims are fighters sent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and have not been willing to negotiate.

Additionally, Iranian human rights activists report that the government has been rounding up Baha’i citizens, with at least 10 arrested this week alone. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Iranian police have detained at least 20 members of the unrecognized faith in the last three weeks in Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad, with authorities searching their homes to confiscate computers, books, and other documents.

Photo Credit: Gubta

Kurdish rebels with the PKK launched simultaneous attacks on three military posts in Hakkari province near the Iraqi border Sunday, killing 14 rebels, 6 soldiers, and 2 village guards. The Turkish government responded sharply by sending reinforcements and attack helicopters to chase down the fighters, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned other countries that may be aiding the PKK that Turkey is ‘‘powerful enough to bring into line enemy-country (puppet masters) who hold the strings of the terror organization.’’ The attack comes as Turkey intensifies its military campaign against rebel fighters in the southeast. The Turkish army claims to have killed at least 37 rebels with a lose of 2 soldiers, but the PKK claims to have shot down 2 helicopters and killed 49 soldiers since the offensive started.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Gettleman reports on rising tensions between Alawites and majority Sunni Muslims in Turkey due to the minority community’s support for Syrian President and fellow Alawite Bashar al-Assad. Turkey’s Alawites comprise nearly 20 percent of the population, but with Sunni Muslims largely on the side of Syrian rebels and the influx of refugees with strong anti-Alawite sentiments, many in the sect fear violent reprisals seen in Syria may spread to Turkey.

Also, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Sunday that she will travel to Istanbul next weekend for bilateral talks with the Turkish government about Syria and “other timely issues.” The last minute addition will follow the secretary’s current tour of Africa.