People power forces change in Tunisia

[vanlose kid]

9.50am: This graph, by the Arbor Networks, graphically illustrates how internet activity has dropped off a cliff in the last 12 hours. (Thanks to Nighthood, in the comments section, for the tip).

9.39am: As the internet is down, getting information out of Egypt is proving much more difficult today. But foreign correspondents are getting around the restrictions.

CNN's Ben Wedeman says he "momentarily" has access to the internet.

He just tweeted:

Just saw blue fiat entering main tv building in Maspiro when guards opened trunk, full of baseball bats. Car allowed in #egypt #jan25

Another tweet says:

Cairo in COMPLETE lockdown. Security everywhere, including special forces. Government once again warning protests BANNED.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/201 ... s#block-12

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[vanlose kid]

Egypt's Reality Now
To all the people of world

The people in Egypt are under governmental siege. Mubarak regime is banning Facebook, Twitter, and all other popular internet sites. Tomorrow the government will block the 3 mobile phone network and the internet completely. And there is news that even the phone landline will be cut tomorrow, to prevent any news agency from following what will happen.

Suez city is already under siege now. The government cut the water supply and electricity, people, including, children and elderly are suffering there now. The patients in hospitals cannot get urgent medical care. The injured protestors are lying in the streets and the riot police are preventing people from helping them. The families of the killed protestors cannot get the bodies of their sons to bury them. This picture is the same in north Saini (El-Sheikh zoyad city) and in western Egypt (Al-salom). The riot police is cracking down on protestors in Ismailia, Alexandria, Fayoum, Shbin Elkoum, and Cairo, the capital, in many neighborhoods across the city.

The government is preparing to crackdown on the protestors in all Egyptian cities. They are using tear gas bombs, rubber and plastic pullets, chemicals like dilutes mustard gas against protestors. Several protestors today have been killed when the armored vehicles of the riot police hit them. Officials in plain clothes carrying blades and knives used to intimidate protestors.

All this has been taken place over the past three days during the peaceful demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. Now, with the suspicious silence of the local media and the lack of coverage from the international media, Mubarak and his gang are blocking all the channels that can tell the world about what is happening.

People who call for their freedom need your support and help. Will you give them a hand?

The activists are flooding the net (youtube and other sites) with thousands of pictures and videos showing the riot police firing on armless people. The police started to use ammunition against protestors. 15-year old girl has been injured and another 25 year old man has been shot in the mouth. While nothing of these has appeared in the media, there is more to happen tomorrow. Will you keep silent? Will you keep your mouth shut while seeing all these cruelty and inhumane actions?

We don’t ask for much, just broadcast what is happening.

[report comment]
Hijabi of IL @ Jan 27, 2011 23:05:56 PM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/co ... nk/9333431

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/201 ... e-in-egypt

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[moved from p. 9]

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[vanlose kid]

Egyptian government 'on last legs' says ElBaradei
Exclusive: Mohamed ElBaradei says he is sending a message 'to the Guardian and to the world'

Jack Shenker in Cairo and Haroon Siddique
guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 09.47 GMT

The Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei warned President Hosni Mubarak today that his regime is on its "last legs", as tens of thousands of people prepared to take to the streets for a fourth day of anti-government protests.

The Nobel peace prize winner's comments to the Guardian represented his strongest intervention against the country's authoritarian government since he announced his intention to return to Egypt to join the protests. "I'm sending a message to the Guardian and to the world that Egypt is being isolated by a regime on its last legs," he said.

His words marked an escalation with the language he used on arrival in Cairo last night, when he merely urged the Mubarak government to "listen to the people" and not to use violence.

He has been criticised by some Egyptians for his late return to his homeland, two days after the protests began - hundreds of people have already been arrested and exposed to the brutal tactics of the security services. But ElBaradei was keen to stress his solidarity with the protesters.

"There is of course a risk to my safety today, but it's a risk worth taking when you see your country in such a state you have to take risks," he said. "I will be with the people today."

In an apparent bid to scupper today's protests, the Egyptian authorities have cut off almost all access to the internet from inside and outside the country. ElBaradei described the move as proof the government was in "a state of panic".

"Egypt today is in a pre-information age," he said. "The Egyptians are in solitary confinement – that's how unstable and uncomfortable the regime is. Being able to communicate is the first of our human rights and it's being taken away from us. I haven't seen this in any other country before."

He said the lack of communications could hamper organisation of today's demonstrations, planned to begin after Friday prayers. "I don't know what my hopes are for today," he said. "It would be hard with the communications cut off but I think a lot of people will be turning out." Organisers of todays' marches – dubbed "the Friday of anger and freedom" – are defying a government ban on protests issued on Wednesday. They have been using social media to co-ordinate, and hope to rally even more than the tens of thousands who turned out on Tuesday in the biggest protests since 1977.

ElBaradei has already criticised US secretary of state Hillary Clinton for describing the Egyptian government as "stable" and he stepped up his calls for the international community to explicitly condemn Mubarak, who is a close ally of the US.

"The international community must understand we are being denied every human right day by day," he said. "Egypt today is one big prison. If the international community does not speak out it will have a lot of implications. We are fighting for universal values here. If the west is not going to speak out now, then when?"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ja ... NTCMP=SRCH

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[vanlose kid]

9.26am: Tony Blair, former prime minister and Middle East peace envoy, has echoed America's ambiguous line on Egypt.

My colleague Andrew Sparrow writes:

In an interview on the Today programme Blair said Egypt should "evolve and modernise", but that change should happen in an ordered way. He said anything could happen if there was a vacuum.

"The challenges have been the same for these countries for a long period of time. The question is how they evolve and modernise, but do so with stability. The danger is if you open up a vacuum anything can happen.

"As Hillary Clinton was saying yesterday, the important thing is to engage in this process of modernisation, and improving systems of government, but do it in a way that keeps the order and stability of the country together."

Asked if Mubarak should stay in power, Blair said: "Well I think the decisions about how this is done is incredibly difficult. President Mubarak has been in power for 30 years. There's obviously in any event going to be an evolution and a change there. The question is how does that happen in the most stable way possible.

"All over that region there is essentially one issue, which is how do they evolve and modernise, both in terms of their economy, their society and their politics. All I'm saying is that in the case of Egypt and in the case in Yemen, because there are other factors in this, not least those who would use any vacuum in order to ferment extremism, that you do this in what I would call a stable and ordered way ....

"This is not limited to one country in the region. It's all over the region. You have got to take account of the fact that when you unleash this process of reform, unless you are going to be very, very careful about how it's done and how it's staged, then you run risks as well."

Blair said the West should engage with countries like Egypt in the process of change "so that you weren't left with what is actually the most dangerous problem in the Middle East, which is that an elite that has an open minded attitude but it's out of touch with popular opinion, and popular opinion that can often - because it has not been given popular expression in its politics - end up frankly with the wrong idea and a closed idea."

9.19am: The Egyptian Association for Change claims police are preparing to torch vehicles as a pretext for putting down the demonstration, writes Haroon Siddique.

The report, based on phone calls from activists last night, is by Stephen McInerney, director of advocacy for the Project on Middle East Democracy. In a Facebook post he writes:

Currently, we're being told that large numbers of plainsclothes police officers and security officers are going through the streets covering parked cars with gasoline. The activists expect that the govt plans to light all the cars on fire, claim that the protesters were burning everything, and use that as a pretext to use severe violence to repress the protests, and eliminating all means for the people to relay the truth out of the country.

They are being told by sources within the regime that very large groups of govt-organized thugs, calling themselves "ikhwan al-Haq" [a group never heard of, roughly translated as "brotherhood of truth"], are going to be in the streets with knives, swords, etc..., attacking and killing protesters in the streets tomorrow [Friday]; they don't know whether this may be deliberately and falsely leaked to discourage demonstrators; but they do see evidence that these groups are being organized. they may also claim that these violent groups are the demonstrators as a pretext to use violence on the real demonstrators.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/201 ... es#block-9

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[vanlose kid]

I haven't seen the vids yet, because internet service has slowed to a crawl. But Khaled Said is our Mohamed Bouazizi. The "We are all Khaled Said" Facebook group is one of the biggest online rallying points for youth in the current uprising in Egypt. The regime unwittingly kicked a real can of worms when it killed him.

Background Story
Khaled… A story of many Egyptians.

Khaled Said, a 28-year-old Egyptian from the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, was tortured to death at the hands of two police officers. Several eye witnesses described how Khalid was taken by the two policemen into the entrance of a residential building where he was brutally punched and kicked. The two policemen banged his head against the wall, the staircase and the entrance steps. Despite his calls for mercy and asking them why they are doing this to him, they continued their torture until he died according to many eye witnesses.

Khaled has become the symbol for many Egyptians who dream to see their country free of brutality, torture and ill treatment. Many young Egyptians are now fed up with the inhuman treatment they face on a daily basis in streets, police stations and everywhere. Egyptians want to see an end to all violence committed by any Egyptian Policeman. Egyptians are aspiring to the day when Egypt has its freedom and dignity back, the day when the current 30 years long emergency martial law ends and when Egyptians can freely elect their true representatives.

According to Associated Press, Khaled was killed “after he posted a video on the Internet of officers sharing the spoils from a drug bust among themselves”. After Khaled was killed, the Police authorities refused to investigate in Khaled’s death saying that he died because he swallowed a pack of Marijuana. When many Egyptians started to ask questions, the Police issued few statements saying that Khaled was a drug user (as if it is ok to murder and torture to death all drug addicts! – And everyone who knew khaled reject these claims completely). Another official statement said that Khaled is an army deserter (which was also proved to be false accusation afterwards and his army service report is now published showing that he has fully completed this service). The authorities then refused any further investigation. After pressure mounted, and the European Union representatives in Egypt asked for an impartial investigation, the Egyptian authorities finally decided to question and arrest the two Policemen and they were charged with two counts: “using excessive force”!!! and “unjustified arrest”!! of Khaled Said.. No one was charged with murder!

The second official autopsy report now says that Khaled has cuts and bruises which “might be” because of hitting solid objects! The first official autospy report did NOT record any of the clear wounds, cuts and bruises on Khaled’s face.

We will let you see Khaled’s photos before and after the attack and let you judge yourselves: Does the following photos show that Khaled really died from swallowing something or was he killed from the banging of his head against several solid objects and the kicking and punching by the two policemen and as the many eye witnesses confirmed?

Image of Khalid before the attack:



Image of Khalid after the attack:

[quite grim; at link]

Khalid Said after his torture to death
Eye witnesses include the Internet Cafe owner who saw the two Policemen arresting Khaled, the residential building keeper (guard/bawab) & his wife, a pharmacist who tried to intervene and stop the torture, a teenager who watched the policemen while they were hitting him in the building entrance and many by standers. Fully documented video interviews with eye witnesses are available on this post hereon ourwebsite (witness accounts are all in Arabic). Many more videos of eye witnesses are posted on youtube.

http://www.elshaheeed.co.uk/home-khaled ... an-police/

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[vanlose kid]

satellites are still up, so.

if you want you can follow al Jazeera's live streaming update here: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

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[vanlose kid]

on al Jazeera live, right now, the army has apparently entered Cairo.

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[tazmic]

http://wikileaks.ch/Egyptian-Military-S ... Plans.html

[vanlose kid]

3.43pm: Egyptian state TV says Mubarak has asked the army to take charge of security alongside the police. Looks like that is how he intends to impose the curfew, due to start in about 15 minutes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/201 ... ve-updates

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[vanlose kid]

3.38pm: State security have entered al-Jazeera's building in Cairo, it is reporting. It says they may have been chasing activists.

Outside the news organisation's offices, in remarkable scenes, a momentary truce has been called between police and protesters while protesters pray. Just a few moments ago police were throwing teargas cannisters at them and now this:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/201 ... ve-updates

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[vanlose kid]

possible fallout scenario:

Suez Canal Closure Concerns Go Viral
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/28/2011 12:38 -0500

Shockingly, the "pundits" have suddenly realized that courtesy of the upheaval in Suez, the canal with the same name may be closed, which would wreak havoc on shipping costs. Once again, Zero Hedge was just ahead of the curve: "Egyptian Stock Market Plunges Over 11% To Fresh Multi-Year Lows; Is A Suez Canal Transit Halt Imminent?" The just announced countrywide curfew will not make Suez Canal operability any easier. For those who are concerned about what a Suez closure means, we recreate what we wrote previously on the topic. And just in from Reuters, Energy Secretary Steven Chu has declined to say if he is worried Egypt protests may disrupt Mid-East oil, but believes that serious disruptions will have oil prices. By harm he means make them surge higher.

From Egyptian Stock Market Plunges Over 11% To Fresh Multi-Year Lows; Is A Suez Canal Transit Halt Imminent?

And while the important part of the world may ignore what is happening in Egypt, after all it is not US banker money thay is being lost, they may want to consider this: according to reports, there has been live fire in Suez, where the police headquarters have been taken over. More importantly, according to the Guardian, we may see the first army insubordination in this city: "a lawyer and executive director for the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, has tweeted that some army units in Suez are refusing to support the crackdown against the people." Which means the government may be about to lose control over Suez... And the Suez Canal.

What is special about the Suez Canal? It just happens to be one of the seven most important oil chokepoints:

Suez Canal

Closure of the Suez Canal and SUMED Pipeline would add 6,000 miles of transit around the continent of Africa.
The Suez Canal is located in Egypt, and connects the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea, covering 120 miles. Petroleum (both crude oil and refined products) accounted for 16 percent of Suez cargos, measured by cargo tonnage, in 2009. An estimated 1.0 million bbl/d of crude oil and refined petroleum products flowed northbound through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea in 2009, while 0.8 million bbl/d travelled southbound into the Red Sea. This represents a decline from 2008, when 1.6 million bbl/d of oil transited northbound to Europe and other developed economies.


Source: U.S. Government Click here to zoom

Almost 35,000 ships transited the Suez Canal in 2009, of which about 10 percent were petroleum tankers. With only 1,000 feet at its narrowest point, the Canal is unable to handle the VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carriers) class crude oil tankers. The Suez Canal Authority is continuing enhancement and enlargement projects on the canal, and extended the depth to 66 ft in 2010 to allow over 60 percent of all tankers to use the Canal.

According to the Energy Library, closing the Suez canal would add 6,000 miles of transit time across the Cape of Good Hope:

The Suez Canal, Egypt is one of the world's most important waterways and its Sumed Pipeline is considered a significant geographic oil transit chokepoints from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The Suez Canal is west of the Sinai Peninsula and serves as a two-way water transport route between Europe and Asia. It is 190 km long and 300 meters wide. The canal supports approximately 8% of the world’s shipping traffic with almost fifty vessels traveling through the canal daily.

In 1967, the canal was closed due to the outbreak of the Six-Day War. At the time, Israel has taken over the Sinai Peninsula which resulted in the Suez Canal becoming a buffer zone between the forces of fighting. The Suez Canal was reclaimed by the Egyptians in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and was reopened in 1975. Since its reopening, the canal has been widened twice.

The Suez Canal is considered a geographic “chokepoint” due to its influence in the world oil trade and because its narrow-width could be easily blocked, causing disruption to oil transport. Oil shipments from the Persian Gulf travel through the Canal primarily to European ports, but also to the United States. In 2006, an estimated 3.9 million bbl/d of oil flowed northbound through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, while 0.6 million bbl/d traveled southbound into the Red Sea.

Over 3,000 oil tankers pass through the Suez Canal annually, and represent around 25 percent of the Canal’s total revenues. With only 1,000 feet at its narrowest point, the Canal is unable to handle large tankers. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has discussed widening and deepening the Canal to accommodate VLCCs and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC).

The 200-mile long Sumed Pipeline, or Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline, also provides a route between the Red and Mediterranean Seas by crossing the northern region of Egypt from the Ain Sukhna to the Sidi Kerir Terminal. The pipeline provides an alternative to the Suez Canal, and can transport 3.1 million bbl/d of crude oil. In 2006, nearly all of Saudi Arabia’s northbound shipments (approximately 2.3 million bbl/d of crude) were transported through the Sumed pipeline. The pipeline is owned by Arab Petroleum Pipeline Co., a joint venture between EGPC, Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC, and Kuwaiti companies.

Closure of the Suez Canal and the Sumed Pipeline would divert tankers around the southern tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, adding 6,000 miles to transit time.

Then again, in Bernanke central planning world, this development will likely mean that oil prices are about to plunge to all time lows.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/suez-c ... s-go-viral

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[Luther Blissett]

The scenes of Tunisian soldiers weeping and hugging and kissing the demonstrators instead of killing and beating them as they were ordered to do, are among the most beautiful and moving I have ever seen.

Does anyone know where one can see these?

[vanlose kid]

The scenes of Tunisian soldiers weeping and hugging and kissing the demonstrators instead of killing and beating them as they were ordered to do, are among the most beautiful and moving I have ever seen.

Does anyone know where one can see these?

here's one report:

Adding to the complexity of the political situation, the composition of the crowd in the street protests seemed to be changing. In contrast to the relatively affluent group that turned out to demand Ben Ali’s resignation Friday, a more determined corps took to the streets of the capital Tuesday.

They held their ground against the clubs of charging motorcycle police officers, hurling canisters of tear gas back at the officers before regrouping to return again and again for hours until the evening curfew loomed. Among them were students, trade unionists, and supporters of the outlawed Islamist party.

As in recent days, the Tunisian military appeared to step in between the protesters and the police. During one standoff, soldiers begged the protesters not to advance in the face of an advancing line of police officers. When they stopped, the police soon retreated, to cheers from the protesters.

“Long live the people, long live the military,’’ they chanted at times during the day.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa ... rotesters/

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here's another:

Saturday's crowd on Avenue Bourguiba, where daily protests have been held, drew many plainclothe and uniformed police with red armbands. They sought to press demands like the creation of a labor union, better pay and - like other protests in recent days - the ousting of any members from Ben Ali's party from the government.
Officers climbed onto their official cars, blew their whistles and waved flags and signs. Some exchanged hugs to congratulate each other about their chance to protest. Many were joined by their families.
"I am not afraid to come down to the street," said Rida Barreh, 30, who has been an internal security officer for five years. "I work 12 hours a day and yet only get paid 500 dinars ($350, 250 euros) a month."
Barreh said he wanted a labor union to help defend police officers' interests - and wanted to convince Tunisians in general that "we are here for the people and we want to serve the people."
"The government always made sure the people were scared of us but this must end," he told The Associated Press. "Also I don't want the blood of our martyrs on my hands."
Added another officer, Nabil Jazeeri: "We need to forget the past and realize there is no home in Tunis that doesn't have a police officer or a man serving in the army."

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/01/ ... z1CMJ6j2rO

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[vanlose kid]

The scenes of Tunisian soldiers weeping and hugging and kissing the demonstrators instead of killing and beating them as they were ordered to do, are among the most beautiful and moving I have ever seen.

Does anyone know where one can see these?

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[barracuda]