Citizens speak out. People gathering in the name of freedom, human rights, and democratic representation continues in countries and regions across the globe, including Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Formosa (Taiwan) China, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Iran, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria, Western Sahara and Yemen.
On Friday, April 22, hundreds of the Saharawi people in the disputed territory of Western Sahara formed a human chain together with members of solidarity groups from Italy, Spain, the UK, Germany, South Africa, Argentina, Cuba, and Venezuela to protest Morocco's occupation and claim of sovereignty over the region.
According to the Sudanese regional news agency Bor Globe Press, nine university student protesters were injured by government forces on Wednesday in Zalingei and had to be transferred to a hospital for treatment as they gathered with other students to call for a halt to the killing of the people of Darfur, and for President Bashir to be tried by the International Criminal Court. On Thursday, 16 male and female student protesters were arrested in Khartoum, with many still detained from earlier demonstrations.
In Iraq on Thursday, the government declared an all-day curfew as security forces set up check points to prevent citizens from attending a rally in Mosul intended to protest ongoing US military presence in the country.
After tens of thousands of Kurdish citizens in Turkey protested the election board's decision to ban 12 Kurdish politicians from standing in upcoming elections, the board reversed its decision Friday and has allowed at least eight to enter the race.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb of Egypt's al-Azhar, one of the most respected institutions in the Sunni branch of Islam, spoke out against the leadership that has allowed such deadly violence in countries such as Libya, Syria and Yemen as he urged all Muslims to assist and support the oppressed in Arab nations.
In Yemen, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered on Friday to demand the immediate resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with CNN reporting that even Yemeni tribes with historical differences were uniting in this call. Pro-government rallies were also held on Friday, although past reports indicated that these are paid participants. The government meanwhile arrested dozens of soldiers and military officers who had joined the pro-democracy protesters. On Saturday, President Saleh accepted a resignation proposal mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council, saying that he would agree to step down within 30 days and transfer presidential powers to a deputy with certain conditions, including immunity from prosecution for himself and his family. According to several media sources, minority party members responded with reservations, saying, for example, that they would not join in forming a unity government until after he had left office. They also said they could not guarantee another condition of the proposal, which was to end the demonstrations, saying that they could not sufficiently influence the actions of the tens of thousands of mainly young protesters who were demanding the president's immediate departure from office. Meanwhile, Soltan al-Barakani, deputy secretary general of Yemen's ruling political party also announced acceptance of the Gulf Cooperation Council's proposal in full.
Following attacks by government forces on pro-democracy activists that resulted in at least 75 deaths on Friday, two Syrian members of Parliament resigned in protest of the violence. As reported by Al Jazeera, former Parliament member Naser al-Hariri said, "After I have failed to protect my sons from the treacherous shots, there is no point in me staying in Parliament. I announce now that I am stepping down."
Hundreds of Saudi citizens in Qatif, Sihat and Awamiyah on Friday rallied in solidarity with Bahraini protesters and to demand the immediate withdrawal of their country's troops from Bahrain along with human rights reform and the release of political prisoners.
With sorrow for the cherished lives lost, we are encouraged by the signs of dawning tranquility in conflicted regions as we pray for an end to all fighting and that people in every nation may decide in favor of shared dignity, freedom and peace.
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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know- Is China colonizing Africa?by HowStuffWorks22,274 views
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