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Summary: Mass protests continue across North Africa and the Middle East, where civilians are calling for political reform and for existing regimes to stand down.
[9 February 2011] - Protests in Egypt have now entered their 16th day, as tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in the country's largest cities are now asking not only for President Mubarak's resignation, but for the entire current regime to cede power, including recently appointed Vice-President Omar Suleiman. Egyptian protesters have rejected proposed constitutional reforms, arguing that they are sceptical of any plans overseen by the current government, including a political transition. More on the story. President Mubarak has issued directives to halt repressive measures against protesters, yet while no official death toll has been provided by Egyptian authorities, the UN estimates that since the protests began on 25 January, more than 300 people have been killed across the country, with over 3,000 hurt. Full story. And the number of casualties continues to grow, with at least five people dead and 100 injured in recent confrontations between the police and protesters in the southern city of El Kharga. Full story (in Spanish). Meanwhile in other parts of Northern Africa and the Middle East, civilians follow the example of their Egyptian neighbours by protesting against the regimes currently governing their countries. This past week in Yemen, the poorest country in the region, tens of thousands of civilians gathered in the country’s capital, Sanaa, on a ‘day of rage’ protest with the slogan “no to corruption, no to dictatorship”, calling for the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh 32-year regime. There is public discontent for widespread unemployment, currently at 40 per cent, the highest in the region, and a lack of political freedoms. Full story. Interestingly, the median age of the population in the region is relatively young, Yemen having the lowest at 17 years. This accounts for the large number of youths participating in protests, many of whom are students. In Jordan, where social unrest has also led to mass protests, the median age of the population is 21 years. Last Tuesday, Jordan's King Abdullah II sacked his entire government after thousands of civilians took to the streets in protest against the former Prime Minister, Samir Rifai, who they accused of being behind the rise in fuel and food prices, slow political reforms and corruption. Yet appointing the new Prime Minister, Marouf Al Bakhit, has not quelled protests, as civilians now demand that a new government be chosen by Parliament and not the King, as well as urging that the newly promised political reforms be enacted. More on the story. Meanwhile in Algeria, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has promised to end the country’s 19-year state of emergency, under which protest marches are banned, after civilian protesters demanded emergency laws be overturned. The government has also said it intends to adopt new measures to encourage greater employment opportunities. Full story. In support of the uprisings across North Africa, several rallies took place in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, demonstrators were greeted with repression. The Palestinian Commission for Human Rights (PCHR), for instance, has condemned the closure of a rally in which security forces used batons to push back demonstrators, classifying the incident as a breakdown of freedom of expression in the West Bank. The PCHR has said that banning gatherings violates Palestinian Basic Law, which upholds citizens’ right to organise, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates that everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. Full story. The work of human rights defenders in Israel is also being hindered. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and the International Federation for Human Rights have issued an open letter to the Knesset regarding the establishment of a committee to examine human rights NGOs that collect information about soldiers, which they fear will hamper the work of human rights defenders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as their freedom of association, expression and movement. Previous instances of such measures include the arbitrary arrest of those participating in peaceful demonstrations and the detention of defenders who denounce Israeli policy. Read the open letter here. Read more on restriction to freedom of association in Israel and the OPT here. With reference to the current situation in the region, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, released a statement reiterating that governments must listen to their people and fulfil their human rights obligations by not depriving citizens of their fundamental rights. Read the statement here. Further information: