Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Detained Doctors, The Decimated Town

See also The US & the UN: Russia, China, & Syria Challenge the Concept of Unity
Bahrain Feature: What Will Happen to The Detained Doctors?

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2107 GMT: A source in Bahrain forwards us several pictures, reportedly showing a security crackdown in several villages this evening.

According to the report, this is the scene in Daih:

The village of Saar:

2055 GMT: A source forwards us this Facebook Page which shows the body of Ahmed Jabber al-Qattan (may be disturbing to some viewers), a 16 year old boy reportedly killed today by the Bahraini police (see updates below).

One thing to note, if the pictures can be validated, the evidence that birdshot was used is obvious.

2047 GMT: The Bahraini Ministry of Interior sends this tweet (translation):

"investigation to ascertain the cause of death is underway"

2029 GMT: An ardent Bahraini regime defender posts this on Twitter:

"16 year old rioter died in riots. As expected, they strive to get "martyrs" in weekends to rage the people on Friday.. RIP Ahmad

"Rioters claim Ahmad Qattan (16) died due to bird shot wounds this evening. #Bahrain

As received, 16 year old rioter intentionally attacked police & police had to respond with rubber bullets. Boy died.

It's worth noting that the activists are reporting that Ahmed was shot by bird shot, not a rubber bullet, and the Bahrain Justice and Development Movement posts this picture reportedly of his wounds:

2018 GMT: According to Twitter accounts, this video was taken today in Taiz. For the first several minutes of the video we get a very good feel for the size and scale of the protests today. In the last minutes, gunshots can be heard and wounded protesters are hurried away from the scene, reportedly shot by pro-Saleh soldiers.

Earlier, a reliable source on Yemen posted this:

Video. The wounded, shot by Saleh thugs. ( Thugs, were , later, taken by People Protectors, together with their arms)

2010 GMT: According to the Bahrain Justice and Development Movement:

Ahmed Jabber al-Qattan was shot from close range with a bird shot gun by police and immediately taken to the International Hospital, around 3 miles from Manama.

After emergency treatment he died at around 10.15pm (Bahrain time).

He becomes the 43rd person killed since the pro-democracy protests began in February.

2004 GMT: We are still trying to verify details of our last report, that activists are reporting a 16 year old boy was shot and killed by Bahraini police tonight. A source sends us this picture, reportedly taken tonight of the boy in the hospital:

1957 GMT: A contact in Bahrain is reporting that a 16 year old was killed tonight, shot in the chest by bird shot (a weapon the police have denied using) during a protest:

As there (are) protests all around Bahrain tonight, the Bahraini police continued using illegal weapons against the protesters around the country, as a result a 16 years old kid killed with birds bullets in the chest tonight in Abu Saiba village in Bahrain.

We just left Bahrain International Hospital and his family are assuring the death cause.

1949 GMT: Despite lack of action by the UN Security Council, the European Union is preparing a fresh wave of sanctions against the Syria regime. These new sanctions would target the largest commercial bank in Syria specifically.

1935 GMT: This video reportedly shows a large protest at the funeral for Mohammed Ahmed al-Husseini in al Qusour, Homs:

1931 GMT: This video was reportedly taken in the Deir Bielbe district, Bayada, Homs, where tanks can be seen taking positions in the street and gunfire can be heard in the distance.

1924 GMT: Libya's ousted leader, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, has also given an audio address. According to Al Jazeera:

"If the power of (international) fleets give legitimacy, then let the rulers in the Third World be ready," he said in an apparent reference to NATO's military support for NTC forces.

He made the comments in an audio recording obtained by Reuters on Thursday from Syria-based Arrai television. It was not clear when the message was recorded.

"To those who recognize this council, be ready for the creation of transitional councils imposed by the power of fleets to replace you one by one from now on," he said.

1915 GMT: James Miller reports back to duty to find some major news. Members of the Syrian military have crossed over the border into Lebanon and killed a farmer.

"At around 2:30 pm (1130 GMT), in an area called Saaba, next to Aarsal, Syrian troops entered Lebanese territory and opened fire on farmer Ali al-Khatib, a Syrian national," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"His body is still on site and a probe is underway."

He said al-Khatib was married to a Lebanese and lived in the area, where the border is not clerly delineated.

A government official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident and said it was unclear why al-Khatib was targeted or how he was killed.

"The area in question is very remote and right along the border," he said.

Earlier this week, Syrian tanks entered the same region in a brief incursion that raised fears of the revolt against the regime in Damascus spilling over into Lebanon.

An estimated 5,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon in recent months, among them deserting soldiers and members of the opposition.

1622 GMT: From an EA source, we learn that a major opposition party in Bahrain has new plans for a protest:

"@Waad_bh announces a 13 hrs hungerstrike Saturday in solidarity with that of it's secretary general & detainees of Qurain prison"

1509 GMT: The actions of Russia and China may be driving Syria towards revolution, but the United States may be pushing a different revolution, inside the United Nations Building in New York. US Ambassador Susan Rice, and her allies, have increased the volume of their voices on the Syria issue, openly calling China and Russia defenders of human rights abuses in the region. In a separate post, I argue that the US may be shifting its geopolitical strategy when it comes to the UN.

Read the article, The US & the UN: Russia, China, & Syria Challenge the Concept of Unity

1452 GMT: The Guardian has posted an article with an interesting premise: Now that Russia and china have blocked the UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria, activists in the country now know that they are on their own and will increasingly turn to armed insurrection:

"There's no way out of this except to fight," said an activist from Homs. "For the people of Homs the international community are not with us and we know that for sure. Russia and China will continue to protect Assad and as long as that happens, he will hunt us down..."

"We know that we will not see Nato jets above the skies of Damascus," said one Homs resident. "It is us against them. No one else will help us."

In Beirut, where aid supplies to Homs and Hama are co-ordinated, aid workers said they had been receiving more requests for weapons than for food or medicine. "Of course we can't help with this. But it shows how much their priorities have changed."

1442 GMT: Two mass graves have been found in Libya, containing over 900 bodies. According to the report, the victims were apparently killed by the Qaddafi regime, as reports suggest that the graves are not necessarily new. One of the graves was found in Gargaresh, on the coast approximately 7 kilometers from the center of Tripoli. The other was discovered in Brasta Milad,just outside the capital.

1423 GMT: Journalist Peter Beaumont speaks to The Guardian from outside the Qaddafi stronghold, Sirte, where heavy fighting is continuing despite hopes that the city will fall soon.

1417 GMT: According to the AFP, 12 people have been killed in battles between the Syrian military and defected soldiers in northern Syria, Idlib Province:

"Seven soldiers and five deserters or civilians were killed in the clashes in villages west of Jabal al-Zawiya," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that dozens of people were wounded.

1232 GMT: James Miller takes the liveblog, while Scott Lucas is still on the road.

The UN Human Rights commission is reporting that the death toll in Syria has risen to 2,900, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the head of the Baqara tribe, Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir, has reportedly been killed in Deir Ez Zor. Tribes are reporting that he was tortured:

Bashir was arrested in late July. Hours before his arrest he told Reuters he was striving to stop armed resistance to a military assault on the provincial capital of Deir Ezzour and to convince inhabitants to stick to peaceful methods, despite killings by security forces.

After his arrest Deir Ezzour was subjected to a 15-day military assault in August. Bashir's death could increase support for an armed uprising.

0510 GMT: We begin this morning with a separate feature evaluating the news that the cases of 20 Bahraini doctors and nurses, given lengthy sentences last week, will be moved to a civilian court later this month. An EA correspondent in Bahrain predicts that, after the domestic and international criticism, King Hamad will step in and show his compassion by reducing the sentences and freeing the detainees.

And, thanks in part to a hunger strike by detained activists, CNN notices that the political prisoner issue is not just about the medical staff. It interviews the son of Hassan Mushaimaa, the Secretary-General of the banned opposition Haq group, whose life sentence --- as well as those of other activists --- was upheld by the military court nine days ago. The website also mentions Tuesday's sentencing of 27 people to between five and 15 years in prison.

Observers see the court rulings as the latest sign of a growing crackdown on mainly Shiite activists who have staged a series of protests in the Gulf kingdom. Bahrain's government issued a statement saying the defendants were not on trial for protesting but for attempted murder and kidnapping, including "brutal attacks on policemen and foreign nationals" during unrest in March.

Meanwhile, I am still trying to take in the significance of the news --- initially posted by James Miller last night --- that more than 3000 of the 40,000 people in the Syrian town of Rastan were arrested, as well as more than 60 killed and many wounded. Al Jazeera English's images of the aftermath of the military's battle to control the town, and of the casualties, graphically brings home the severity of the events: