This video, shared with us by a correspondent in Bahrain, shows a bruise in the shape of a footprint clearly visible as they wash the body to prepare it for burial:

In both the picture and the video, there appear to be clear signs of abuse.

Activists are also questioning the official narrative of the government in the case of 17-year-old Mohamed Ebrahim Yaghoob. According to a human rights activist, Ebrahim Yaghoob suffered from internal bleeding after he was hit by police jeeps (see updates below) and could have been saved, but was treated by a pro-regime doctor and died because he was not immediately considered in urgent need of care.

There is no way for EA to verify this report at this time.

1624 GMT: Activist Edward Dark shares this video, reportedly filmed by Syrian soldiers and leaked to the opposition. According to the description of the video, provided originally by the Coordinated Committee of Lattakia, the soldiers shoot randomly into the city of Hama, shouting "God is great" and praising Bashar al Assad. At one point, at least one of the soldiers says, with a smile, "we fucked Hama!"

Like many videos, this is impossible to validate.

1615 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria report that 16 have died today in Syria at the hands of security forces, "including five defected soldiers and 2 women. 10 martyrs in Homs, two martyrs in Damascus suburbs, and a martyr in each of Idlib, Daraa, and Hama." That breakdown is only 15, so we're not sure where the discrepancy is.

they also post this video, reportedly showing gunfire in Douma. According to the description attached to the video, the Free Syrian Army tried to stop the Syrian security forces from entering Douma. This would suggest that there is not a cease-fire agreement yet in Douma, and that earlier reports that the FSA withdrew from the city were either inaccurate or are now outdated.

For now, we're not entirely sure how to reconcile these discrepancies.

1550 GMT: This video, reportedly taken just before sunset today, reportedly shows Khirbat al Ghazala, Daraa, where the Free Syrian Army continues to battle the Assad-loyal regular army:

1530 GMT: The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, has reported to the Security Council that in Libya, prisoners continue to be tortured, particularly those accused of being Qaddafi loyalists:

“The lack of oversight by the central authorities creates an environment conducive to torture and ill-treatment,” Pillay said. “My staff have received alarming reports that this is happening in places of detention that they have visited.”

She said it was urgent that all Libya's detention centers be brought under control of the Ministry of Justice and General Prosecutor's Office and that detainees be screened so that they could be freed or receive a fair trial.

1525 GMT: After 13 people have died from teargas incidents in recent months, Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the practices of the Bahraini police. According to The Guardian, "In a statement, AI says that a 20-year-old man was seriously injured and hospitalised on Tuesday after being hit on the head by a canister launched by riot police in Manama. This is just the latest instance which begs questions about the security forces' use of tear gas, it says:

A Bahraini human rights group has reported at least 13 deaths resulting from the security forces' use of tear gas against peaceful protesters as well as inside people's homes since February 2011, with a rise in such deaths in recent months.

"The rise in fatalities and eyewitness accounts suggest that tear gas is being used inappropriately by Bahraini security forces, including in people's homes and other confined spaces," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

"The Bahraini authorities must investigate and account for the reports of more than a dozen deaths following tear gas use. The security forces must be instructed on how to use tear gas in line with international policing standards."

1513 GMT: An activist uploads this picture to Twitter, reportedly showing a military checkpoint in Harasta, a Damascus suburb:

1505 GMT: Dramatic video from Sitra, Bahrain. Reportedly taken today, this video shows members of "the youth" defending the same area where Mohamed Ebrahim Yaghoob was run over yesterday (see update at 0555 GMT). It is unclear whether the youth attacked the police before or after the teargas was fired:

1456 GMT: Meanwhile, in Yemen, large protests continue today in Sana'a, demanding the trial of President Ali Abdullah Saleh:

1444 GMT: This picture reportedly shows the teargas clouds filling a street in Sitra, Bahrain. Activists report that large (and dangerously inappropriate) amounts of teargas are being used, once again, in residential neighborhoods in order to stop protests:

1432 GMT: In Qamishli, a major city in the Hasaka governorate, population of more than 230,000 people, is often the cite of protests. But Qamishli is also a majority-Kurdish city, and though Kurdish leaders, who tend to be older, continually express reservations about some of the Syrian National Council Leaders, who tend to be older, large numbers of the youth of the city continue to show their support for the opposition and their defiance against the regime.

Today, the LCCS reported 3 hours ago that large demonstrations were being held there, and this video shows the enthusiasm in the crowd:

1424 GMT: Reuters adds even more details about the situation today in the northeast suburbs just outside of Damascus:

"The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has almost complete control of some areas of the Damascus countryside and some control in Douma and Harasta," an activist who gave his name as Hussein told Reuters by telephone from the suburb of Harasta.

Other activists in Douma, Harasta and Irbin said security forces had gathered in their towns after rebels retreated because they could not fight pitched battles with the army.

"Assad's army has armoured vehicles and anti-aircraft guns while we only have rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs)," said an FSA fighter who calls himself Abu Thaer.

Activists said five people were wounded by army shelling on Wednesday night, but gave no details of rebel casualties.

According to the report, the opposition's LCCS reported that 6 defectors were killed on Wednesday and Syrian State TV SANA reported that 14 security forces were killed. Assuming both reports are accurate, the FSA fared better in the fighting that the far-superior Syrian army.

1410 GMT: Getting caught up on Syria, the AP reports that the Syrian army has stormed the Damascus suburb, Douma, assisted by shabiha. According to activists, the security situation there is extremely tight:

"They are entering homes, searching cars and stopping people in the streets to check identity cards," activist and Douma resident Mohammed al-Saeed told The Associated Press, saying the soldiers had lists of wanted people. "There is very little movement in the streets and nobody is allowed to leave or enter Douma."

Though fighting was reported earlier, it appears that the security forces met no resistance.

"Many of them (in the opposition) have been misled. They will eventually come back to the right way," Hussein Makhlouf, governor of Damascus countryside, told Arab League monitors before they headed for Irbin on their first outing in a week.

"We have started a dialogue with them, including some armed groups that are controlling positions there," Makhlouf said.

He told the monitors that the authorities were using "the same approach as in Zabadani, so the same scenario will happen."

If this is true, then it is a striking development. The Syrian regime has an extremely large and well equipped military, and the majority of that military remains intact. The security forces have, until last week, suffered no rival, but as of right now the Free Syrian Army completely controls Zabadani (northwest of Damascus) and Kafer Takharim (Idlib), the insurgents have a strong presence across Idlib province, they may have won control of parts of Qusair, south of Homs, they have won victories outside of Daraa, and now they may have a cease-fire agreement immediately outside Damascus. This means that the regime believe it is losing ground and needs to, at the very least, stall for time before it faces further collapse.

1358 GMT: Bahraini activists report that there are clashes in Sitra, and human rights advocate Sayed Mohamed reports that "Sitra is under attack."

More details when we have them.

James Miller takes over for Scott Lucas.

1200 GMT: Bahrain's Ministry of Interior has said that a detainee has died amidst clashes between security forces and protesters.

The statement by the Interior Ministry said public prosecutors are investigating the death, one of more than 60 since protests began last February. It claimed the detainee was hospitalised and accused of "vandalism".

The statement did not name the victim, but it is likely to be Mohammad Ebrahim Yaghoob, who was injured and later died on Wednesday, allegedly after he was struck by a police jeep (see 0555 GMT).

1050 GMT: The BBC's Jeremy Bowen reports from inside the Damascus suburb of Douma --- can it be said to be a "free" area held by the opposition and the Free Syrian Army?

1045 GMT: Tens of thousands of protesters march from the Cairo neighbourhood of Mohandiseen to Tahrir Square yesterday, marking the anniversary of the uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak:

1035 GMT: Back from an academic break to find footage from Aldaih in Bahrain of the funerals of two men who allegedly died at the hands of security forces on Tuesday --- an EA source reports that human right activists are participating in the march and referring to the deaths as "martyrdom":

0555 GMT: In Bahrain, a fourth protester, Mohammed Ebrahim Yaghoob, was killed in two days, allegedly struck by a vehicle of the security forces. In the first part of the video, police jeeps appear to pursue and possibly run down protesters; in the second part --- which a source says was shot before the death, police are showing chasing and beating demonstrators, as those filming the scene watch and scream:

0545 GMT: For months we have held back from the term "civil war" to describe the situation in Syria --- that emotive term, in which "civil" might or might not be read as "sectarian", did not necessarily match up to the evolving state of affairs on the ground.

Now, however, we are prepared to put the political and military clashes within the framework of insurrection. After last week's claiming of two towns, Zabadani and Kafar Souseh Takharim, by the opposition, there is the prospect of others slipping beyond the control of the regime.

Then there is Homs and Hama, Syria's third- and fourth-largest cities. Both have been hammered for months by the security forces and military, with more than 1000 now estimated to have died in Hama since last month, but this now seems to be far more than President Assad's men trying to put down resistance and punish dissent. It appears that, as the killing escalated this week, there are "battles" taking place between rival forces --- unequal in the firepower that each can bring, but beyond a regime's troops trying to deal with a local problem of protest. And those battles show no prospect of ending in an Assad triumph.