Bahrain in crisis and Middle East protests – live blog

• Bahrain: five killed in police raid on Pearl roundabout • Libya: reports 14 killed across several cities • Yemen: protesters clash with security forces • Protesting in Middle East? Send us a voice recording • Read a summary of key events so far 3.05pm – Bahrain: The deputy chairman of the Bahraini parliament, Adel al-Moawda, told al-Jazeera there were “mis-calculations on both sides”. He also repeated the claims on Bahrain TV that protesters were armed: “It [the protest] was peaceful, we have to admit. but we have seen swords, guns … There are some people who want the clashes, who don’t want the situation to be calm.” 2.42pm: More from Peter on Britain’s arms trading with Bahrain – he says the weapons supplied included the sort of arms which were used to clear Pearl roundabout this morning. Following up on Denis McShane’s figures about arms sales to the Bahrain police force, I’ve just spoken to Sarah Waldron at Campaign Against the Arms Trade who has dug out some additional UK arms export licences to Bahrain. My earlier post talked about the export licences approved for just the third quarter of last year, around the time the government was rounding up 250 opposition members in the run up to elections. Here’s a better picture of what arms exports were approved. In 2010, equipment approved for export included tear gas and crowd control ammunition, equipment for the use of aircraft cannons, rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles and sub-machine guns. No requests for licences were refused. In addition Bahrain was invited to attend the UK arms fairs: the Farnborough Airshow in 2010 and Defence and Security Equipment International in 2009. Here’s the first and second quarter license approvals. It includes the kind of weapons that judging by the pictures of the injured and dead in Bahrain’s hospital’s that we’ve seen today that were used to clear the Pearl Roundabout, in particular shotguns. Here are quarter one and two: Q2, 2010 assault rifles (2); components for submachine guns; crowd control ammunition; equipment for the use of aircraft cannons; equipment for the use of small calibre artillery; gun mountings; non-sporting shotgun ammunition (2 licences); small arms ammunition (4 licences); tear gas/irritant ammunition (2 licences); wall and door breaching projectiles; weapon sight mounts; weapon sights. No refusals Q1, 2010 all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection; equipment for the use of sniper rifles; gun mountings; gun silencers (2 licences); rifles (1); shotguns (2); small arms ammunition (3 licences); sniper rifles; submachine guns (2); submachine guns (3); technology for the use of sniper rifles; weapon sight mounts; weapon sights And here’s what Sarah Waldron had to say: “Government ministers claim they wish to support open and democratic societies in the Middle East but at the same time are aiding authoritarian regimes and providing the tools for repression. They don’t just approve the sale of this equipment – they actively promote it. “There should be an immediate arms embargo – but more importantly we should be asking why these exports were ever licensed in the first place.” 2.29pm: The Libyan youth movement has more updates on the anti-Gaddafi protests: • benghazi: the protesters now have the upper hand in the area where tomb of omar mukhtar was, security forces leaving the area #Libya #Feb17 • Confirmed Reports from #Benghazi, 6 people killed today in the city #Libya #Feb17 and the news still show pro #gaddafi protests.. shocking There is some footage said to be of the latest protests in Benghazi on Facebook , although it doesn’t show any clashes. 2.17pm: Two people are in critical condition in Bahrain’s Salmaniya hospital, a doctor has told al-Jazeera’s correspondent in Manama. He said he fears they could die. The doctor also told the correspondent, whose identity is being kept secret, that there was a refrigerated truck outside the hospital, which he fears the army used to remove more dead bodies, meaning that the death toll could be higher than reported so far. 2.09pm: A protest is planned for 3pm outside the Libyan embassy in Knightsbridge, London, today (the press release says 1pm but it’s been changed) by the British Libyan Solidarity Campaign For Freedom And Human Rights (BLSC). A counter-demonstration is also planned by Gaddafi supporters (such pro-government demonstrations tend to be organised by the embassy) and in the past Gaddafi supporters and opponents have clashed in London . 2.04pm: Peter Beaumont is following reports from Iran: This from Tehran Bureau : “After the calls this week for the executions of Green Movement leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mohammad Khatami, hardliners in the regime have apparently added another big name to the death wish list: Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president of the Islamic Republic between 1989 and 1997. Radio Zamaneh reports: Two days after the February 14 protests, supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, shown on national TV chanting slogans in Qom calling for the death of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani. The moderate cleric is the chairman of Iran’s two major governing bodies, the Assembly of Experts and the Expediency Council. The attacks against Hashemi Rafsanjani have come despite firm condemnation of the February 14 protests by the Assembly of Experts. The Assembly of Experts has accused the protests of falsely using the recent Arab uprisings to further “seditious” objectives. The Assembly of Experts is the body that selects the Supreme Leader and (nominally, at least) supervises his activities. The Expediency Council advises the Supreme Leader and, in Iran’s complex governing apparatus, adjudicates conflicts between the Majles (parliament) and the Guardian Council, the body charged with vetting the Majles’s legislation for conformity with the Iranian Constitution and Islamic law. Meanwhile Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi’s Kalame website is calling for new protests for Sunday, February 20 to protest the death of two opposition supporters and to show support for Iran’s Green Movement leadership. 1.54pm – Libya: Dima_Khatib , an al-Jazeera correspondent who has been tweeting tirelessly for weeks, has this: Day 1 of Libyan Wrath: in Benghazi police is already reported to be using live ammunition against protesters #libya #feb17 1.49pm: We are looking for your first-person accounts of protests where you are. Now you can record your own Audioboo voice recording and send it straight to us. Click here to record an Audioboo . Log in using your Audioboo or Twitter account. If you don’t have one, log in using these details: Username: GuardianMEaudio Password: GuardianMEaudio Then click “start recording/upload file”. Once you have recorded your file, we will listen to it and post the most interesting ones on this blog. 1.48pm: Here’s a summary of events so far : • Bahrain : Five people are believed to have been killed and scores injured after Bahraini security forces raided peaceful protests in Pearl roundabout in the early hours of Thursday morning. Pictures have emerged showing brutal injuries sustained by protesters and, in one case, a young child. Riot police also targeted doctors and medics, while ambulances were prevented from reaching Pearl roundabout to collect the wounded. Gulf Arab foreign ministers are meeting in Bahrain tonight to discuss the unrest in the country, according to reports. Bahrain TV, the state channel, has been broadcasting pictures of weapons supposedly seized from protesters at the roundabout in an apparent attempt to blame protesters for the bloodshed. • Libya: Several hundred supporters of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, have gathered in the capital to oppose online calls for an anti-government “day of rage”. There are reports that 14 people have been killed in the country across several cities, while Human Rights Watch said 14 writers, activists and protesters who had been calling for protests have been detained. Protests have been reported in Beghazi, Zentana and al Bayda, where an opposition group says four people have been killed. Gaddafi’s regime is reportedly sending out text messages to Libyans in an attempt to quell protests, in a similar move to that seen in Egypt. “Libyan regime sending SMS to citizens threatening them with live bullets if they continue to demonstrate,” @libyanfsl tweeted this morning. There will be a demonstration against Gaddafi, expected to be countered by supporters of the Libyan leader, outside the Libyan embassy in London at 3pm. • Yemen: Security forces have clashed with anti-government protesters in Yemen for a seventh consecutive day. In Sana’a Associated Press reported that 6,000 protesters marched towards the centre of the city, being forced to fight off attacks “by police and government supporters swinging batons and daggers”. A dozen protesters and an unknown number of policemen have been injured, while security officials said police arrested about 50 protesters. Clashes have been reported in several other towns, including the port city of Aden. Middle East Bahrain Libya Egypt Yemen Tunisia Morocco Arab and Middle East protests Haroon Siddique Paul Owen Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk

Posted by on February 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry