A R A B I C A ارابيكا
DUMA
The Syria Revolution Facebook group continues to post clips from protests around the country. The dates are impossible to verify, but here, the person filming a small nighttime march in the Damascus suburb of Duma makes a point of shouting the date as July 25th over the chanting crowd.
HOMS
In the central Syrian city of Homs, a major battleground last week, residents are emerging from the rubble. As the military closed in, activists told reporters outside Syria that soldiers opened fire indiscriminately in the streets. This video clip follows a trail of what looks like automatic-gun fire bored into the tin doors shops roll down when they close. The trail of bullet holes continues uninterrupted, into building walls, the front door of an apartment building and dozens of yards beyond. The military has since sent in reinforcements to subdue and encircle the city.
ZABADANI, HAMA, IDLIB
Other reports quote Syrian activists as saying that the army began firing on other branches of the security forces in Zabadani, a protest hotspot that has drawn the military. “Gunfire was heard for hours,” Al Arabiya reported. Demonstrations are reportedly continuing in Hama, Damascus suburbs, Idlib and other cities. The Syrian official media, meanwhile, blames “some satellite channels for a conspiracy of disinformation.”
BEN ALI ENTOURAGE
The BBC Arabic reports that the trial of 23 close associates of former Tunisian President Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trebelsi, has begun in “an atmosphere of extraordinary security.” Some of the defendants were arrested trying to flee Tunisia in January “carrying large amounts of foreign currency.” Among those on trial is Imad Trebelsi, a nephew of Leila, who has been in custody at a military base. He pleaded guilty and said he earned his wealth through “legal activities.” Imad Trebelsi was arrested at the Tunis airport in January carrying 36 watches, 5kg of jewelry, 17,500 euros and more than $2,000. This is “the first trial of its kind for senior figures close to Ben Ali,” said Tunisian journalist Kamal Younes.
July 26, 2011
photo credit: illustir
