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Pro-Democracy Protests Held in Jordan and Syria
Al Jazeera
Hundreds of Jordanians have marched in Amman, the capital, demanding economic
and political reforms, while also supporting the revolution unfolding in Egypt.
Protesters from leftist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood marched from the prime
minister's office to the Egyptian embassy on Friday, calling for change in their
country.
"We want seriousness on the ground. We want a genuine reform. We want
initiatives and now so that people feel they are partners in decision making,"
Hamzeh Mansour, secretary general of the Islamic Front, the political wing of
the Muslim Brotherhood, said.
The action comes a day after King Abdullah of Jordan met with Muslim Brotherhood
leaders at the royal palace, in an attempt to defuse tensions in the country.
Earlier this week, the king replaced his prime minister with Maruf Bakhit and
asked him to form a new government after weeks of protests by opposition groups.
He instructed the premier to "take practical, quick and trangible steps to
launch true political reforms," but Islamist groups have accused Bakhit of not
being a reformist...
Meanwhile, security is being beefed up in Syria ahead of planned anti-government
demonstrations in Damascus, the capital.
Campaigns on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter have called for a "day
of rage" on Friday and Saturday, following similar actions in Yemen, Egypt and
Tunisia.
Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, has resisted calls for political freedoms
and jailed many critics of his regime...
On Wednesday, a group of 20 people in civilian clothing beat and dispersed 15
demonstrators who had gathered in old Damascus to hold a candlelight vigil for
Egyptian demonstrators.
"Security services also detained two young male demonstrators for a few hours
... and have exerted pressure on organisers to cease any public gatherings,"
Human Rights Watch said. |
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