“Jasmine Revolution”
Symbol of peace: Flowers placed on the barrel of a tank
in very much calmer protests than in recent days in Tunisia

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011
Mannoubia Bouazizi, the mother of Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi. "Mohammed suffered a lot. He worked hard. but when he set fire to himself, it wasn’t about his scales being confiscated. It was about his dignity." (Peter Hapak for TIME)

1 - TUNISIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


How eyepatches became a symbol of Egypt's revolution - Graffiti depicting a high ranking army officer with an eye patch Photograph: Nasser Nasser/ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 - EGYPT Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


''17 February Revolution"

3 - LIBYA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

5 - SYRIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

"25 January Youth Revolution"
Muslim and Christian shoulder-to-shoulder in Tahrir Square
"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) -
(Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)
"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)
(Subjects:Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

"If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening."


“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."



African Union (AU)

African Union (AU)
African Heads of State pose for a group photo ahead of the start of the 28th African Union summit in Addis Ababa on January 30, 2017 (AFP Photo/ Zacharias ABUBEKER)

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
Few words can describe Nelson Mandela, so we let him speak for himself. Happy birthday, Madiba.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Egypt pardons jailed blogger as generals brace for anniversary protests

Maikel Nabil Sanad among almost 2,000 prisoners convicted by military tribunal over the past year now set to be released

guardian.co.uk, Jack Shenker in Cairo, Sunday 22 January 2012

Supporters stand with banners bearing an image of Maikel Nabil Sanad.
Photograph: Christian Science Monitor/Getty

An Egyptian blogger jailed by the military junta for insulting the army has been officially pardoned, as the country's ruling generals attempt to bolster public support before protests planned for the coming week.

Maikel Nabil Sanad, a 26-year-old Coptic Christian who became a cause célèbre for activists opposed to the post-Mubarak military government, was among almost 2,000 prisoners convicted by military tribunal over the past year who are now set to be released following an announcement by Egypt's de facto leader, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.

Sanad was incarcerated in March over a blogpost titled "The army and the people were never one hand", inverting a popular Egyptian chant in support of the military.

He refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the army court that convicted him and mounted a high-profile hunger strike behind bars that saw him come close to death several times. He resisted efforts by the authorities to certify him insane and have him transferred to a secure psychiatric unit, and was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

Critics claim that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), which took power after the toppling of Mubarak in February last year, has proved itself to be even more repressive than the regime it ostensibly replaced. A series of violent crackdowns by the state's security forces against dissent and public protest has left dozens dead and thousands injured, and up to 12,000 civilians are believed to have been processed through military tribunals in the past 12 months – more than were processed during the entirety of Mubarak's 30-year dictatorship.

Sanad's pardon follows months of campaigning by No to Military Trials, an activist group that has mobilised many Egyptians against army rule and helped turn the tide of public opinion. Last month Alaa Abd El Fattah, a prominent revolutionary figurehead, was released from prison after bring falsely accused of inciting violence against the armed forces, and Scaf has promised on more than one occasion to end the practice of dragging civilians through military courts.

"We will never forget: the army and people were never one hand," Sanad's brother Mark Nabil said on Twitter as news of the pardon came through. "Freeing Maikel is not enough though. The army must, before the revolution's anniversary [on 25 January], free all those who were convicted by military courts."

Aalam Wassef, a journalist and campaigner who has followed Sanad's case closely, said events in Egypt over the past year vindicated the anti-junta post that landed the blogger in jail. "Maikel's predictions were logical rather than prophetic," he told the Guardian. "He had maintained a critical stance towards the Egyptian military even before the revolution, so once the generals took power it was very obvious to him the way things would develop."

Wassef accused Scaf of offering empty gestures in place of genuine reform. "It's a political concession, though a very provocative one," he said. "How dare they call it a pardon for Maikel when it is they, the generals, who should be requesting a pardon from the people?"

The first anniversary of Egypt's revolution is expected to spark some of the largest demonstrations yet seen against the ruling generals. Under sustained pressure from activists, Scaf has sped up its transition programme to civilian rule and promised a new constitution and presidential elections by the summer, though opponents claim the military cannot be trusted to keep its promises and warn that a facade of democracy is being constructed in order to mask the entrenchment of the existing political elite.

In the past few days a series of additional measures have been announced by the government to try to dampen the energy of the protest movement, including plans for a series of state-sponsored celebrations on the anniversary itself, and there have been assurances from one cabinet member, Fayza Abul-Naga, that no soldiers or riot police will be deployed around Tahrir Square that day.

On Monday Egypt's newly elected parliament is set to open to much fanfare. The ruling generals hope it will be viewed as a demonstration of their commitment to civilian-led democracy and thus dissuade the wider population from joining anti-Scaf rallies two days later. According to official results announced at the weekend, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party will form the largest parliamentary bloc with about 47% of the total representatives. The ultra-conservative Salafist al-Nour party came a strong second, with liberal, leftist and centrist parties gaining a smattering of seats each.

Wassef said there would be a high volume of protesters on Wednesday nonetheless. "There will be a big turnout by revolutionaries, despite a huge effort by Scaf to drown out the noise with celebratory activities," he said. "I don't think anyone in their right minds wants to celebrate the deaths and incarcerations we have seen under Scaf rule over the past year."

Related Article:


(Photo: Maikel Nabil)

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