Syrian Clashes Kill at Least 23; Libyan Protesters Storm Office
January 22, 2012, 5:15 PM ESTBy William Selway
Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Syrian clashes with dissidents killed or injured at least 23 people in fighting near the Turkish border, while at least 14 were killed elsewhere yesterday after bombs struck a police truck carrying prisoners, the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera reported.
In Libya, about 200 protesters frustrated by the pace and direction of the country’s interim government stormed its headquarters, demanding a meeting with officials, AP reported.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party, Freedom and Justice, emerged as the largest group in Egypt’s new parliament, while Yemen’s parliament passed a law granting full immunity from prosecution to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Nations throughout the Middle East have been rocked by protests since last January, when mass demonstrations broke out in Tunisia. The so-called Arab Spring has forced out rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and sparked unrest in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.
The months-long uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has grown more militant as dissidents and army defectors have engaged in armed battles with the government.
An ambush on a police truck carrying prisoners left at least 18 dead yesterday in northwestern Syria when the truck was struck by roadside bombs, AP reported. The official SANA news agency blamed the attack on “terrorists,” while no group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack.
In Egypt, an alliance led by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party won 235 of the 498 elected seats, or 47 percent, in the lower house, party spokesman Ahmed Sobea said yesterday by phone. The party nominated its secretary-general, Mohamed Saad El-Katatni, as the speaker of parliament.
In Yemen, Saleh’s aides will receive immunity for “politically motivated” crimes though they can be tried for acts of terrorism, according to the provisions of the law agreed today by the assembly. The parliament also endorsed the nomination of Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi as president.
A new Yemeni government was sworn in last month after Saleh signed an agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to relinquish presidential powers in return for immunity from prosecution. Hadi is running the state temporarily and will transfer power to the opposition party after presidential elections on Feb. 21, according to the agreement.
Meanwhile, in Libya, the transitional government continued to face protesters in Benghazi, the city that led the uprising that ended with the death of leader Muammar Qaddafi, AP reported.
Protesters have been demanding more transparency from the nation’s new leaders for nearly two weeks, with some camped out to protest election laws they say were crafted with insufficient public consultation.
Hundreds stormed the government headquarters today, seizing computers and other equipment, AP reported. The melee erupted after protesters stormed the gates to demand a meeting with officials, AP reported. National Transition Council chief Mustafa Abdul-Jalil was met with a hail of bottles when he tried to address the crowd from a second-story window, AP reported.
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--With Assistance from Zaid Sabah Abd Alhamid. Editors: Ann Hughey, Christian Thompson.
To contact the reporter on this story: William Selway in Washington at wselway@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
