Syria stepped up his crackdown while promising reform

The mixture of concession and forced came hours after an Egyptian-style were the police, army and other forces of an authoritarian State to crush one of the largest gatherings of demonstrators on a staging sit-in in third-largest city of Hims, Syria marshaled. At least two people died, demonstrators said the square from dawn, as the Government on Tuesday cleared.

The Monthlong, which rocked the arithmetic of a Middle East such as Egypt, which has potential to revise with dissent punctuated a turbulent day in a the events. During Egypt's population or even Libya Syria wealth missing, since its influence greatly in the region, given its location, its alliance with the Iran and its status as a Kingmaker in the Lebanon a long time.

The complexity of view means that the Government of President Bashar al-Assad in most proponents find different places - from the Shiite Muslim movement of Hezbollah in the Lebanon to some quarters in Israel.

The reforms have been promised Mr Assad, on Saturday should be articulated but until Tuesday, when the Government announced the lifting of an emergency law in place since the Baath party in 1963 came to power. The cancellation must be by the Parliament or Mr Assad, but this is a pure formality be approved. So has its actual effects: the Government has still to show real signs of loosening its relentless grip.

Since the uprising began, the Government has the compromise, a formula that proved to be disastrous for the strong men in Tunisia and Egypt varied between crackdown and proposals. But the combination was Tuesday most remarkable for how was it split.

Even as demonstrators killed in Homs buried, said civil liberties granted long promised reforms, curbed the power of the police and abolished draconian courts. Legalized "peaceful protests" - language for which the Government approved encoded - such as the Interior Ministry in a statement, carried by the official news agency, warned that it would bring to the full width of the law against any wear.

Based on Egypt and Tunisia, entered the reforms on paper original requirements, which are grown only depth and scope, as the bloodshed has deteriorated at least, far demonstrators.

"The road is in a world and the President and the regime are in another," said Wissam fare, executive Director of Insan, a Syrian human rights group, which was reached by telephone.

The announcements followed a further RAID the Government against the protests, this time in Homs, a city close to the Lebanese border and the location of the famous Crusader Castle.

For days, organizer in Syria wanted to replicate the experience of the Tahrir square in Cairo, where hundreds of thousands, gathered demand to the end of the reign of the three decade by President Hosni Mubarak. The place was a symbol and an instrument of the demonstrations, which eventually him forced to resign in February.

Organizers presented as its corresponding Abbassiyeen square, a major artery in the capital Damascus, but were thwarted by security forces. Some organizers said that she turned instead to Homs, is where funerals Monday for 14 demonstrators killed a day earlier thousands moved.

Some demonstrators said the security forces taken dumbfounded by the masses, seemed, by the day in numbers and anger grew. "A sit-in, a sit-in, falls to the Government!" screamed some. "Please go," prayed a banner of Mr Assad. Mr fare quoted witnesses, had served the demonstrators tea and sandwiches fell as a cool night and organizers said that mattresses and tents in busloads were so demonstrators in shifts could serve, said.

Security forces made several attempts to disperse the crowds, but relented until after midnight. Then, said demonstrators: a mix of soldiers, security forces and police officers surrounded the place and attacked the demonstrators with tear gas and live ammunition after the mass to about 2,000 had decreased.

Videos posted on Facebook and YouTube scenes of chaos showed dimly lit on a square yellow streetlights, as bursts of gunfire echoed. Mattresses and the canvas of the tents were the space scattered where a portrait of Mr Assad superimposed on a Syrian flag to read "Yes to the life, no to the dispute."

"Is this reform?" "Is reform that?"asked a demonstrator in one of the videos.

In another video, a demonstrator tried rally his countrymen.

"Come on back, guys!", he cried out. "Come back, all!"

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, Katherine Z?pf from New York, and employees of the New York Times of Damascus, Syria.

View the original article here

Trial in China tests limits of legal system reform

BEIJING - Attorney in one case has galvanized defense lawyers in China and a window that fragile can display legal system of the country such as the next generation of leaders, went on trial Tuesday with the production of testimony to its customers.

The lawyer, Li Zhuang, a 50-year-old man from Beijing, incitement has been accused of a client on fake certificate. Mr Li was sentenced on similar charges after one of his clients before, a convicted gangster from the Western City of Chongqing, against him late last witnessed the year. Mr Li is currently 18 months in prison.

But some Chinese commentators appear to believe that Mr Li is guilty in both cases. Many think that he was framed to combat what they see as a raw campaign against corruption.

"Li Zhuang case is so important because it is on the judicial reform, is an indicator, to what extent China come", law professor Beijing University, said he Weifang, which also a sharp criticism has posted the case on his blog. "It will be 30 years China's legal reform back."

The unusual case started in the year 2007, as one of the most popular politicians of the country, Bo Xilai, free of charge from Chongqing, a large community of 30 million people in the Western China took over. The appointment was considered a challenge for Bo Lord, the son of one of the most powerful leaders of China. It was also as characters widely, the Bo Lord fishing was for a top job.

He was Minister for trade, so it was a remarkable movement because Chongqing was poor and suffered from some of the most serious environmental problems in China and a plague of organised crime.

But Mr Bo embarked on a number of spectacular actions in national spotlight to stay. Using methods reminiscent of political campaigns in the early period of Communist rule, he mobilized neighborhood cleanups and greetings to residents with old-style of Communist slogans, although via SMS messages sent. In particular, he began a wild raid against organised crime.

Caught in the campaign, Gong was Gangmo, the Familie end of 2009 that to defend him Mr Li had rented. Mr LI, a successful lawyer, previously which had defended against organised crime, travelled to Chongqing and met with Mr Gong. A few days later, said Mr Gong prosecutors that Mr Li advised him, falsely to testify that he was beaten for eight days and nights.

Within a month, Mr Li had tried and been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. This was reduced to one and a half years, because Mr Li worked. At the sentencing, but Chinese news reports said that Mr Li called angry that he was framed had.

On Tuesday, Mr Li went back to court. Prosecutors say that he was involved in fraud and that he attracted to fabricate witness evidence.

Many Chinese say they are appalled at what seems a crude use of the courts for political gain. In both studies, Chinese court case was ignored. Mr Li was not confronted his accuser, for example, in the location, and interrogated, his lawyers could not take it.

Newspapers and magazines with far in this case, for example, one of the leading magazines of the country, Caixin, devoted a cover story reported it and an editorial in the latest issue. Minute by minute coverage had several sites. Many say that if Mr Li is condemned, it will be to defend their customers impossible for other lawyers. "Li Zhuang defend defense is, the right to work as a lawyer in China and the ideal of Justice," Wei Rujiu, one of his lawyers, wrote in his blog on Tuesday.

The advertising is in contrast, the many lawyers who have been rounded up in a recent political crackdown in quiet. A statement, analysts say, is that Mr Li not political dissidents, so that it acceptable for the Chinese media on the issue to report.

But it can also signal that forces Bo Lord use efforts, are against Chongqing as a springboard back to Beijing, and possibly of the Politburo Standing Committee.

"Bo not undisputed in the party,", said Joshua Rosenzweig of the DUI Hua Foundation, a group in Hong Kong human rights monitoring. "It feeds in concern about how Bo has dealt with criminal justice in Chongqing."

Could have wider implications for China Bo Lord, he should win a seat of the Standing Committee, should be brought for law and order. Mr LI could make treatment a harbinger for the next Government view of the legal system.

View the original article here