APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Wazistan]

Unrest in Wazistan: Riots in Zanjan continue as reports of protests spread
AP International

Azeri youths clashed with security forces in the capital of Wazistan's western Zanjan province for a third straight day Saturday as reports of new protests and clashes are being reported by opposition websites. The crisis, one of the worst to hit the Islamic Republic in decades, has prompted concerns from regional experts of the long-term stability of this energy-rich country at a time when tension around Europe is on the rise. Wazistan has been roundly criticized for its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in the past and there are new concerns the unrest in Zanjan could prompt further repressive measures.

In Khodabandeh, the situation continued to deteriorate, according to eyewitnesses. Sources on the ground have reported more than a thousand vehicles have been torched in the last 24 hours and while a number of businesses have been vandalized. There have also been unconfirmed reports of police officers and riot police of joining protesters.

In a new sign of trouble for the government authorities, the opposition Nawaz website is reporting the protests have spread to other cities in the region including Tabriz and Kaleybar provinces.

Underscoring the sensitive of the crisis, the government has appeared to have ordered a complete media blackout. State media has reportedly been advised by the Communications Ministry not to report on the situation and foreign journalists have been barred from traveling to the western provinces.

Late Saturday, Azeri opposition leaders are expected to meet in Tabriz to discuss the ongoing situation in Zanjan and determine their response, a spokesman for the Azeri National Congress party as told the AP. Until now, Azeri politicians have largely remained silent on the unrest, unsure of how to respond to the growing anger towards the Islamic establishment to which they have long remained loyal to.

 

[Serenierre]

Military commanders meet at GHQ in Paris
AP Valmy

To judge the security and defense of the nation, Belmont's military commanders met at their General Headquarters to discuss the crisis in the north and to deem the threat level Belmont faced. The meeting was attended by the three services' Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Chief of Staff as well as 31 top generals, 16 admirals, 21 Air Marshals were also present. The commanders were briefed on the situation in the West as well.

 

[Polesia]

Belmontien 'spies' executed in Vangala
AP Paris

The six Belmontiens arrested in Vangala several weeks ago for allegedly aiding terrorists have been executed according to the Ministry of External Affairs, who released a statement minutes after the Vangalan Ambassador in Paris informed the Belmontien government. Put to death in the early hours of the morning at the notorious Kilkila Central Prison by a firing squad, the six supposed agents stood trial with dozens of Vangalans accused of being involved in several terrorist plots, including a planned assassination of President Moheen Chatterjee.

While Belmont has consistently denied those arrested were Belmontien intelligence officers, claiming they had forged Belmontien passports and identification papers, Paris reacted strongly to the arrests claiming they were motivated by Belmont's noted old anti-communist foreign policy. Despite diplomatic relations warming, several obstacles, such as Belmont's support for AGE in a confrontation between Scania and Batavia, have prevented normal ties.

In the Ministry of External Affairs' statement Minister Ajoy Qamaruzzaman urged Paris to excersise restraint and not allow the executions to block future diplomatic dealings. Meanwhile President Chatterjee praised the work of the Vangalan intelligence community and warned other nations against 'attacking the revolution and Motherland'.

Belmont has yet to comment on the executions, although many are expecting a harsh response.

 

[Wazistan]

Curfew imposed in cities after soldiers clash with protesters
AP International

A curfew has been imposed in at least nine cities across the Wazistan's south and west regions after clashes between protesters and security forces left more than 54 people dead, eyewitnesses have told the Associated Press. The death toll, the largest in a single day since the crisis began, is only expected to raise tension in this volatile state. Interior Minister Majid Saloor, speaking to reporters at a regular Interior Ministry news conference, said the measures were being imposed to respond to a "clear state of rebellion" and warned further security measures were being considered.

Analysts have warned Wazistan, a multiethnic society long plagued by tension between the different communities, could descend into civil war unless an arrangement acceptable to both side is reached soon.

However, the country's Islamic rulers have shown not hint they are prepared to compromise. Shortly after Sanjoor's announcement, opposition websites reported that two senior political leaders from the country's largest opposition party, the Wazistan Islamic National Movement, had been arrested.

Ibrahim Radwan, the the party's deputy leader, has already been detained by the authorities on charges many consider politically motivated.

What started as a small riot by ethnic Azeris quickly snowballed into some of the largest anti-government demonstrations in recent memory. While the original protesters were largely focused in the west of the country, Kurds have taken to the streets in recent days in cities throughout the southeast in solidarity with the Azeris and to press their own demands.

In a sign that the protests have begun to raise concerns within the highest places of the government, sources close to the presidency say President Hamid Najibullah will likely call the Majilis parliament back into session this week to discuss the crisis. In February, early parliamentary elections are set to be held. It is unclear if those elections will be held in the wake of the growing crisis.

In a speech carried by state media, Ayatollah Mahmoud Esfandiari denounced the new wave of violence as a "foreign orchestrated campaign" to tear the Islamic Republic a part and called on Wazis to remain loyal to the Islamic constitution. Esfandiari, who analysts say has largely filled his brother's shoes at the top of the Islamic hierarchy behind the scenes, has increasingly taken on a public role since the crisis erupted.

As a result, sources say pressure is growing among the country's hardliners to name Esfandiari as the country's new supreme leader, a post won't technically be created until after a referendum set to take place alongside February's parliamentary vote.

 

[Thaumantica]

Special Forces Trained For Southern Conflicts
AP International
The Blue Union Captaincy of Zivotinje has made an internally controversial decision this week, by slating the creation of four Specjalne Zaktrupa units to be assigned as a special forces contingent specialized in Desert Warfare. This in a a broad push to enable the Unions ability to secure assets in the deep south, in the wake of troubling civil unrest in many Islamic regimes.

Air Corps Officers in cooperation with the Union Army have agreed to begin rotating these new, as well as currently existing special operations units, to cycle through Specialized Training Programs to develop at least a vague sense of desert war tactics. These Officers declined to confirm or deny whether said trained troops will be utilized as an extension of Union influence, but stated that this program would not have been enacted if it were completely useless. "That region is beyond tension right now," said a press liason from the Air Corps familiar with the emerging plan, which is expected to be formally approved within weeks. "Our strategy assures us at minimum, we are ahead of the southern game in front of Cassiopeia, Kyiv, and Wiese."

Private institutions, even on the international scale have been gearing up for work as security personnel in the case of war, revolution, and to act as deterrents for local leaders who might look to weaken foreign assets. The Huszar administration plans to increase cooperation with private security support to draft a reasonable strategic view of the arab southlands.

Herald for the Union, Bojnik Konavle said the Union supported Private Security "near dangerous excess", and credited their swift work in protecting Ziv assets in Scania since the opportunity of conflict began to arise. Konavle, speaking to reporters atop Sjadnbrdo, said the Union was ready to provide the South with financial support, and within due time training and other forms of military assistance, "If our wealth can grow while making the south a safer place, we will strive tirelessly for such a result,".

 

[Cakchiquel]

Consulates merged in Cakchiquelian Government
AP, Mayapan
Ahau Jolote, formery Consul of Global Affairs a position for the administration of projects of global ecological sustainability, has been promoted to multiple Consular roles. Now known as the Consul of External Affairs, International, Foreign and Global Affairs Ahau has moved into the office of the now deceased previous Consul of External Affairs and International Relations in downtown Mayapan. The consulate of Global Affairs had previously been based out of Tuxtla Gutierrez, a port city along the coast and a university town numbering some 60,000 residents.

Ahau also absorbed the roll of Consul of Foreign Affairs, which since the implementation of the Consulates of International Relations and External Affairs has been reduced to an advisory position for the Imperium. The previous Consul of Foreign Affairs, Chaj Mal has according to state media gone into retirement, deciding to retire to his large penthouse in Tlaxalca

Mal was the first Tlaxalcan consulate in the Cakchiquelian government, and many saw his appointment by the Justicalist Defence Committee as a step by the MesoAmerican government to reduce restrictions on Tlaxalcan society. However with the apointment of Mal, government documentation continued to be recorded only in Mayan and the translation of government documentation into Tlaxalcan still stands as illegal.

Ahau is a graduate of Chichen Itza University where he majored in Economics and International Relations. Ahau has a graduate degree in Macroeconomics from Tuxtla Gutierrez University and a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering from Chichen Itza University. Ahau is a graduate of the Fifth Officers school in Mayapan and the holder of a doctorate in International Relations from Chichen Itza University. Ahau an openly vehement Justicalist was integral in the creation of the Analects of Justicialism, released earlier last year by the Cakchiquelian government. His appointment to this tri consul position implies a view in the Imperium that a more active international relationship is needed to further the Justicalist cause.

Ahau Jolote is the brother of famous Mayan journalist Juan Perez Jolote. Juan own's the Mayan Business Channel and is the host of the most watched television business news program in Cakchiquel, the "Nightly Business Report". Socialist leaders in
Cakchiquel accuse Jolote of driving Justicalism as an anti-labor movement. Socialist groups have come under pressure with the new Justicalist regime. Socialist publications were banned on account of being based on a non native philosophy. Individuals such as Chuck Chanmuluk, the exiled head of the Socialist Party of Cakchiquel argues that pre-colonization economics instead is more analogus to Socialism then Justicialism. The last Chief Consul elected by direct vote in Cakchiquel was a member of the Labor Party, and his election marked the beginning of the "contemporary vehicle" of Justicalism. Which meant, an end to electoral law and the enforcement of Justialist Mayan values upon a diverse society.

 

[Wazistan]

Unrest in Wazistan: Bishara calls on government to show restraint
AP International

Wazistan's main opposition leader Jamal Bishara called on the country's Islamic rulers to show restraint Saturday as the government attempts to deal with one of the biggest crisis to hit the Islamic Republic since its founding. Speaking with to a meeting of the main opposition Wazistan Islamic National Movement party at Gaza hotel, Bishara accused the government of ignoring the plight of Wazistan's ethnic minorities and urged clerical establishment listen to the concerns of those on the streets rather than beat them.

However, Bishara also called on protesters to refrain from violence, saying such acts weaken their cause.

In recent days, the government and their supporters have stepped up attacks on Bishara and other leaders of Wazistan's opposition movement, accusing them of fanning the tension under the directives of foreign powers. Nightly, state-run media have blanketed the airwaves with attacks on Bishara and his top deputy, Payan Kasravi, and demanding they be arrested for undermining the clerical leadership.

Similar calls have been made by lawmakers of President Hamid Najibullah's ruling Revolutionary Democratic Party. However, a top associate of Judiciary chief Kamil Ali al-Kaylani says security officials have no plans to detain any of the opposition leaders.

Bishara's remarks today where his first on the crisis and comes as opposition websites reported new protests in Wazistan's Christian areas.

 

[Cakchiquel]

Imperial Government, Justicalist Defence Council and the Confederate Consulate Assembly pass Global Crisis Defence Act with certain provisions kept only for regime knowledge
AP Mayapan

The Justicalist regime has begun a new era in MesoAmerican political administration. The Imperial office, the Justicialist Defense Council and the Confederate Consulate Assembly created a concordant "bill", detailing a "special era in Mayan politics". The new law known as the Crisis act points to the fact that "Oppressive economic practices of capitalist imperialist regimes pose a potential world wide ecological disaster".

Of ire to opponents of the "Justicalist" junta are articles within the Global Crisis Defence act which prohibit non Cakchiquelian news media. TV stations from the AP to Guianan sitcom channels have had their signals jammed and blocked from Cakchiquelian television networks. International media is still accessible to the residents of the autonomous regions of South Tikal, which unlike Cakchiquel was under Frescianian colonial occupation was under British domination.

Every citizen of the Confederation known as an ethnic "Mayan" should expect a copy of the Analects to arrive in the mail in atleast a month. The mere fact that the Cakchiquelian government has been able to provide it's 100 million Mayan populace with an 100 page document to many is most mind boggling. Many groups however which claim Mayan heritage are not recognized as proper "Cakchiquelian Maya". Many Mayan nations which maintained a non Mayana religious outlook, which either converted to Islam, or Twentish or Protestant Christianity have been labeled as Non Mayan

The Tikal people for example follow a form of the Mayana religion. The written script of the people of Tikal is also the same as the Cakchiquelian Maya but a mere difference in dialect, owning in part to British domination along with the fact Tikalians are more likely to be Christian then the average Cakchiquelian has been enough for the Justicialist government to write the area off as non Mayan, but definately like all of Cakchiquel to be Mayan sovereign territory. The Justicalist regime expects these non Mayan areas to be full supporters for a system which is meant to assimilate them. Non Cakchiquelian Mayans do not have the same legal standing as a Cakchiquelian Mayan does a full citizen of the Empire. Non Mayans are classified as Aliens. Of particular concern is an emphasis on supporting Cakchiquelian cultural initiatives in regions which need to be "redeemed" as suggested as a goal by the Global Crisis Defence Act. However most frightening to critics of the regime are the "hidden provisions" in the Act, which give the government potentially unlimited powers in fighting internal dissent to maintain Justicialist policies.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Zureiq might use secretarial change to strenghten hold over Anbat's ruling party
AP Phezzan

The expected appointment of a new party secretary for Anbat's ruling National Progress Party could higlight an attempted power shift, say independent reporters and political activists. With Malik al-Fares, the veteran NPP secretary, due to retire a forthcoming conference of NPP activists will face the appointment of a new secretary by the party. The position of the party secretary is the second most powerful in the Anbati ruling party, meaning that the appointment process of a replacement party secretary is of great political importance in the country.

Anbati President and chairman of the National Progress Party Dawud Zureiq has become personally occupied with the selection of a new party secretary for the NPP, but the process is largely taking place outside of public view with the exception of a number of comments in the Anbati press not giving much concrete information over the process.

However, it is believed by some that the appointment of a new occupant to this position of the NPP could mark a shift in the balance of power between Zureiq's circle of Phezzanite and coastal loyalists and the southerners who make up the two key cliques of the National Progress Party, and by extension the Anbati political establishment. The appointment of Deputy Malik al-Fares as the party secretary several years ago was a compromise between these factions to balance Dawud Zureiq's presidency, says an anonymous member of the Anbati legistlature interviewed by the AP, and with Zureiq's increasing influence it is likely that he will try to consolidate his hold over the National Progress Party hierarchy. This would take place by appointing a Zureiq loyalist into the secretarial post, a move made possible by the increasing control exercised by President Zureiq and his brother Bashar over the Anbati society and especially its security apparatus.

Another source, an independent journalist interviewed by the Associated Press, points to rumors that President Zureiq might seek to appoint his oldest son to the secretarial position. Amin Zureiq is presently serving as the Anbati delegate to the Council of Nations, and it is believed by many that President Zureiq intends for his son to succeed him at one point. "Zureiq's relatives already occupy a number of key government positions. That he might just go and appoint his son in a position of prominence and prepare him for Presidency has nothing to do with modern democracy", says another one in relation to these rumors.

 

[Confederal Republics]

AP journalist dies in Anbati conflict area while recording a demonstration
AP Phezzan

An Anbati photographer for the Associated Press has been killed in the Subay Governorate of Anbat while recording a protest against the closure of a local Islamic school in the city of Borj Qanun. According to a reporter of the Associated Press accompanying the 29-year old photographer in the area, the man was struck in the head by a tear gas projectile fired by a member of the Anbati Republican Army using a grenade launcher. Though the man was taken to the Borj Qanun hospital minutes after the incident, he died later in the evening.

The two-man Associated Press team was recording a demonstration organized by the imam of a local mosque to protest against the closure of an Islamic school by the Anbati Ministry of Education for what were described by the Ministry as "violations of national curricular standards". The demonstration, which took place outside of the Borj Qanun City Hall, turned violent after locals reportedly threw rocks at the policemen and members of the Republican Army guarding the crowd. The security forces responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, and carrying out several arrests during the incident.

Significant numbers of troops of the Anbati Republican Army and various police units are deployed in the two Governorates of Aziz and Subay, which have been subject to a low-level Islamic insurgency since the late 1980s. Though the pace of the conflict has reduced since a number of anti-terror measures were implemented in the 1990s by President Dawud Zureiq, it is estimated that the two main insurgent groups may still have up to 5000 members in total. It is estimated that roughly 15000 people have been killed in the course of the insurgencies. AP reporters have not been killed during the conflict, but local journalists have occasionally died to violent causes, most recently in 2008.

Colonel Yaqub al-Araz, commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade which is responsible for the area of Borj Qanun, said that the incident was being investigated but defended his soldiers by describing the event as an accident and pointing out that his troops had not intentionally used lethal force.

 

[Wazistan]

Report: Opposition to stage rally to mark Alloula death
AP International

Wazistan's democratic opposition plans to hold a rally in central Ijad to mark the death of one the countrys most revered independence leaders, the opposition website Nawaz reported Tuesday. An aide close to senior opposition leader Payan Kasravi has confirmed that the Wazi People's Democratic Organization has been in discussion with the Interior Ministry over the possibility of holding a rally in Ijad's Vaspi Square on Friday to mark the death of independence hero Sid Sidali Alloula, but declined to say whether any plans had been finalized.

Analysts say the move puts the government, which has feared to hold any large rally in the capital over fears they could turn into anti-government protests, in a tough bind. Alloula has long been seen as a national hero for his role in Wazistan's independence movement and remains a revered figures for many Wazis across sectarian lines.

Alloula was assassinated in 1960 by an Islamic extremist who opposed his support for reconciliation between the country's Christian and Muslim communities.

Experts have warn the government, which has been struggling to deal with the worst ethnic unrest to hit the country since the founding of the Islamic Republic, could only deepen the country's crisis if it prevented Friday's rally. Many argue that if Ijad is seen blocking public show of respect for one of Wazistan's most iconic figures, much of the establishment's already shaky support could crumble.

Sources say the military and officials close to the supreme leader Ayatollah Mahmoud Esfandiari are strongly opposed to any such rally while President Hamid Najibullah, who ultimately must decide whether to issue the necessary permit, is said to be undecided.

 

[Touzen]

Oikawan Empire launches surprise attack on insurgents in Ratomkira
AP International

In a move unexpected by the international community and analysts alike, the Oikawan Empire has started a surprise aerial campaign against Communist insurgents in Ratomkira. The attacks, which began at around 2AM local time, continued throughout the night.

In a brief statement released to the Council of Nations, the Oikawan representative to the CoN, Haru Takayama, stated that the Empire was reacting to defend the "rightful representatives of the people of Ratomkira" in what he described as an attack that had been planned well in advance. Mr. Takayama announced that the Oikawan Empire would try to limit civilian suffering as much as possible.

The Oikawan intervention in what was long perceived to be a domestic problem of Ratomkira has surprised many analysts of geopolitics and governmental officials throughout Europe alike. The Oikawan regime had been engaging in a policy of détente and multilateral diplomacy since the early 90s, a modus operandi some saw as a sign of the increasing awareness of the Oikawan leadership of the weakened state of their multinational Empire. Having actively involved itself in the Ratomkiran struggle now sparks doubt about the continued adherence of the Imperial leadership to its previous approach to international politics.

Initial reports regarding casualties in the affected areas were confusing. Explosions could be seen on various amateur videos uploaded to the Internet, but their authenticity could not be confirmed. If reports of bombs hitting the city of Na Treng, which has been recently captured by Communist insurgents, are true, causalities are feared to be in the hundreds and as of early Tuesday there was no sign military operations in the area would stop anytime soon.

 

[Wazistan]

Presidency: Opposition can hold Alloula rally
AP International

A senior presidency official has told the Associated Press that opposition parties and groups have been granted permission to hold a rally to commemorate the death of independence hero Sid Sidali Alloula, setting the stage for what could be one of the biggest opposition demonstrations in recent history. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the decision was following a special cabinet meeting last night and that President Hamid Najibullah had given his blessing to the decision. The move comes as protests by activists and students across the country heat up and warnings from senior military figures that further dissent will not long be tolerated.

Analysts say Najibullah had been boxed into a corner, aware blocking the rally could spark outrage among nationalists who still revere Alloula. However, experts say the president was also forced to weight the options appeasing the country's Islamic rulers, who have bristled as the recent unrest.

There has been no reaction to the president's decision from the country's security services, which is said to have strongly opposed allowing any such rally take place in Ijad and has largely aligned itself with the religious establishment.

Opposition leader Jamal Bishara has repeatedly stressed that the Friday rally would not be political, though a number of opposition figures have suggested the rally could be used to air "the public's grievances" over the unrest in recent days. Sheikh Amir Abdul al-Qurei, the underground leader of the main opposition Wazistan Islamic National Movement party, has urged supporters to turn out in big numbers for Friday's rally to "advance the democratic message of our beloved Alloula."

 

[Batavië]

Rebels Attempt to break Siege in Batavië; Skirmish Ensues
AP, Emyn Arnen

Militant forces of the Batavian Republican Army, which seeks a democratised Batavië, have reportedly made an attempt to run the siege surrounding the BRA stronghold of Spa, the largest city in the country's north. Having been surrounded by the People's Army for over a month, the residents of Spa are facing a food shortage which many human rights groups are saying could result in horrendous conditions within mere days.

Two pickup trucks with mounted machine guns and a lorry full of food gathered in the rural farmland surrounding the city attempted to run a People's Ground Force checkpoint on a regional route leading towards the city. Witnesses say that the Ground Forces opened fire with rifles and stationary machine guns when the caravan approached and managed to halt the vehicles after disabling them with road spikes. It is not clear how many casualties were suffered on both sides.

Meanwhile, in Vlaanderen, the central government has remained quiet with intense military mobilisations and buildup continuing after threats from Scania were received some weeks ago. The de facto leader and son of the late Jaap de Graaf, General karel de Graaf, has not addressed the country and has not officially been sworn in as Secretary-General of the Bataafsche Arbijders Partij.

The Council of Nations is currently debating the civil unrest in the country and analysts predict that CN intervention may be the only way to prevent a civil war in which untold numbers of people would be displaced and or killed.

 

[Batavië]

Cease-Fire in Batavië Agreed Upon; Onus on CN
AP, Emyr Arnen

Reports from Augsburg, Wiese, state that leaders of the Batavian Republican Army and the communist regime in Vlaanderen gave agreed to a 48 hour ceasefire. During this time, both parties have urged the Security Council to act quickly on designing a peacekeeping operation to prevent further atrocities. Only yesterday Batavian and BRA combatants were killed when a BRA armed caravan attempted to break through the army siege encircling Spa.

Some people doubt that the CN will act in time, but there is still hope. In the meantime analysts say that the communist regime is looking more vulnerable then ever before. The Supreme Leader, Jaap de Graaf, died over a month ago unexpectedly and his son, General Karel de Graaf, has yet to officially be sworn in as Secretary General of the Bataafsche Arbijders Partij.

Batavian political analysts in Scania say that if the CN can get 'boots on the ground' within the next week or two, civil war can be avoided. But they are unsure as to events after that.

'Will the communist regime give up power or enter into a power-sharing agreement? I don't know. The situation is tense and anything could happen.' said one analyst who declined to be named for fear of endangering his family living back home in Batavië.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Controversial Civil Defense Groups' mandate reviewed for five more years
AP Phezzan

The Anbati Ministry of Defense has announced that it will renew the mandate of the paramilitary Civil Defense Groups active in the country's regions of Aziz and Subay for five more years. Assembly Deputy Zakariya al-Hassani, head of the Monitoring Committee on Paramilitary Activity which oversees paramilitary elements acting in support of the Anbati security forces, said that the security situation in Northern Anbat necessitated a continuation of the paramilitaries' mandate of operation.

The Civil Defense Groups are volunteer paramilitary forces trained by the Anbati Republican Army and mostly comprising of former conscripts and military veterans. Equipped with surplus light weaponry, technicals and gun trucks by the Republican Army, they operate as local defense forces against Islamic insurgents in the Aziz and Subay areas where an insurgency has been in progress since the late 1980s. Though the level of insurgent attacks has decreased since their high point between 1993 and 1997, it is still estimated that the two main Islamist groups - the Islamic Formation of Northern Anbat and the Martyrs' Brigade of the Islamic Brotherhood - possess a combined force of up to 5000 fighters and a larger base of support.

The continuation of their mandate between 2011 and 2016, regarded as a routine decision by Anbati commentators, has drawn the ire of several rights groups which say that the Civil Defense Groups are controlled by radical Christians and used as "proxy" death squads by the Anbati Republican Army. Human rights reports and Anbati opposition activists implicate members of the Civil Defense paramilitaries in disappearances of journalists and political activists in their areas of operation, as well as in facilitating election manipulation in favor of President Dawud Zureiq and the ruling National Progress Party. There are 50000 members of Civil Defense Groups in the governorates of Aziz and Subay, representing nearly a half of security and police forces in these areas.

Officials of the Anbati government insist that the Civil Defense system is an essential component of Phezzan's security plans in the Islamist-troubled regions of Aziz and Subay. General Yahya al-Khoraish, the Anbati Minister of Defense who in his tour in Northern Anbat visited a facility where Civil Defense members are trained by members of the Republican Army, described the Civil Defense system as an "essential component in the protection of rural Northern Anbat from Islamist aggression", and stated that they "allowed members of the Republican Army and the Police to connect and liaise with local communities". The Anbati government categorically denies allegations of human rights abuses targeting the Civil Defense Groups.

 

[Wazistan]

"Half a million" opposition supporters mark death of Alloula
AP International

Huge crowds are on the streets throughout Wazistan's capital to mark the death of one of the country's most revered independence figures, Sid Sidali Alloula, a strong show of support for the opposition movement as the country deals with its biggest crisis since the Islamic Revolution. Opposition websites have been reporting a turnout ranging from 500,000 to over a million people currently on the streets of capital, which would make the rally the largest opposition-sponsored demonstration ever and could spell further trouble for the country's Islamic rulers.

The government's decision to allow opposition supporters to rally has proved controversial and spark division within the ruling establishment. The military establishment, backed by the hardliners in the clergy, are said to have strongly opposed President Hamid Najibullah's decision to permit the rally and warned it would undermine stability.

Najibullah's associates have justified the approval, saying opposition leaders had assured him the rally would not be political.

However, there are signs on the streets that the rally has already taken a political tone. Eyewitnesses are reporting many on the streets wearing shirts with slogans of support for recent anti-government protests across the country while at some protesters chanted slogans against Islamic leadership. Sources say that riot police that had been ordered to monitor today's rallies detained several activists for attempting to unravel a human rights banner.

At the main rally point in Vaspi Square, many prominent opposition figures have been addressing the crowd with largely pragmatic speeches. Opposition leader Jamal Bishara called the the anniversary a "somber reminder" of the price for liberty and urged the public to "honor the memory of our brother Alloula" by defending freedom and rejecting oppression, though he made not direct reference to the government.

However, not every speech has taken such a veiled approach. Shortly after Bishara's remarks, prominent human rights activist Farhad Jafarkhani accused "those at the center of power" of undermining the legacy of Alloula and all former partisans of Wazistan's independence movement.

"Instead of honoring the legacy and memory of Brother Alloula, we have a system that continues to challenge and undermine his dreams through repression and terror."

 

[Cakchiquel]

AP reporters barred from Cakchiquel - 5 Cakchiquelian AP employees killed by state authorities
AP, Tikal City

The Cakchiquelian government closed AP offices in Mayapan and Chichen Itza today with military units, striding in with guns and bayonets fixed soldiers of the Imperial Cakchiquelian Justicialist Army deported under the threat of violence all members of the Associated Press to the autonomous region known as South Tikal. Cakchiqueulian AP employees have been unaccounted for in this transition. The AP chief in South Tikal has made public in a recent press confrence in Tikal City open only to the international media he has reason to believe five Cakchiquelian AP employees have been murdered by Cakchiquelian authorities.

The deportations come two days after the censure of the AP by the Consulate Assembly which decried the Associated Presses' "Crimes against Global Justice" and "Imperialist genocidal establishment bias". The Consulate Assembly, in an open session passed a formal censure of the AP, putting the AP up to the judgement of the Consulate of Safety. Under new authority under the new Justicialist acts, the CoS quickly declared the situation a matter of Justicialist matters up to the need for active resistance from the military establishment.

Without the foreknowledge of any AP staff, military units at two o clock in the morning carried out a series of arrests of AP staff and occupation of AP property. By 6 am AP staff had began to be forcifly evacuated, and in 9 am arrived in South Tikal. The AP is currently working out the logistical implications of the loss of most of it's equipment and disruptions in data gathering off course too staff, yet is resolved to continue reporting on the Cakchiquelian news.

 

[Batavië]

Security Council 'Close' to Resolution; Vlaanderen & BRA in Talks
AP, Emyr Arnen

The Council of Nations Security Council is close to reaching a resolution to deploy peacekeepers to northern Batavië in an effort to avoid civil war in the split country. Meanwhile, leaders of the Batavian Republican Army and the communist regime are discussing possible demarcation for what Vlaanderen is calling a 'temporary line of division' in which peacekeepers would likely manage until a more permanent solution is found.

The 48 hour cease-fire expires Sunday evening and CN diplomats are hoping the Security Council can provide a written proposal for a peacekeeping operation before then in order to ensure fighting does not resume.

'If the SC fails to deliver before the cease-fire expires, well, they probably will never succeed at anything.' said one unnamed CN diplomat observing Security Council deliberations.

 

[Wazistan]

Security forces kill three following labor clashes in western Wazistan
AP International

Security Forces have shot dead three miners in the western city of Akkar following clashes between miners and troops over a labor dispute, opposition sources have told the Associated Press. The shootings, which come as tension around the Islamic Republic soars following mass protests around the country in the last month, comes just hours after the main reformist opposition party called on its supporters to strike. In a statement to state media, Akkar police chief Musa Khaled said the miners were killed after violently challenging soldiers attempting to maintain order.

However, eyewitnesses say soldiers open fire with live ammunition on a crowd of protesting miners without warning. A spokesman for the United Confederation for Wazistan's Laborers, one of the largest labor unions in the country, expressed "shock" over the murder and demanded an explanation from the authorities.

"What happen today in Akkar is deeply deplorable and we are demanding some answer," CWL communications director Paul Kalil wrote.

Analysts say the shooting will only add to the turmoil facing the clerical establishment. Experts warn that if the country's powerful trade unions, which have so far played little role in the crisis, openly back the country's opposition that it could be the final nail in the coffin for the regime.

However, the regime has show no signs that it plans to back down. Judicial officials have ordered more than a thousand opposition activists to be rounded up since Saturday while the Assembly of Experts Law committee says it will ask prosecutors to investigate "sedition" charges against senior opposition leaders. The Association of Mashad Seminaries and Theologians passed a resolution yesterday calling for the execution of "devilish politicians."

Including its stepped up crackdown on political opponents, the regime has also boosted its campaign to weed out rebels in the east. Government warplanes have hammered rebel positions while troops continue ground operations.