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Monday, February 14, 2011

Protesting Spreading Across Middle East


PHOTOS: Crackdown in the Middle East

Fearful of losing control like in Egypt and Tunisia, governments across the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf respond to new protests by cracking down.
News Desk
In countries across the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf, citizens long angry with autocratic regimes, incessant corruption and stagnant economies have taken inspiration from the recent revolts in Tunisia and Egypt and taken to the streets demanding change.
But unlike in Egypt and Tunisia, where the armies vowed to not fire on demonstrators, other governments have shown a willingness to crush all opposition -- sometimes with deadly force.
See the slideshow above of the protests. CAUTION: Some images contain graphic material.
In Iran, hundreds of riot police beat protesters and fired tear gas Monday at the tens of thousands of protesters who emerged on the streets. The demonstrations were the largest since the 2009 uprising after a disputed election.
In Bahrain, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters. The New York Times reports that the police fired so much tear gas, their own officers were left vomiting.
In Yemen, student protesters took to the streets for a fourth day, demanding the president's resignation. Security forces have been using electric tasers to attack the protesters, according to Human Rights Watch.
Algeria saw recent protests that also looked to be inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. The government unleashed thousands of riot police to prevent the protests from getting too large.
Meanwhile in Egypt, where protests forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down on Friday, members of the country's internal security forces marched Sunday and Monday to demand better pay and represent themselves as the nation's victims.
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