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Citizens Speak Out. As the calls continue for improved living conditions, participation
in government, better jobs and increased basic freedoms, their voices can be heard in countries
such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Oman,
Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela and Yemen.
Two groups gathered for largely peaceful protests in Tunisia on Friday, April 1, with one calling
for greater economic freedoms and another seeking the removal of certain religion-specific
laws.
In Oman on Friday, one protester was killed and five were injured, one critically, with
scores also detained after police opened fire on citizens in Sohar who were rallying for
the release of hundreds of detainees, as well as better wages, jobs and an end to government
corruption.
Following the Thursday arrest in Sri Lanka of the editor of LankaeNews.com, international
media rights organization Reporters Without Borders spoke out against the government for
silencing those who support minority parties.
A report from the international group Human Rights Watch stated that at least 10 activists
were detained on Friday in Azerbaijan as police attempted to stop a rally from occurring the
following day in Baku. Despite this, the rally did occur, with security forces then arresting
dozens of protesters as they called peacefully for improved democracy and freedom of speech.
Amidst reported raids on people's homes as well as attacks by government forces on protesters
that resulted in 27 deaths on Friday alone, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released
a statement Saturday conveying his deep concern about the situation in Syria. Saying that
the UN deplores all forms of violence against peaceful protesters, he called for its immediate
halt.
In Sudan, rising food prices and insufficient economic opportunities have led to the formation
of a number of youth groups who are calling for an end to the 22 year-long rule of the
current leader.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that despite the presence of
UN peacekeepers, at least 800 people have died this week in Duékoué, a town in Côte
d'Ivoire's (Ivory Coast) cocoa growing region. The deaths appear to be mainly the result
of inter-communal violence between forces commanded by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo
and supporters of the internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara. UN representatives
reported that peacekeepers had been protecting the town's Catholic mission, where thousands
of citizens sought refuge from the violence. The death toll since conflict began last November
now exceeds 1,300 and may go even higher as President Ouattara supporters stated that
numerous mass graves had been found in several other western communities, which they attribute
to killings by President Gbagbo-led forces.
International efforts to help resolve the Libyan conflict include a proposal by Ecuadorian
President Rafael Correa to create an international peace commission; Germany, which has spoken
against arming the revolutionaries; Russia, which is calling for an immediate ceasefire
and peace talks; and a group of nations that include Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Mali, Equatorial Guinea and Âu Lạc (Vietnam), which presented a
signed document to the UN Security Council insisting upon an immediate ceasefire. Egyptian
representatives also announced they have been attempting to secure permission from the Libyan
government to send ships to Misurata, which has been under a heavy siege for two weeks,
to evacuate citizens to safety. Meanwhile, a ceasefire proposal suggested by Libyan revolutionaries
has been refused by the Libyan government.
With deep sadness for the cherished lives lost, we pray that the end to all nations'
conflicts is soon, and that more and more citizens choose the way of peace, to live
in dignity, safety and shared freedom one
and all�