Citizens Speak out - 21 May 2011

Citizens speak out. The calls for basic freedoms and a greater say in government continue to grow as citizens gather in nations like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Ivory Coast, Libya, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. Amidst concerns raised by Amnesty International that Egypt's military caretaker government has been continuing some of the same repressive abuses of the former regime, military leaders announced on Wednesday, May 19 the release of 120 protesters detained after the fall of the regime. The military also announced that Parliamentary elections will be held in September, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and then presidential elections. As Afghans gathered for a second day in the normally peaceful city of Taliqan Thursday, at least 12 people died and 83 were wounded as they protested the mistaken killing of four people during a night raid conducted by Afghan and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops. People demonstrated Thursday in Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, three countries that have instituted austerity measures to reduce government budget deficits. While the Spanish and Portuguese called for greater democracy and job security, people in Ukraine also protested corruption and market control, which has led to much higher prices than the global average. The mothers of two US hikers detained in Iran on spying charges have gone on a hunger strike of solidarity with their sons, and to protest their ongoing detention since July 2009. As British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Bahraini Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa on Thursday, he urged the government toward reform rather than repression, to address citizens' wishes being expressed in the pro-democracy protest movement. Amidst persistent calls from the Gulf Cooperation Council, the US and other Western countries this week, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed on Thursday, May 19 to sign an agreement mediated by the Gulf states that would allow him to step down from power without prosecution. In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted with distress the worsening humanitarian crisis in Libya as he reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire. According to Reuters news agency, the European Union may also assist by imposing tighter sanctions on the government that include blocking fuel supply ports. As we join the world in grieving the losses and suffering of people in these nations, we pray that the traumatic conflicts may cease as all citizens are free to coexist in side-by-side dignity, security and peace�