Moscow
Rally against Putin: Tens of thousands of Russians braved bitter cold this week to call for the ouster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Waving banners and carrying images of Putin in prison garb, protesters marched in the sub-zero temperatures, chanting, “Russia without Putin!” and “Give us back the elections!” It was the third mass rally since Putin’s party won a parliamentary election in December amid allegations of fraud. Putin, who was president from 2000 to 2008 and has been prime minister since then, is all but certain to win the presidential election next month. An equally massive rally of Putin supporters, many of whom were paid or were government workers ordered to show up, was staged on the other side of town.
Homs, Syria
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Civilians massacred: The Syrian army pounded the rebel stronghold of Homs with artillery and tank fire this week, killing hundreds of civilians in what the opposition called a “horrific massacre.” The violence was unleashed as Russia and China blocked the U.N. Security Council from endorsing an Arab League call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down. President Obama immediately condemned the “unspeakable assault” and closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, and 11 European and Arab countries withdrew their ambassadors, leaving Syria even more isolated. Homs residents remained defiant. At a large funeral for some of the victims, protesters chanted, “The people demand the execution of Bashar!”
Ramallah, West Bank
Hamas and Fatah reconcile: The two Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have agreed to form a unity government, ending their five-year split. The deal signed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal provides for Abbas to head a single, transitional Palestinian government that will prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinians have had separate governments since Hamas seized Gaza by force in 2007 after it won elections but was kept from power. It’s not clear, though, whether Israel and the U.S. will recognize the new arrangement, since they have said they will not deal with Hamas until it renounces violence and recognizes the legitimacy of Israel.
Cairo
Let our people go: The U.S. is threatening to cut off $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt over the arrest of 19 Americans working for pro-democracy groups there. The Americans, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, are charged with using foreign funds to stir up unrest. “We will have to closely review these matters as it comes for us to certify whether any of these funds from our government can be made available under these circumstances,” said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Egyptian democracy activists say the arrests show that the military rulers who took over a year ago from President Hosni Mubarak are maintaining his regime’s repressive tactics.
Kampala, Uganda
Anti-gay bill returns: A Ugandan lawmaker has resubmitted a bill that would stiffen punishments for homosexual acts, but he removed controversial provisions for the death penalty. The original, tougher bill, first proposed in 2009, was killed last year after an international outcry and threats by European countries to cut vital economic aid to Uganda, where homosexual acts are already punishable by 14 years in prison. The new bill, written, as the old one was, by David Bahati, would increase that sentence to life in prison; it would also criminalize failing to report gay activity and providing counseling or other services to gays. Since Bahati leads the ruling party’s caucus in parliament, the bill apparently has government backing.
