On February 1, 2012, Tunisia, the birthplace of the so-called Arab Spring, has started procedures to expel the Syrian Ambassador in Tunis, and to withdraw recognition of the Syrian regime. That move followed the deadly assault launched on the city of Homs on Friday night, and which resulted in hundreds of deaths according to the Syrian National Council.

The Presidency of the Republic of Tunisia, said in an official statement published on its Facebook page [ar]:

Thank you Tunisia

"Hafedh (father of Bashar Al Assad): May your soul be cursed", written on the door of the Syrian embassy in Tunis. Photograph shared by Facebook page "Union Des Admins Des Pages Tunisiennes"

Netizens from the Arab world, welcomed the step taken by Tunisia, and considered the move as “revolutionary.” Here are some reactions of Arab netizens on the micro blogging website Twitter.

From Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Ahlam Safi writes [ar]:

Algerian Melissa Rahmouni adds [fr]:

@MelissaRahmouni: Je suis heureuse du soutien de la #Tunisie au combat des syriens pour la #liberté. #syrie

From Kuwait, writer Saadiah Mufarreh tweets [ar]:

And Syrian citizen Geo thanks Tunisia on behalf of the Syrian people:

@CitizenGeo: From #Syria to #Tunisia Thanks for your humanity

Decision divides netizens

Back in Tunisia, the President's decision to break all ties with the Syrian regime, has divided netizens. Those who did not welcome the decision are worried about the safety of Tunisian expatriates in Syria.

@ElyssaDidon tweets [fr]:

@ElyssaDidon: La #tunisie aurait du rapatrier ses siens avant d'expulser l'ambassadeur syrien! #Syrie

@ElyssaDidon: Tunisia should have repatriated its expats before expelling the Syrian ambassador

She adds, in another tweet, defending her opinion:

@ElyssaDidon: J'appuie la decision d'expulser l'ambsdr 2 la #Syrie en #Tunisie msj'aurais préféré la prse 2mesures pr prtger les tunisiens sur plce d'abrd

Blogger and journalist Haythem El Mekki described the decision as “very brave, and very risky”. On his blog, he writes [ar]:

Linda Ben Osman believes that not only the Syrian ambassador, but all ambassadors whose countries committed massacres, and human rights violations need to be expelled. She says [fr]:

Si l'on vire l'ambassadeur syrien pour massacres commis par son pays, il me semble logique que l'on en vire d'autres, à commencer par ceux de tous les pays arabes, et plus spécialement le Qatar et l'Arabie Saoudite, non seulement pour abus commis par leurs pays à l'encontre de leurs peuples et des chiites plus spécifiquement, mais aussi à l'encontre des Bahreïnis aujourd'hui colonisés.

Que l'on vire, l'ambassadeur chinois, pour massacre des tibétains et l'ambassadeur américain, pour massacre des palestiniens, irakiens et afghans pour ne citer qu'eux, et pour torture et abus de pouvoir, et pour maltraitance et violences policières envers les manifestant d'Occupy, pour Guantanamo, et, et, et…

Virons l'ambassadeur français, pays dont le Ministre de l'Intérieur considère que toutes le civilisations ne se valent pas, et qui traite les immigrés illégaux comme des moins que rien.

Virons aussi l'ambassadeur russe pour massacre des tchétchènes…

She adds:

nous, tunisiens révolutionnaires, voulons soutenir tous les peuples lésés par leurs gouverneurs, et si virer les ambassadeurs est la solution adéquate pour montrer notre solidarité , alors soit, virons-les tous!

On Twitter, @tounsiahourra strongly supports the President's decision. She tweets [ar]:

She adds in another tweet [ar]:

And @The_Fan concludes [fr]:

@The_Fan: Je ne comprends pas l'attaque sur la decision diplomatique de la #tunisie, on est quand meme avec la revolution syrienne #syrie non ?

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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Netizens are still enraged over Saturday's double veto by Beijing and Moscow of the United Nations Security Council draft resolution on ending 11 months of violence in Syria.

Iyad El Baghdadi tweets that this inaction by the UN completely erodes the organisation's legitimacy among Arabs:

@iyad_elbaghdadi: The veto also completely demolishes in the Arab mind the idea that the UNSC has any legitimacy or indeed is of any use. #Syria

Syrian Alexander Page notes:

@AlexanderPageSY: #China's Veto at UNSC means that thousands more of #Syria's innocent civilians will die #BoycottChina4Syria #BoycottChina

And Palestinian Dima Khatib compares the reaction to the massacres in Syria today to that in the Gaddafi-era Libya:

@Dima_Khatib: Libya + Revolution + Blood + Oil = NATO bombs. Syria + Revolution + Blood - Oil = Veto

Foreign Policy Editor Blake Hounshell comments:

@blakehounshell: In a way, the Russo-Chinese veto absolves the West of responsibility for #Syria. Little will to intervene.

Syrian Revolution notes:

@RevolutionSyria: The veto is just allowing Syria to kill more people

Syrian children condemn the veto. Photograph from Facebook group Syrian Days of Rage

And Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi concludes:

@RedRazan: Veto or not, Assad will be toppled by the great people of #Syria.

Meanwhile, online activists have started a campaign to boycott Chinese products in retaliation against the Chinese veto. On Twitter, the campaign is run under the hash tag #BoycottChina4Syria.

Lina Tibi writes [ar]:

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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China justified its decision to veto the draft resolution, saying it wants to promote peace in Syria, and Russia claims to hope for a diplomatic approach to resolving the conflict in the country. As FireDogLake writer David Dayen points out: “The fact that Russia still supplies arms to the Syrian security forces clearly weighed heavily on the vote today.”

US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, confronting Li Baodong, China. Image posted to Weibo.

Unrest in the country has led to an estimated 7,000 deaths since March last year, with more than 200 lives lost in a massacre earlier this week.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the People's Daily tabloid Global Times, made today what is perhaps one of the most vocal statements in support of China's decision to veto the draft resolution, ending up under heavy fire in the comments section. Taking offense at Susan Rice's reported “disgust” at China's vote, Hu confuses her [zh] with Condoleezza Rice but also writes:

美国代表不点名批评中俄“出卖了叙利亚人民的意愿”。骂去好了。美国多次在安理会涉以色列提案表决时搞“一票否决”，这次中俄是“两票否决”。叶利钦当年说的好：只要中俄联手，美国无论捣鼓什么，“都是手淫”。赞呵。

Almost as a sort of response, writer Ran Yunfei wrote [zh] shortly after that:

一个政府做一次错事可以原谅，不可原谅的是把做错事当成事业。我不是个民族主义者，但百年来的历史证明，中国与俄国的联手从来都没有对过。

One “verified” commentator on Sina Weibo wrote [zh] early Sunday morning Beijing time that Russia and China ought now to be removed the Security Council and China replaced by Taiwan; that post was quickly deleted.

Sorry world, sorry Syria, we Chinese have an evil government. —Michael Anti, on Twitter.

The horrific video below [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT], however, purportedly of the massacre Thursday in Homs, has not yet been deleted and has gathered hundreds of comments across the different spaces on which it's been embedded. At Sina Video, where it's currently being hosted, the most recent comment reads:

尼玛的我们国家在干什么鸟呀

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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Yossi Gavni reposted the photo highlighting the main claims that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) doesn't carry that kind of weapon and has no such uniforms, and that photo circulated mainly among Israelis. Apparently, the photo was tweeted last year in French, claiming this is actually from Syria's demonstrations and asking for it to spread. However, Arab blogger Omar Dakhane found the original photo (below), which is neither from Syria nor Israel but a street theater performance in Bahrain.

This story could have ended here with a lesson not to believe everything that circulates out there in the age of media manipulation and virality, but apparently some Israelis have decided the best response to a viral lie is a humorous meme. In the last 24 hours many photos replacing the soldier with different characters have been circulating on Facebook, initiated by 10Gag, the Israeli answer to 9Gag humor and memes generator.

For example, a photo where the soldier was replaced by a dog wearing real IDF uniform, probably also responding humorously to earlier allegations that IDF trains dogs to attack Palestinians.  Other entities stepping on that girl included an empire soldier from Star Wars, the Angry Birds, the Android, the Avatar N'aavi, Chuck Norris and more.

By turning the photo into a meme, Israelis are saying in “social media language” that such a situation is ridiculous and fictional, although Wesley Muhammad who started the viral spread concludes:  ”I took the photo down (even though that type of thing DOES happen in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)”. In response, Shani Yaakov posted a collage of pictures titled “this is the true picture of the IDF” (below) in which soldiers are seen in positive and friendly interactions with Palestinians. As for the truth, as always, it's probably somewhere in the middle.

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While the year 2012 is already well on its way, the translators of Global Voices in Dutch look back on 2011. Which posts stood out and what makes Global Voices so special?

Marjolein Snippe writes:

A while ago I had been translating a short documentary on the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant and the arguments of indigenous people opposing it. Then I saw this report on Global Voices. I was glad the issue is still receiving attention and that the (mainly) indigenous people opposing it are getting their voices heard in Brazilian courtrooms, by the Brazilian government and by worldwide sympathisers and supporters.

I was very much touched by an article about Syria I translated back in March. All the personal stories and deep worries made the impact the struggles had on the people living there so much more visible and “tangible” than most official newspaper reports!

Mieke Tulp writes:

Being asked which GV posts from last year made an impression, it seems inevitable to come up with something about the Arabic Spring. One article that struck me was a report about day-to-day life on Tahrir Square. It focussed on the positive attitude and feelings among the protesters. Little Utopia amidst explosive surroundings

Another story from an Arab country that touched me was the arrest of Razan Ghazzawi. The article was translated into virtually every language Global Voices covers, and rightfully so. She was released on 18 December.

Something that had an absolutely negative impact on me: Troy Davis’ death. He was executed in September. I do not know what to say about it. It should not have happened.

And an interesting story about children who have to work. In Bolivia the working children formed unions to ensure better wages and working conditions. It is a story about strong children who work and go to school and are determined to create a better future for themselves.

Percy Balemans writes:

Last year I translated a lot of stories about the Arab Spring, a subject that was also covered extensively by regular media. But they mainly showed images of huge crowds. This is why I was touched by the story about Egyptian Nadia El Awady who took her 73-year old father to Tahrir Square. What a wonderful way to get a taste of the atmosphere and to read how a 73-year old experiences it all!

I also enjoyed translating the article “African Women Striving to be Heads of State“. A perfect example of the kind of subject you won't read about in regular media, but which is covered by Global Voices.

Saskia Bliemer writes:

I found “North Korea Threatens to Disclose Recordings of Talks with South“, written by Lee Yoo Eun, very interesting to translate. Though we have seen lots of images from North Korea on the news lately, the country remains a mystery to me. The good thing about Global Voices is that you can read the opinions of the local population, making it possible to get a more complete idea of the situation.

A huge thank you to all Global Voices in Dutch translators [nl] for their contributions in 2011! Would you like to contribute as well? Contact us.

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

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Syrian President Bashar Al Assad gave a long rambling speech today, which further angered Syrians protesting against his dictatorship.

He spoke about a foreign conspiracy, or several of them, the meddling of the Arab League in his country's affairs and how much Syrians were supportive of his regime. In his speech, he promised both reform, just as he did in past speeches, and also revenge against protesters - more than 5,000 of whom have been killed since protests started in Syria in March.

When Arab leaders speak, netizens take to their keyboards and engage in taking a stab at heads of states who put themselves in such a position. Here is a round up of reactions from Twitter as Al Assad addressed his people - the same people being killed for protesting for democratic rights.

Mohammed Al Dahshan, from Egypt, tweets [ar]:

And he comments on the theatrics which usually accompany Assad's speeches, which are interrupted with applauses, saying:

@eldahshan: So you think the applause is prerecorded, like sitcoms keda? :) #assadspeech RT @maimoghli @eldahshan I dont think there is audience anyway!

As Assad continued to speak, so did the confusion of netizens.

Syrian Muhammed Basheer asks [ar]:

Lebanese Antoun Issa comments:

@antissa: #AssadSpeech exceedingly confident in his speech. Doesn't appear conciliatory by any means.

While LibyanStateTV quips:

@LibyanStateTV: Bashar should have asked himself “What would Gaddafi Do?”, and perhaps this would have produced a better speech #AssadSpeech

Jordanian Nadine Toukan tweets:

@nadinetoukan: Assad is clearly convinced he lives in fiction. #Syria

And Syrian Wissam Tarif adds:

@wissamtarif: Al Assad is talking as if he will be in power for ever #Syria

Many Twitter users translated and posted quotes from Assad's speech online as he spoke. Among them is Sultan Al Qasseemi, from the UAE, who had enough. He states:

@SultanAlQassemi: I can't watch this crazy person any longer. Switching TV off.

And to cap it all, Saudi Ahmed Al Omran, a production assistant for NPR, just tweeted:

@ahmed: On the same day of Bashar al-Assad's speech, at least 28 people killed in Syria according to the latest death toll provided by LCC.

The LCC is the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.

In a follow up tweet, he writes:

@ahmed: Can I get a T-shirt that says “I survived a whole speech by Bashar al-Assad”?

Stay tuned for more coverage from Syria.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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A Libyan woman from Benghazi has criticized her countrymen for marrying non-Libyans after the revolution. She states that Libyan women are not getting rights equal to those granted to men. She writes the following open letter, entitled “A long letter from one of the sisters in Benghazi” on Facebook [ar]:

The letter has attracted so many comments so far, more than 350 and counting, opening the debate on women's rights, Islamic law and what is acceptable for Libyan women and what is not.

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

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Since March 2011, when the uprisings that started in Tunisia and Egypt reached Syria, thousands have been killed and tens of thousands have been arrested and disappeared in the country. Syrian activists face unprecedented brutality and a media war to suppress all forms of opposition.

However, content shared by citizens have flooded the Internet and managed to break the wall of the state-controlled narrative. This post offers a selection of material posted by netizens online that portrays the struggle of the Syrian people for freedom and dignity, and the end of four decades of silence.

Silence vs. citizen voices

Decades of media control over Syria have helped the regime silence its people and maintain international legitimacy.  The Syrian government owns the Syrian telecommunications market, the most regulated in the region, and international journalists are banned from entering the country. This picture showing protesters wearing bandages on their mouths sends a powerful message ”from the occupied city of Kafar Nabel”:

From Occupied Kafar Nabel, 4 December 2011. Author unknown.

What are you afraid of?

During the last few months, Syrians have struggled against a 41-year-old wall of fear. This video, widely shared online, shows a young man talking to an older man, numbering the reasons why he might be afraid and encouraging him not to be. It ends with the sentence “Your silence is their most powerful weapon”.

To drive the point home, Samar Dahmash Jarrah tweeted:

The thought that I can switch on TV and see Syrians chanting Freedom Freedom by the 10's of thousands seemed illusive but not any more!

Silencing protesters

Thousands of protesters have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in March. The death of 13-year-old Syrian boy Hamza al-Khatib, brutally killed in custody, sparked shock and anger over the regime's cruelty. Thousands of other non-violent protesters like 26-year-old Ghiath Matar, from the Damascus suburb of Daraya, have been the target of  such brutality. Ghiath was known for leading the initiative of facing security fire and violence with bottles of water and flowers.

After his death on September 10, the Local Coordination Committee issued a joint statement that mentioned the dream Ghiath had died for:

Ghiath was waiting for two births: the birth of his daughter who won’t have the chance to lay on his arms, and the birth of the new free,  just and democratic Syria, which he won’t see but will hold his memory and pure soul forever. Ghiath and his friends in Daraya were advocates of non-violent struggle. He believed that a free and civilized Syria can’t be realized but by Syrian men and women by their peaceful struggle against the violence of the regime, with all the love they have facing the speech of hatred, by refusing to be like the butcher or use his tools.

On the left: martyr Ghiath Matar; on the right: detained Yahia Shurbaji. Image from razanghazzawi.com.

Syrian blogger @Bsyria tweeted:

RIP Ghiath Matar. Ghiath was a peace activist. He used to hand flowers and water to soldiers in Daraya. He was tortured to death. #Syria

Silencing music

If there is one song that has become the anthem of the Syrian revolution, that is “Yalla Irhal ya Bashar” (It's time to leave, Bashar), popularized by Hama singer Ibrahim Kashoush. On July 5, Kashoush was found dead with his vocal cords ripped off, as a revenge for ridiculing Bashar Al-Asad. His voice, however, has gone viral through the videos of demonstrations in Hama, and cannot be silenced:

Saudi blogger Ahmad Al-Omran, an intern at NPR, spends his days curating netizen videos and news about Syria. After a day's work, he tweeted:

What's my plan for the weekend? After watching all these videos coming from #Syria today, none of my plans seem to matter.

Silencing humor

Renowned Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, head of the Arab Cartoonist Association, published a cartoon depicting a sweaty Bashar Al-Assad clutching a briefcase running to catch a ride with Gaddafi. Ferzat was brutally beaten on August 26 and had both his hands broken “for mocking Syrian leaders.”

Image by Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat

@Freedom_7uriyah tweeted:

All i've got to say to Assad is watch #Libya closely, ur next. #AssadLies will get u nowhere

Silencing journalists and bloggers

The list of journalists and bloggers who have been killed, arrested or tortured has increased dramatically since the beginning of demonstrations in March. Cameraman Ferzat Jarban was found dead on November 20 with his eyes gouged out. He was filming anti-regime protests in the town of Al-Qasir, Homs.

Free Razan poster

The government has also targeted bloggers like Hussein Ghrer and Razan Ghazzawi, one of the most prominent Syrian bloggers and a former Global Voices Online contributor. Razan, who was accused of “weakening the national sentiment and trying to ignite sectarian strife” was released on December 18, but many others remain imprisoned or missing.

Syrian blogger @anasqtiesh tweeted:

”Weakening the national sentiment, and trying to ignite sectarian strife” should be charges against Assad. #Syria#FreeRazan

Syrians garner global support

As the uprising in Syria continues, and in spite of the attempts to silence activists, solidarity with the Syrian people has not ceased. Several online initiatives show how activists have become more creative to ensure global attention towards the situation in the country continues.

The SyrianSitIn campaign on YouTube by the grassroots news organization Sham News Network asks individuals to submit videos in solidarity with Syrian protesters. The videos, which were then posted to the SyrianSitIn [ar] YouTube account, contain versions of one statement:

@honestmenofsyri tweeted [ar]:

Syria 2012

As 2011 reached an end, Syrian advocates started using the hashtag #Syria2012 in reference to the Syria of tomorrow - a Syria of  freedom, justice and dignity. Fadi al-Qadi tweeted:

Syria2012 “At this time next year, Bashar Al-Assad will be a former president”

Mouhanad Abdul Hamid added:

I'll visit my family and get back to my home in Damascus in Syria2012 after long years of exile.

Nora Bashra noted:

In Syria2012, “torture” will be a word of the past. #Syria

Nour al-Ali hoped [ar]:

And Ahmad Ibn Rashed Ibn Said concluded:

Syria2012 will be cleansed of thugs and bugs, free of wolves and dogs, and full of kisses and hugs

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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As massive demonstrations take place all over the country demanding the end of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad's regime,  Syrian state TV reported a suicide bombing in the Midan neighborhood of Damascus on Friday, January 6.

International media have quoted Syrian state TV saying “immediate information indicates that a suicide terrorist blew himself up at a traffic light in the Midan neighbourhood,” but regardless of who is responsible for the attack some of the images circulated online show clear evidence of fabrication.

On this video that shows what is allegedly the crime scene, a person holding a microphone is suddenly seen on camera placing plastic bags beside a patch of blood on the ground.  What is a reporter for Syrian TV doing moving stuff around at a crime scene? The way the presenter becomes speechless when she notices is priceless:

This next video shows what are allegedly the first images of the attack. The text below the images says “We apologize for the ugly scenes” as the camera shows corpses, people screaming and a man saying “See? This is the freedom they want”. But what's shocking about the video appears during the last seconds: Two men from the security service hug, one apparently wounded, when they suddenly separate with a “we're done filming, right?” gesture.

Fabrication is not new in a country where the government owns the media and bans international journalists. Two weeks ago the Syrian government blamed a similar bombing on Al-Qaeda, including a fake statement and website which initially fooled international media to report the story of the Muslim Brotherhood claiming responsibility for the bombings. Syrian blogger Anas Qtiesh wrote a post about the findings that clearly show that the fake statement and website were easily traced back to regime affiliates.

@Farrouha91 tweets:

Ironic how pro-Assad Lebanese rush to report when explosions happen (accusing the protesters), but never report the daily killings. Why? #syria

@arwamenla adds:

#300DaysLater and Addounia TV still fails at fabricating lies about #Syria

As the regime is more and more desperate for legitimacy, we will probably keep witnessing more desperate attempts to draw attention from the Syrian people's struggle for freedom and justice.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

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Our top 20 list of most read posts on Global Voices for 2011 includes four from Japan, three from Egypt, and two from the Philippines. But only one story is about a giant crocodile!

It's been an incredible year for the reach and recognition of citizen media around the world, and that means Global Voices is no longer as lonely a media voice when it comes to reporting tweets and blog posts. Still, where mainstream media interest wanes, we're the ones who strive to continue documenting what local bloggers everywhere need the world to know.

Self Defence Forces arrive at the scene of the tsunami in Japan. Image by cosmobot, copyright Demotix (13/03/11).

Some of our proudest moments of 2011 will never be reflected on a top 20 list like the one below. This year we exceeded 500 active volunteer authors and translators of countless languages and countries, and we've published more than 2,600 long posts and 6,300 short ones in English alone.

Inevitably, many of the stories that don't get as wide a readership as they deserve are from countries that tend to be overlooked in international media. Unique coverage from across Africa, the Caucasus, Macedonia, the Russian language Internet, Latin America and indigenous rights are among some of the highlights. See the 2011 regional reviews by our editors and authors for a glance of what you may have missed.

Our Middle East and North Africa team deserves special mention this year. Throughout protests, blackouts, threats, they have managed to pull though and keep writing. The bloody images still proliferate, but our authors seek out constructive voices and angles for dialogue. So often, they've shared local humor and context that is difficult to appreciate from abroad without a guide.

Perhaps for the first time ever, China doesn't figure on our top 20 list of the year. These are particularly chilling times to blog about controversial subjects - something Global Voices authors in many other countries unfortunately also experience. This makes the stories that do come from anywhere free speech is frowned on even more precious.

Most read posts on Global Voices in 2011

1. Egypt: Night Falls, After Day of Rage
2. Japan: We're Losing to Apple, and Here's Why
3. Mapping the Thailand Flooding Disaster (and also this one)
4. Syria: ‘Gay Girl in Damascus' Seized (and this one)
5. Philippines: Debate on Divorce Bill
6. Japan: Tweeting from Fukushima
7. Philippines: Lolong, World’s Largest Crocodile
8. India: Aishwarya Rai's Baby and Media Madness
9. Egypt: Feminist Publishes Nude Photograph to “Express her Freedom”
10. Japan: On Catastrophes and Miracles, a Personal Account
11. Serbia: Reactions to the Story of Serbian Mercenaries in Libya
12. Largest Earthquake in Recorded History in Japan
13. Myanmar's New Flag and New Name
14. Mexico: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt Over Anonymous' #OpCartel
15. Argentine Songwriter Facundo Cabral Murdered in Guatemala
16. Africa, France: Who is Nafissatou Diallo? Victim or Conspirator?
17. Japan: Fear in Fukushima
18. Libya: Is Khamis Gaddafi Really Dead?
19. Egypt: The KFC Revolution
20. Spain: Thousands of People Take the Streets

Our most visited special coverage pages were:

1. Egypt Revolution 2011
2. Japan Earthquake 2011
3. Bahrain Protests 2011
4. Libya Uprising 2011
5. Tunisia Revolution 2011

In 2011 the world has learned more about the transformative power of online citizen media. We believe the best way to support these emerging voices on a global scale is to listen. Thanks for reading Global Voices! And please consider supporting our work with a donation.

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

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Since Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in the small city of Sidi Bouzid on December 2010, a wave of unprecedented popular protests is sweeping the Arab world. The region has seen unprecedented events that no one could ever imagine witnessing in a lifetime.

Three Arab dictators have been toppled, some others forced to engage in reforms, while in other places the confrontation is proving to be painful and bloody.

In any case, 2011 is likely to remain engraved in the history of the Arab world as the year when people started raising against their oppressive regimes.

As we bid farewell to 2011 and look ahead to 2012, we asked our authors to share with you pictures that in their eyes have marked the past year in their respective countries. The following selection represents their choices.

Tunisia

Photo by Talel Nacer, used with permission

On January, 14, 2011 thousands of protesters gathered near the Interior Ministry building in Tunis calling for the fall of the regime of dictator Zeine El Abidine Ben Ali. Later on the same day, Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia.

Afef Abroughi

Syria

Author unkown

A powerful message from “the occupied city of Kafar Nabel”, Syria.

Leila Nachawati

Lebanon

Photo by Krikorian. Used with permission

Even though Lebanon has not witnessed a revolution in 2011, the Land of the Cedars was highly affected by the developpements and turmoil in the area. But for Lebanese it's the high cost of living that is haunting them the most. Following each wage increase by the government and even before the plan is approved by parliament, prices soar tremendously.

Thalia Rahme

Palestine

Photo by Jillian C. York, used under a CC license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Palestine: “Marching United Towards Freedom”

Jillian C. York

Yemen

Copyright Shohdi Al-Sofi, used with permission

The peaceful massive marches of Yemen which never stopped throughout the year are a testimony of Yemenis' steadfast and resilience and prove ultimately, like the billboard reads, that “victory is to the people”.

Noon Arabia

Bahrain

Picture posted on Twitter by @almakna

The above photograph, shared by @almakna on Twitter, shows the number of areas reportedly tear gassed by the Bahrain authorities in one night. On that particular day, I myself choked on the tear gas, spending the night and the following day sick and closely followed tweets and complaints by Twitter users from across the country.

Amira Al Hussaini

Picture posted on Twitter by @SanabisVoice

This photograph, from the Sanabis Voice, shows empty teargas canisters, collected from a small area, in one day. Such photographs are found in abundance online, shared by netizens on social networking sites, and tell a story that has been recurring for 11 months - a story not much of the world cares about.

Amira Al Hussaini

Egypt

Picture by rouelshimi, used under CC license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

January 25, the first wave of protesters go to Tahrir square. It's the dawn of the revolution.

Tarek Amr

Morocco

Copyright Amine Hachimoto. Used with permission.

The little girl looking up at this Moroccan Superman pausing in front of the parliament seems to be wondering if he can fly. Maybe he's an ultra-nationalist trying to make a point? Or maybe he's a supporter of the pro-reforms group February 20? It doesn't really matter. Because behind this amazing photo by Amine Hachimoto lies a new reality in Morocco: 2011 is the year when the street has become the theater of nonviolent political expression. Something that is likely to continue in the years to come.

Hisham Almiraat

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Written by Hisham Almiraat · comments (3)
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