Released Jordanian political prisoners recount torture by security forces [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
In Jordan, activists from the youth movement accused security agents of beating and torturing them during their detainment in security centers. After their release, the activists confirmed their intention to press charges against the officers who tortured and insulted them. For its part, the Jordanian government confirmed its commitment to investigating these accusations.

Reporter, Male #2
After being charged by the State Security Court with insulting the monarch and incitement against the regime, they were only released after the king intervened in their case. The activists, who described the charges as outdated, confirmed they were beaten and tortured during their detainment, vowing to continue to take to the street to demand reforms and an end to corruption.

Guest, Male #3 (Nihad Zuher, Jordanian Youth Movement Activist)
What happened to us was the security's attempt to deal with the movement because of the government and the regime's failure to deal with the popular mobilization's demands. Our demands are just. We want a dignified life for the citizens.

Guest, Male #4 Abdullah Mahadin, Jordanian Youth Movement Activist)
What happened was a mere violation of all human and divine laws, and the constitution. Youths were arrested and detained for two weeks, and also beaten simply for expressing their opinion. I only want to thank an officer at the Muwaqqar prison, who treated me very differently from the way all the other youths were treated, and who were even tortured.

Reporter, Male #2
Activists from the popular movement in at-Tafilah Province and those who protested for their release in front of the prime minister's officer were freed after a meeting between Tafilah representatives and the Jordanian king. The king confirmed he supports the mobilization demanding political reform. As the arrest issue comes to an end, the debate has moved towards finding the truth behind the events that occurred during the prisoners' detainment, and if they were actually tortured. However, the government denied the accusations and indicated it will investigate the issue. It confirmed the era of torture and harassment inside detention centers and prisons was part of the past. The government added that some parties from outside the opposition, and with no link to the prisoners, are trying to take advantage of the case.

Guest, Male #4 (Rakan Majali, Jordanian Minister for Media Affairs and Communication)
We in Jordan overcame the issue of torture and beatings a long time ago. Not during this government, but a long time ago. Hopefully no one got hurt, and we don't accept the humiliation of any citizen.

Reporter, Male #2
The question over how these events affected the reform campaign in Jordan remains, and if the state's choosing of a security solution to deal with its opponents' rising criticism was a temporary decision, or if it reflects a long-term strategy. Ahmad Jarrab, Al Jazeera, Amman.

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Afghanistan's Karzai slams NATO over Taliban attack [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the attack launched by the Taliban movement in the capital Kabul and three other regions reveals the failure of the intelligence agencies and NATO. According to the Afghan Interior Ministry, the attacks led to the killing of 47 people, including 36 gunmen and three civilians.

Reporter, Male #1
This is one of the battle scenes in the Afghan capital Kabul, where Afghan forces launched an attack on the Taliban movement's fighters, who barricaded themselves inside a building in the center of the city. After fierce battles that lasted nearly 18 hours, special Afghan forces announced their victory over the Taliban gunmen who were in two buildings in the diplomatic quarter in Kabul.

Guest, Male #2 (Afzal Aman, Director of Operations at the Afghan Defense Ministry)
A group of gunmen wearing explosive belts participated in this terrorist attack on some strategic sites. But, luckily, they were all eliminated and we managed to paralyze their goals after they lost the ability to face Afghan security forces in their strongholds.

Reporter, Male #1
A spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed Afghan forces launched a series of bloody attacks against the Taliban gunmen. All of them were killed in the attack, as confirmed by NATO.

Guest, Male #3 (Carsten Jacobson, NATO Commander in Afghanistan)
Afghan forces proved their tactical fighting abilities and skills by winning the battle. This is what we witnessed after the Taliban attacks were announced. These forces managed to launch attacks on Taliban gunmen without the support of NATO forces. We didn't offer them any support.

Reporter, Male #1
A spokesman for the Afghan police said security forces stormed the gunmen's last stronghold in a parliament building after intensive gunfire, killing all Taliban fighters. Taliban fighters had launched six coordinated attacks on Sunday. They said this marks the beginning of what they described as the "spring offensive." They targeted multiple sites in the diplomatic quarter, and the German and Japanese embassies were damaged from rocket attacks. Gunmen wearing explosive belts also tried to enter the parliament, but security forces repelled them.

Reporter, Male #1
In another neighborhood, the fighters took control of a building near the entrance of a number of embassies, including France's, and a NATO base. NATO announced offices representing the US, the UK, and Germany were targeted in the attack. In coordination with the attacks in Kabul, Taliban gunmen also attacked government buildings and an American base in Logar Province, south of Kabul, and Jalalabad Airport, which holds one of the most important NATO airbases. They also targeted a police training center in the eastern province of Gardez.

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Sudan rules out talks until South Sudan withdraws from Heglig [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
The Egyptian foreign minister visited Khartoum, then headed to Juba in new efforts aimed at bridging the gap between the two countries. Along with Egypt, the Libyan National Council sent Mahmud Jibril to Sudan as the head of a mediation team. Meanwhile, Sudan insists on reclaiming Heglig before launching any talks with Juba that has, in turn, accused the north of wanting to open new battlefronts. Sami al-Shinawi reports from Khartoum.

Reporter, Male #2
Egypt is initiating contact between Khartoum and Juba in an attempt to diffuse the crisis and boost African Union-led efforts aimed at narrowing the gap between the Sudanese rivals. Egypt may be more concerned than any other country in resolving the Sudanese dispute.

Guest, Male #3 (Mohamed Kamil Amr, Egyptian Foreign Minister)
We call for a peaceful solution that will help diffuse the crisis. Egypt is ready to play any role, which all sides and our brothers in Khartoum find suitable to broker a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Reporter, Male #2
However, it seems a number of factors are weakening the Cairo-led position, among them Khartoum's insistence on reclaiming Heglig by force. In response, Juba said its withdrawal from Heglig hinges on the withdrawal of the Sudanese army from Abyei. Other factors have to do with the rise of Islamists in Egypt, as well as the alliance between South Sudan and Israel.

Guest, Male #4 (Ahmed Diqish, Political Analyst)
In the past, Egypt would have played a major role in the Sudanese plight. However, it is different today due to the internal changes witnessed in Egypt and the suspicion of the South Sudanese state that Egypt is biased towards Sudan. All of these factors may largely affect the anticipated Egyptian role in the efforts aimed at bridging the gap between Sudan and South Sudan.

Reporter, Male #2
Many observers believe that Egypt's intervention at this time may not bring any changes to the Sudanese scene, citing that any resolution may not overcome the framework of diplomatic announcements by Juba and Khartoum. And this in itself will not be enough to put an end to the war or lead to the resumption of oil exports. On the ground, both sides continued military operations. The South accused the north of seeking to open new battle fronts. Meanwhile, the Sudanese army said it's tactically mobilizing toward Heglig from various fronts, as both sides continue to blame each other for targeting oil fields and facilities in the region. Sami al-Shinawi, Dubai TV, al-Khartoum.

Presenter, Male #1
In a new ground escalation, the village of Mayum in the southern Sudanese Wahda State was targeted by the Sudanese Air Force. However, the shells hit a UN peacekeepers' camp with no reports of causalities, as confirmed by UN officials. In a different account, Gideon Gatpan, the information minister in Wahda State, said that seven civilians were killed and 14 others were wounded in the shelling.

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Two Bahraini activists climb embassy wall in London [Press TV, Iran]

Two Bahraini activists have climbed Bahrain's embassy in London to protest the ongoing crackdown of anti-regime protestors by Saudi-backed forces in their country. Ali Mushaima and Mussa Abd-Ali have been on hunger strike for twelve days. Mushaima stopped eating to support his father, Hassan Mushaima, who was imprisoned by the Manama regime, and both protested against the deteriorating condition of hunger striking activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

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Thousands of Pakistanis rally against reopening of NATO supply routes [Press TV, Iran]

Thousands of Pakistanis have staged a protest rally in Peshawar warning against the restoration of supply routes for US-led forces in Afghanistan. They called on the government to withdraw from its alliance with the US-led so-called "War on Terror." Anti-US sentiment ran high among the protestors, who pledged to sacrifice their lives to stop the supply lines for US-led forces from being reopened.

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Syria UN observers begin work as fighting continues [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said the number of civilian victims of violence reached 21 today. Most were killed in Hama. Politically, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Syrian authorities to exercise "maximum restraint," and urged the opposition to "cooperate fully" and implement what he described as a "fragile ceasefire in Syria." Meanwhile, the international monitoring team began its mission today.

Reporter, Male #2
Aside from the echoing sounds of explosions and gunfire, nothing has changed on the Syrian scene. The situation in Homs has been the same for months. On the fifth day of this presumed truce, the city of Homs continues to endure shelling by the army's tanks and artilleries. The scene was not much different in the area of Saraqeb in Idlib Province, with warplanes flying overhead amid heavy gunfire. And perhaps the situation was not much different across other Syrian cities and provinces. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Syrian authorities to exercise "maximum restraint," and called on the opposition to "fully cooperate," describing the ceasefire as "fragile."

Guest, Male #3 (Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General)
Syrian authorities must exercise maximum restraint, and the opposition forces should also fully cooperate in order to complete the implementation process. What's important at this time is that the ceasefire is very fragile, which requires the full support and cooperation of all relevant sides.

Reporter, Male #2
While opponents believe that what's happening on the ground is anything but a ceasefire, others described it a violation of the truce, which presumably went into effect last Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that more than 47 people have been killed since the ceasefire was announced. Today, a nine-member team began to monitor the fragile ceasefire across various cities and regions.

Guest, Male #4 (Erick Boukanam, Member of International Monitoring Team)
We are trying to organize ourselves and secure the necessary means of transportation, as well as prepare for the first round of our mission outside Damascus.

Reporter, Male #2
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activists said the regime is continuing to deploy military vehicles, display heavy military presence, as well as open fire at demonstrators and carry out arrest campaigns. By the same token, the demonstrations and protests are continuing across various Syrian cities and towns. In Kafrun in Idlib Province, the voices of these protestors echoed loud and clear, as the participants vowed to complete their revolution. The same cries were also heard in Maar Shorin in Idlib. The protestors in Kafr al-Shams in Daraa Province didn't hesitate to show support for what they described as "the besieged cities." Anwar al-Ansi, BBC.

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Pro-Palestinian 'flytilla' fails to get off ground [IBA, Israel]

A planned pro-Palestinian protest by thousands of foreign activists has, for the most part, failed to materialize at Ben Gurion International Airport. Many of the would-be protestors never got in the air due to requests from Israel to European governments to prevent their arrival. Some 40 activists have been detained at Ben Gurion and taken to a special terminal for questioning by police and deportation by immigration authorities.

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Lebanese commemorate the civil war [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
The recollection of the Lebanese Civil War only brings back the horror and tragedies. For the seventh consecutive year, mothers of the missing continue to gather in front of the ESCWA building. Shaheer Dris reports.

Reporter, Female #2
Thirty-seven years have passed since the bus incident in Ain el-Rammaneh. The incident on April 13, 1975 was considered the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War. The buildings of the area continue to be witnesses to the war, with traces of rockets and gunfire on their walls, and rubble scattered between their floors. This is the al-Hajar building, No. 303. It is still standing, along with 90-year-old Hajj Qasim Safwan, who is holding onto his house located between al-Chiyah and Ain el-Rammaneh. He still believes in his country and feels he belongs to it. He reassures people that the war is over, and recalls parts of it.

Guest, Male #1 (Qasim Safwan, Ain el-Rammaneh Resident)
We were displaced, so we came here in 1975 or 1976, when the war was at its peak. Then we escaped; we escaped and didn't take anything with us.

Reporter, Female #1
Do you remember the bus that passed through here and was fired at?

Guest, Male #1
It didn't happen here, it happened over there.

Reporter, Female #1
What happened that day?

Guest, Male #1
A lot happened. When the incident first happened, it was a normal day. People were coming and going through here, and nothing was going on. Then when it happened, people got very scared. People started to wake up. I know that people now have a greater understanding. And even though there are a lot of political differences today, this war woke people up.

Reporter, Female #2
The al-Hajar house will be restored, and renovation work is ongoing since its owners believe the war is over and will not make a comeback. While the buildings are still standing, the families of the kidnapped and missing are also standing, but alone in the struggle. For seven years, they have waited in front of the United Nations building. They live in the present, while some of their loved ones are still missing. They demand their return, but receive no answer. However, photographer Tareq Haddad responded to their pain and documented their long wait.

Guest, Female #3
I'm a mother who has been waiting for her children for 27 years. I look for them by myself, and I ask for them by myself.

Guest, Female #4
We want them back, even if it's just their bones. Dead, or alive, we want them.

Guest, Male #2 (Tareq Haddad, Photographer)
I tried to reflect the pain of these parents who lost their children more than 30 years ago.

Reporter, Female #2
The youth of the Syrian Jasmine Revolution, as they called themselves, see the anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War and these photographs as an opportunity to express their emotions. They sent red roses to the mothers and put some in front of the pictures as a gesture against the war and violence. On the 37th anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War, many wish the war to be recalled, but never to be repeated. They are hoping more people will work on preventing the eruption of strife again that would turn Lebanon into a new war zone over political disputes between the different parties. Shaheer Dris, Future TV.