The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on Feb. 3 said the death of a Guantánamo Bay detainee highlights problems with the detention system currently used by the US for dealing with terrorist suspects. The detainee, Awal Gul, had been at the Guantánamo detention center since October 2002, suspected of having aided the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Gul apparently died on Feb. 1 of an apparent heart attack after he had completed aerobic exercises.

The US is conducting a manhunt for a previously unknown cell believed to be involved in the planning of the 9-11 attacks, according to a US cable released by WikiLeaks. In the cable, Mirembe Nantongo, the deputy chief of mission in Doha, told the Homeland Security Department in Washington that three Qatari men were under suspicion of conducting surveillance operations on the attack sites.

A new anti-Taliban offensive by the Pakistani military in the tribal region of Mohmand bordering Afghanistan has forced some 25,000 residents to flee, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The military claims that its troops have so far killed more than 70 Taliban militants in what it described as a "search and clearance operation." (RTTNews, AlJazeera, Feb. 4)

Hundreds of protesters marched in cities around Iraq Feb. 4, inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the region. The government's failure to provide basic services topped the list of grievances, with complaints of food, water and power shortages. The biggest demonstration took place in al-Hamza, a poor town Shi'ite town south of Baghdad, where marchers were estimated by authorities at over 1,000. (CNN, Feb. 3)

Egyptian protesters held a massive "departure day" rally Friday Feb. 4, aimed at ousting President Hosni Mubarak. Tens of thousands again filled Cairo's Tahrir Square—although this time army troops in riot gear backed up with armored vehicles formed a cordon around the square and controlled access, effectively separating the protesters from pro-Mubarak mobs, and avoiding violence. Inside the square, the atmosphere was festive—although there was no sign that Mubarak had responded to demands that he step down.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Feb. 2 praised the efforts of Egyptian protesters while repeating concerns over casualties, calling on the nation's leaders to give citizens the democratic reform they demand. There are currently unconfirmed reports of 300 casualties and 3,000 injured. Citing Article 21 of the of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Pillay stated that the will of the people should determine the government:

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said Feb. 3 that the country's 19-year state of emergency would be lifted "in the very near future." The state of emergency was installed solely in response "to the fight against terrorism" Bouteflika said, denying it had "interfered" with the country's political process. The president's announcement came amid mounting calls by civil society leaders and opposition parties to lift the state of emergency. The pro-democracy Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) plans a march in Algiers on February 12.

Tens of thousands of protesters massed on Feb. 3 at Yemen's Sana'a University for a "day of rage" against Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule—while government loyalists flooded the city's central square in support of the embattled president. With Saleh supporters, some of them armed, taking over Tahrir Square the previous night, protest organizers were forced to change the planned venue of their demonstration. From early morning they drove through the streets publicizing the new site over megaphones, saying that "the men of the ruling party and their armed elements are holding Al-Tahrir."