The government was overthrown in Tunisia on 14 January 2011.[4]
On 25 January 2011, thousands of protesters in Egypt gathered in Tahrir Square, in Cairo. They demanded the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.
[5]
On 14 February, the protests in Bahrain started, and were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and respect for human rights; they were not intended to directly threaten the monarchy.[12][13]
On April, King Abdullah of Jordan creates the Royal Committee to Review the Constitution with directions to review the Constitution in accordance with calls for reform.[27]
On June, the Constitutional Court of Kuwait declared that the February 2012 National Assemblyelection was "illegal" and reinstated the previous pro-government parliament.
On 26 June, thousands of Kuwaitis rally in Al-Erada Square to protest against a court ruling that dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament.[29]
Between 20 and 28 August, the Battle of Tripoli, occurred, in Libya. Rebel forces captured, and effectively gained control of, the capital city of Tripoli, therefore practically overthrowing the government of the dictator Muammar Gaddafi.[31]
On 27 August, around 3,000 people, mainly men in traditional Kuwaiti dress, gathered opposite parliament at Al-Erada Square to protest changes to the electoral law.[32]
September
On 30 September, Abdullah II approves changes to all 42 articles of the Constitution.[citation needed]
October
On 9 and 10 October, Coptic Christians in Egypt protested against the destruction of a church. The Army responded by attacking the protesters with tanks, killing many.[33]
Between 19 and 21 November, many people once again protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding that the SCAF speed up the transition to a more civilian government. Clashes between protesters and soldiers then proceeded to happen, and many people were injured or killed.[37][38]
On 23 November, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry released its report on its investigation of the events, finding that the government had systematically tortured prisoners and committed other human rights violations. It also rejected the government's claims that the protests were instigated by Iran.
On 20 December, many women protested in Egypt against human rights violations.[41]
2012
January
On 10 January, the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, gave a speech, in which he blamed the uprising on foreigners, and said that it would require the co-operation of all Syrians, in order to stop the rebels.
On 27 February, the President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, officially resigned, and then transferred his powers to his Vice President, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi.[44]
April
On 20 April, many people once again protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding a quicker transfer of power to a new president.[45]
On 25 May, the Syrian government carried out a massacre in Houla, killing 108 people.[49]
June
On 2 June, the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison, by an Egyptian court.
On 13 June, the former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was sentenced to prison, by a Tunisian court.
On 16 & 17 June, the Egyptian people voted in the 2nd round of a presidential run-off election, in which Mohammed Morsi received the most votes.[48]
On 24 June 2012, Egypt's election commission announced that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi had won Egypt's presidential runoff. Morsi won by a narrow margin over Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak. The commission said Morsi took 51.7 percent of the vote versus 48.3 for Shafiq.
July
On 12 July, the Syrian army carried out a massacre in the Village of Tremseh. Up to 225 people were killed.
Starting on 27 July, government forces and rebels began fighting a battle to capture Syria's largest city, Aleppo. The UN reports that over 200,000 Syrian refugees have now fled the country, ever since the fighting began.
September
In late September, the Free Syrian Army moved its command headquarters from southern Turkey into rebel-controlled areas of northern Syria.[50]
On 9 October, the Free Syrian Army seized control of Maarat al-Numan, a strategic town in Idlib Governorate on the highway linking Damascus with Aleppo.[51] By 18 October, the FSA had captured the suburb of Douma, the biggest suburb of Damascus.[52]
On 10 October, Abdullah dissolves the parliament for new early elections, and appoints Abdullah Ensour as the new prime minister.
On 22 November 2012[53]Egyptian protests started, with hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrating against Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, after he granted himself unlimited powers to “protect” the nation,[54][55] and the power to legislate without judicial oversight or review of his acts.[56]
2013
January
On 25 January, protests against Mohamed Morsi developed all over Egypt on the second anniversary of the 2011 revolution, including in Tahrir Square, where thousands of protesters gathered. At least 6 civilians and 1 police officer were shot dead in the Egyptian city of Suez, while 456 others were injured nationwide.[57][58][59][60]
On 24 April, the minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria, built in 1090,[65] was destroyed during an exchange of heavy weapons fire between government forces and rebels.[66][67][68]
