UPDATED below
Guess what country is in the current news.
From today’s New York Times:
Nov. 7 — Riot police officers used tear gas and a water cannon today to clear thousands of demonstrators from the streets of the capital of COUNTRY, employing extensive force in the face of protests against the country’s government.
There were no immediate reports of the extent of injuries. But people who fled the clouds of tear gas reported that police officers had rushed through the city’s main boulevard and had beaten demonstrators who had not managed to escape. Many protesters were seen bleeding. The police also scuffled with journalists covering the confrontation and confiscated or shattered some of their equipment, witnesses said.
The police sweep, while it cleared the avenue at least temporarily, underlined the intensity of the challenge to the government and reputation of the President.
The opposition has accused him of running a centralized government intolerant of dissent and undermined by high-level corruption and police and prosecutorial abuse.
Opposition leaders labeled the police action a political crackdown and mass punishment, and called for the people to gather in renewed protests. The possibility of escalation, or further clashes and police action, seemed high.
[…]
The United States, the Presidents government’s principal foreign sponsor and mentor, had no immediate response.
Here is your quiz question. What country is COUNTRY?
Burma? Cuba? Pakistan? Venezuela? The answer is below the fold.
A photographer working for The New York Times was rushed and seized by an officer while photographing the beatings; the officer wrestled away her camera and shattered it on the street. She collected the broken camera and was able to retrieve her disk of pictures, but the camera was ruined, and she had two bloody scrapes on her face.
There were also accusations that the police forcibly collected video and still cameras during the violence and returned them after, part of an effort to limit the number images that could be published or broadcast.
[…]
The United States has resisted the role of mediator since the standoff began on Nov. 2.
What country is COUNTRY?
Scroll down for the answer.
UPDATE:
AP just reports:
The U.S.-allied President of COUNTRY declared
a state of emergency Wednesday, where six days of demonstrations have
fueled a worsening crisis.The President has blamed … for fomenting the unrest in the
nation. His prime minister said in a televised statement that there had
been an effort to overthrow the government."An attempt to conduct a coup was made, and we had to react to that," he said.
The emergency declaration "will temporarily ban demonstrations
and protests, and calls in the media for violence, and the ouster of
the government by force."
NYT: Georgian Police Break Up Protests
AP: State of emergency in nation of Georgia
What country did you guess?