Destruction and Looting of Antiquities in Yemen

Yemen is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and national museums that house priceless artifacts.

Bombs dropped by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen resulted in the complete destruction of the museum of Dhamar in the southwest, which contained thousands of artifacts from the Himyarite Kingdom.

Mohanad Ahmad al-Sayani, chair of Yemen’s General Organization of Antiquities and Museums in Sana’a, has lamented "Our immortal history has been wasted by wars."

The Yemeni cultural losses are noted by archaeologists. Although the country has been far less studied than Mesopotamia, it played a critical role in the rise of empires and economies in the region starting around 1000 B.C.

According to archaeologist Sarah Japp of Berlin’s German Archaeological Institute, "The destruction seems deliberate." She stated that, “The Saudis were given information on important cultural heritage sites, including exact coordinates"by UNESCO.

Japp was based in Sana’a before the war. UNESCO intended to protect the sites, but she fears that the data may instead have been used for targeting. “There is no reason to say all of these [bombings] are just accidents.”

There is evidence of al-Qaida raids on museums in Yemen and evidence in Europe of dealers who have been selling these antiquities. A special forces raid of one of the complexes of the chief financial officer of ISIS, receipts of about $5 million worth of antiquities sold over the course of a year were found.

At least 100 artifacts from Yemen have been successfully sold at auction for an estimated $1 million in the U.S., Europe and the United Arab Emirates since 2011, according to a Live Science investigation into the country's so-called "blood antiquities."

Read more here and here.

Reading reading: The Librarian Who Saved Timbuktu's Cultural Treasures From al Qaeda; Iconoclasm Means the Destruction of Heritage

State Dept: Drones Killed 4 US Citizens

The Obama administration Wednesday for the first time acknowledged killing four U.S. citizens in “counterterrorism operations” abroad.

The deaths of three of the Americans — Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son Abd al-Rahman Anwar al-Awlaki, and Samir Khan, all of whom were killed in drone strikes in Yemen in 2011 — had been previously reported. The death of the fourth, Jude Kennan Mohammad, a Florida native apparently killed in Pakistan, had not been.

Read it all here.

Related reading: Game of Drones; Obama's Drone Legacy; Americans Protest Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Obama's Drone Strike Legacy

The Washington Post asks if drone strikes will become Obama's Guantanamo?

The Obama administration’s increasing use of unmanned drone strikes to kill terror suspects is widely opposed around the world, according to a Pew Research Center survey on the U.S. image abroad.

In 17 out of 21 countries surveyed, more than half of the people disapproved of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, Pew said Wednesday.

But in the United States, a majority, or 62 per cent, approved the drone campaign.

“There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries,” the study authors said, especially in predominantly Muslim nations, where American anti-terrorism efforts are “still widely unpopular.”

The White House declined to comment on the report. The Obama administration considers drone strikes one of its most effective tools to combat al-Qaeda — preferable to conventional war because the strikes produce fewer American casualties and meant to be more palatable abroad because the use of drones keeps U.S. troops on the ground to a minimum.

“In order to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and to save American lives, the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qaida terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones,” White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said in April in a detailed and wide-ranging defence of the policy. He said targets are chosen by weighing whether there is a way to capture the person against how much of a threat the person presents to Americans.

The global drone campaign under President Barack Obama has killed a number of high-value leaders, arguably more than any other method including more than a decade of special operations raids inside Afghanistan. A strike in Pakistan this month killed al-Qaeda’s most recent second in command, Abu Yahya al-Libi.

Read it all here.


Jim Kouri reports:

On Sunday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accused Obama of ordering unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, strikes in his country to boost his political image, according to an Israeli security source who monitors Islamic nations.

More than a few political commentators and counterterrorism analysts on Sunday morning's television news shows spoke of President Barack Obama's abysmal week dealing with a lethargic economy, accusations of intelligence leaks and misstatements that provided ammunition for his opponents. But the criticisms didn't end there. Prime Minister Gilani's stated that Barack Obama is "using drone strikes in Pakistani tribal regions for political motives."

The Prime Minister's verbal assault came a day after President Obama allegedly ordered a "sharp increase" in drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas aimed at killing members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"The United States is into the election year and Obama's decision has been aimed at gaining political mileage," Pakistani Prime Minister said during a press conference.

The U.S. officials were quoted as responding that Obama's decision to increase drone attacks reflected the "mounting U.S. frustration with Pakistan over a growing list of disputes."

But Gilani said that dialogue is going on with the United States regarding a supply line issue in light of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which continues to demand an apology from the United States over the killing of 24 soldiers in November during a drone strike.

"The Pakistanis want what Obama gives to others at the drop of a hat -- an apology. But the problem is Obama usually apologizes for the actions of other people and the past [Bush] administration. He apologizes on behalf of the American people or for American policies from previous administrations. Have you ever heard him apologize for something he did or he ordered done?" asks political strategist Mike Baker.

"Who is the more moral person? A man like Bush who believes in using military force? Or a man like Obama, who is against the use of military force -- unless he lied all those years -- but uses it to score political points so he can continue his true agenda? Which is the fundamental transformation of America," Baker noted.

On Thursday, the U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated in Kabul that the United States was running out of patience with Pakistan. He alleged that the country was being used as a safe haven by terrorists from neighboring Afghanistan.



Related reading:  US Pays Bounties on Leading Somali Terrorists

Obama Warns Against Yemen Political Disruption

U.S. President Barack Obama has issued an executive order allowing sanctions to be imposed on people and entities who seek to undermine the political transition in Yemen.

Read the full report here.

US Military To Train Yemeni Military

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 – U.S. military personnel are again training Yemeni forces, Defense Department officials said today.

U.S. officials had suspended the training mission in Yemen due to political instability in the nation. The United States recently began reintroducing a small number of trainers into the country, Navy Capt. John Kirby, Pentagon spokesman, said.

Kirby, speaking to reporters, said the United States has been working for years with the Yemeni government and military to combat the growing al-Qaida threat in the nation. That threat doesn’t just threaten the Yemeni people but also Americans, he said.

“There was a suspension of some of that activity in Yemen for a while due to the political instability in that country,” the spokesman said. “We are now beginning to resume more of that routine military-to-military cooperation.”

Pentagon officials will not discuss operations in Yemen, Kirby said. “And I'm certainly not going to provide specific details on the numbers of individuals that we have there,” he said.

Kirby also addressed questions about an American airstrike in Afghanistan that mistakenly hit a civilian target, killing six members of an Afghan family. Kirby reiterated that the United States finds civilian casualties unacceptable.

Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, took responsibility for the raid and promised a thorough investigation. “We take each one very, very seriously; they’re all a tragedy,” Kirby said of civilian deaths.

The coalition goes to enormous lengths to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage, Kirby said. “When it happens, as tragic as it is, it’s by mistake; it’s an accident,” he said. “We own up to it, we take responsibility, we investigate it.”

Hopes Dim for Swiss Captive in Yemen

ADEN, March 29: A bid to release a Swiss woman kidnapped in Yemen has suffered a blow after her abductors made excessive demands, including for Osama bin Laden’s widows to be freed, a tribal chief said on Thursday.

Al Qaeda militants abducted the woman on March 14 from her home in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, where she had been teaching at a foreign language institute.

She was taken to far eastern Shabwa province.

Tribal chief Ali Abdullah Zibari said, however, that mediation efforts had so far failed because of excessive demands placed by her captors, including the release of Bin Laden’s widows held in Pakistan.

Mr Zibari said the Islamists also demanded the release of several women held in Iraq and Saudi Arabia in return for the Swiss captive.

“Their initial demands for the release of (former Al Qaeda chief) Osama bin Laden’s wives held in Pakistan were rejected by Yemeni officials last week,” Mr Zibari told AFP, adding the group then placed new conditions for the Swiss woman’s return.

“Now they’re demanding the release of 100 Al Qaeda-affiliated militants from Yemeni jails and 50 million euros (66 million dollars)… at which point the mediation efforts failed because of the prohibitive demands,” he said.

Mr Zibari played a crucial role in the release last November of three French aid workers kidnapped by Al Qaeda and held for five months.

Shabwa province is a stronghold of Al Qaeda’s local affiliate, the Partisans of Sharia, which has expanded its influence in recent months, taking advantage of the political turmoil that has swept the country and forced the resignation of veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

From here.



The Swiss woman was seized from her home by "men in military uniform" and is reported to be in good healt and "safe."  Her name has not been released.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-20/167340-swiss-woman-seized-in-yemen-safe-tribal-chief.ashx#ixzz1qcAdxgdZ
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman warns that Iran and al Qaeda are exploiting political uncertainty in Yemen.

Yemeni policemen rescued 21 Ethiopians being held hostage in Hajjah. The Ethiopians were tortured by their captors, who demanded that their relatives in Saudi Arabia send ransom money. Three of the captors were arrested when Yemeni police stormed the house in which they were staying

Yemen's Crackdown in Taizz

Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - New York, February 8, 2012 - Yemeni security forces stormed and shelled hospitals, evicted patients at gunpoint, and beat medics during an assault on Yemen's protest movement that killed at least 120 people in the flashpoint city of Taizz last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is in the United States receiving medical treatment, received amnesty in Yemen for such attacks.

In the 75-page report, "'No Safe Places': Yemen's Crackdown on Protests in Taizz," Human Rights Watch called on the United States, the European Union, and Persian Gulf states to publicly acknowledge that the domestic immunity granted Saleh and his aides last month has no legal effect outside Yemen.

"President Saleh's forces killed and wounded hundreds of civilians, evicted hospital patients, and blocked war wounded from reaching care," said Letta Tayler, Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Saleh is entitled to medical treatment, but he and his aides have no right to immunity from prosecution for international crimes."

When Yemenis took to the streets in January 2011 to demand an end to Saleh's 33-year rule, Taizz, 250 kilometers south of the capital, Sanaa, became a center of both peaceful and armed resistance - and the scene of numerous human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war. "No Safe Places" is based on more than 170 interviews with protesters, doctors, human rights defenders, and other witnesses to attacks in Taizz by state security forces and pro-Saleh gangs from February to December 2011.

Click here to read the entire press release.

Yemen: Pre-Election Intimidation of Journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - 8 February 2012 - Reporters Without Borders roundly condemns a recent surge in media freedom violations and attacks on journalists at a time of political tension in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled for 21 February.

Four journalists and activist bloggers are currently under threat from a fatwa issued at the start of February by senior clerics that explicitly calls for their deaths and for the closure of the newspapers and websites that carried their articles.

It was the appearance of an article headlined "First year of a revolution" by writer and journalist Bashra Al-Moqtari on the Al-Tagheer Net website on 11 January that aroused the anger of religious leaders and members of the Islamist party Al-Islah. In her article, Moqtari voiced the frustration and disappointment of a people that have seen their revolution stolen.

"The revolution's thieves have taken over the revolution of the Yemeni people," she wrote, urging them to take to the streets to continue their fight for freedom and to refuse "the tragedy of a slow death, a tragedy perpetrated by the political elites, religious leaders and soldiers."

The fatwa's three other targets are Fakri Qassam, an intellectual and editor of an independent newspaper in the southern city of Taiz, the satirical writer Mohssein Aeyd, and the Internet activist Sami Shamssan.

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns this fatwa, which aims to silence journalists and activists who say the revolution has been confiscated and who reject the 23 November accord mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Many newspapers meanwhile continue to be the target of threats and attacks by the supporters of former President Ali Abdallah Saleh, who is currently in the United States for medical treatment. Armed demonstrators surrounded the Sanaa headquarters of the newspaper Al-Thawra on 2 February to protest against the removal of Saleh's photo from its front page.

They branded editor Yassin Al-Masroudi as a traitor and prevented journalists from entering the building. Saleh's supporters then stormed the building and supervised the preparation of the next day's issue. Reporters Without Borders deplores such practices, which were typical of the outgoing regime, but the Union of Journalists claimed that many journalists supported the action.

Armed Saleh supporters also surrounded the headquarters of the newspaper Al-Jomhuryah in the city of Taiz on 4 February, while security forces watched without intervening. Editor Samir Al-Yussoufi reportedly received threatening messages in which he was told that the newspaper's offices would be shelled. The day before, dozens of gunmen stormed the newspaper's bureau in Sanaa.

Reporters Without Borders stresses its support for the management and staff of both Al-Thawra and Al-Jomhuryah. Such practices constitute a serious obstacle to the ability of the media to operate in Yemen.

"The intimidatory practices and death threats to which journalists are currently exposed must stop," Reporters Without Borders said. "Freedom of expression and media freedom are essential conditions for change in a country that is trying to rebuild after years of authoritarian rule and a year of repression."

On 4 February, demonstrators also forced their way into the building that houses the Yemeni satellite TV station in order to prevent its chief from entering the building. The intervention of soldiers was needed for him to be able to get to his office. The protesters were demanding the removal of the heads of the three state-owned TV stations - Al-Yemen, Saba' and Al-Iman - and the restoration of the satellite station's former logo.


For more information:

Reporters Without Borders
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
France
rsf (@) rsf.org
Phone: +33 1 44 83 84 84
Fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51
http://www.rsf.org/

Yemen's President to Step Down

And the Arab Spring rolls on.

Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, signed an agreement to step down Wednesday after 33 years of authoritarian rule, the New York Times reports. In a surprise move, he signed an agreement “that Yemeni officials said immediately transferred power to his vice president,” the Times writes. In exchange, he received immunity from prosecution.

Saleh is the fourth Arab leader to fall since the uprisings began in Tunisia.

Read it all here.

Yemen President Wounded in Palace Attack

Elizabeth Arrott

Cairo June 03, 2011

An audio recording attributed to Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been broadcast on state television, hours after an attack on a mosque in his presidential compound. Yemen state media say the attack killed three guards and an imam.

The voice of what appeared to be a subdued President Saleh was heard thanking his fellow Yemenis for their concern about his condition, which he said was alright.

He also wished a speedy recovery to others injured in the attack, and offered his condolences to the families of those killed. Saleh was wounded in a rocket attack Friday in the presidential mosque in Sana'a during midday prayers.

Read it all here.

Yemen Forces Attack and Kill Protesters

Security forces raided the protesters' camp in Taiz, killed dozens of people and inured hundreds. AFP

Taiz, May 30 – A group of security force soldiers have raided the protest camp in the heart of Taiz city, known as the “Freedom Square”, at 3:00 AM on Sunday, 30 May, killing dozens of people and injuring others.

The loyalist soldiers attacked the square from all directions and gunmen in police and plain clothes shoot at protesters from the roofs of surrounding buildings.

The raid terrified local residents and thousands of protesters have fled the square after many of their tents were burned by security forces.

An unknown number called the Yemen Times correspondent in Taiz, threatening to kill him if he reported on any of the events that took place Sunday night in Taiz.

Until now, there are no accurate numbers of protesters killed or injured as the security forces have also stormed protest camp field hospital and the Al-Safwa Private Hospital, seizing dead bodies as well as some injured protesters.

Televisions and satellites inside the camp were also confiscated by the security forces. Two cars belonging to protesters have been burned by police and plainclothes gunmen.

In retaliation to this fierce raid against the protesters, a group of demonstrators burned two government vehicles found in the area.

Currently, armed clashes are erupting between supporters of Hamoud Al-Mikhlafi, an opposition parliamentarian from the Islah party and security forces in front of the security administration building of the Cairo district, only 20 meters distant from Freedom Square.

Source:  Yemen Times

Saleh Immunity Deal is Deadly for Protestors

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - New York, May 12, 2011 - Negotiators should immediately remove a promise of immunity from any resignation deal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen in light of repeated, lethal attacks by his security forces on peaceful protesters, Human Rights Watch said today. In the latest attacks, security forces, along with pro-government gunmen in civilian clothing, have shot dead at least 21 people since May 7, 2011 - at least 15 of them on May 11 and 12 - and wounded hundreds.

After weeks of delay, Saleh agreed on April 23 to a pact brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and backed by the United States and the European Union, in which he would resign within 30 days in exchange for blanket immunity for himself, government officials, and close relatives who include commanders of security forces that have repeatedly fired on protesters. The broad language in the pact appears to set no limits on the immunity terms. But Saleh has stalled on signing, demanding additional changes or concessions, as security forces continue shooting at peaceful protesters.

"These attacks suggest that President Saleh views his promise of immunity as a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card for political murder," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The GCC member states and other governments involved in negotiations for President Saleh's exit should immediately pull immunity from the table."

Yemeni courts and foreign governments will still be obligated to hold Saleh to account for the attacks even if an immunity deal is signed, Human Rights Watch said.

International law rejects impunity for serious crimes, such as crimes against humanity and torture, Human Rights Watch said. International treaties, including the Convention against Torture, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, require states parties to ensure that alleged perpetrators of serious crimes are prosecuted, including those who give the orders for these crimes. Systematic or widespread unlawful killings, carried out as a state policy, are likely to be crimes against humanity.

At least 137 people have died in attacks by security forces and pro-government assailants on anti-Saleh protesters since February.

In the latest attacks, on May 11 and 12, security forces and pro-government gunmen shot dead protesters in the capital, Sanaa, and provincial cities including Taizz, the western port city of al-Hudaida, and the central city of al-Baida'. Many of the protesters were shot as they tried to occupy or blockade government buildings, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Yemeni officials blamed the opposition for the violence, saying demonstrators were trying to "storm" government buildings, but numerous witnesses said the protesters were not using any form of violence.

To read the full press release, click here.

For more information:

Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10118
USA
hrwnyc (@) hrw.org
Phone: +1 212 290 4700
Fax: +1 212 736 1300
http://www.hrw.org/

Most Young Arabs Indifferent to Osama's Death

By Assaad Abboud - DUBAI

The apparent indifference of young Arabs to the killing of Osama bin Laden is being seen as a sign of Al-Qaeda's flagging popularity and the preoccupation in the Middle East with revolutions at home.

An Egyptian expert on Islamist movements, Diaa Rashwan, said his killing by US troops has failed to provoke Arab street protests because they are already marching for freedom.

"The death of bin Laden does not mean much to the Arab people," Rashwan said, noting the Middle East was awash with revolutions to topple longtime autocratic rulers.

Bin Laden's elimination was "a natural development at a time when people are turning the page on guns and violence that targeted civilians indiscriminately," he said.

The death of Al-Qaeda's leader marked the end of an era.

With his popularity already on the decline, the Saudi-born Islamist militant "would not have even enjoyed the media coverage he has had now if he had been killed a bit later," said Rashwan.

This week has not seen any major popular protest, neither at the announcement of bin Laden's death nor over the disposal of his body at sea.

Washington says it opted for a sea burial out of concern that a traditional funeral could have produced a shrine for bin Laden, who topped the most wanted list for the past decade since the 9/11 terror attacks.

President Barack Obama announced that US forces shot dead bin Laden early on Monday local time after tracking him down to a hideout at Abbottabad near the Pakistani capital.

Sporadic street rallies have been held in support of bin Laden in Afghanistan and Pakistan where the Al-Qaeda chief spent most of his life, but no such events have been reported in the Middle East.

Islamist forums on the Internet, however, have been active in hailing his contribution to radical Islam.

Salman Shaikh, director of Brookings Doha Centre, said the absence of sympathy for bin Laden was not surprising. "The Arab world moved a long time ago from Al-Qaeda ... The Arabs are instead moving towards popular revolts," he said.

"They are focusing more on the struggle to have their own freedom. And besides that, they want to get rid of the extremists. They want to move forward and look to the future."

Shaikh said Arabs did not want to be identified with or viewed as "terrorists," despite mixed feelings of denial and disbelief among loyalists who insist bin Laden lives on.

The youth, at the forefront of the so-called Arab Spring, is focused on freedom, democracy and higher living standards, agreed Lebanese sociologist Dalal Bizri, although this did not mean a total lack of sympathy for bin Laden.

A leader of Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen on Wednesday vowed revenge.

"We will take revenge for the death of our Sheikh Osama bin Laden and we will prove this to the enemies of God," he said, contacted by telephone from Yemen's restive southern province of Abyan, an Al-Qaeda stronghold.

"They will see what they haven't expected ... We are preparing a plan to continue jihad in the coming period," the militant warned, requesting anonymity for "security reasons."

Bizri said Islamist movements in the Arab world were increasingly influenced by the Turkish model of rule in a secular state, with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Syria more amenable to the West and abandoning anti-Western slogans.

Since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February, the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood has formed a non-theocratic" party in Cairo to contest up to half of the parliamentary seats in September elections.

"The main feature of the coming period will be the involvement of Islamists in power, and they will then fight against extremists and silence them," predicted Bizri.

Egypt's Brotherhood itself said on Monday that "Islam is not bin Laden."

"After September 11, there had been a lot of confusion. Terrorism was mixed up with Islam," said Mahmud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's number two. "In the coming phase, everyone will be looking to the West for just behaviour."


Source: Middle East Online

Yemen: Al-Jazeera Closed; Journalists Beaten

CPJ/IFEX) - New York, March 24, 2011 - Yemeni authorities today ordered Al-Jazeera's offices shut and its journalists stripped of accreditation, escalating a week-long series of reprisals against the station that has included beatings, expulsions, raids, and death threats. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the government's decision to shut Al-Jazeera and urges authorities to reverse the order immediately.

Saeed Thabit, Al-Jazeera's Yemen bureau chief, said a Ministry of Information official informed him of the closure by phone but provided no specific reason. Abdu al-Gindi, Yemen's deputy minister of information, said in an Al-Jazeera interview that the station had turned into "a channel that incites revolutions." News accounts cited unnamed government sources as asserting that Al-Jazeera misidentified a short clip of prison violence as being from Yemen, a claim the station did not immediately address.

The station has been providing extensive coverage of the weeks-long popular uprising that has threatened President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year reign. The closing of the station's offices comes two days after about 20 plainclothes gunmen raided Al-Jazeera's Sana'a bureau. The gunmen, whose faces were obscured by head scarves, confiscated equipment and obstructed operations while uniformed police stood by and took no action, Al-Jazeera journalists said. On Saturday, authorities expelled two Al-Jazeera correspondents.

On Wednesday, government supporters attacked Al-Jazeera cameraman Mujib al-Suwailah as he filmed demonstrations in Ta'iz, Yemen's third-largest city, Thabit told CPJ. The assault was so severe that it broke al-Suwailah's arm, causing the radius bone to penetrate the skin. He underwent surgery today and remains in the hospital, Thabit said.

On Saturday, plainclothes men assaulted cameraman Walid al-Miqtari in front of the channel's Sana'a office, Thabit told CPJ. They kicked and punched him repeatedly, took his camera and identification papers, and threatened him with additional violence if he continued to report for the station. "You and the others at Al-Jazeera deserve to be slaughtered," the attackers told al-Miqtari.

Al-Jazeera employees have reported numerous death threats and threats of physical violence against themselves and their families. The latest threat was made by an anonymous caller to Ahmad al-Shalafi, one of the station's chief correspondents in Sana'a, and was directed at his children. "We are in hiding now, in various places throughout Yemen; we are not in our own homes. There are people looking for us and wishing to do us harm," Thabit told CPJ.

"The government and its supporters have engaged for two months now in escalating levels of obstruction, physical violence, and naked threats against journalists, particularly those working for Al-Jazeera." said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "Those in positions of power in Yemen, particularly within the presidency and the interior ministry, will be held accountable for any harm that befalls our colleagues."

Immediately following the assault on Walid al-Miqtari, Thabit sent two letters to the Yemeni Ministry of the Interior. The first requested protection for Al-Jazeera's offices, and a second letter demanded the return of al-Miqtari's equipment and identification papers. The government did not respond, Thabit told CPJ.

Over a period of a few days in mid-March, Yemen expelled six other international journalists. The Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate has documented in excess of 60 individual attacks on media since the beginning of social unrest in January. They include a killing, abductions, dozens of physical assaults, confiscation of equipment, and scores of death threats against journalists and their families.

For more information:

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (@) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
http://www.cpj.org/

Yemen: More than 50 Attacks on Journalists

CPJ/IFEX) - New York, March 18, 2011 - One journalist was fatally shot and another wounded in Sana'a today when Yemeni security forces used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators from a central protest area, killing dozens of people. The death of photographer Jamal al-Sharaabi is the first confirmed media fatality in Yemen since political unrest began in January, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Al-Sharaabi, a photojournalist for the independent weekly Al-Masdar, was among 44 individuals killed by security forces who opened fire on a demonstration against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year-long rule, local media and the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS) reported. Most of the victims were shot in the head or the neck, according to local media. New accounts described at least some of the gunmen as snipers.

Several hundred more civilians were wounded by security forces' fire at the demonstration site in a square outside the main entrance to Sana'a University, news reports said. Among them was a photojournalist, working for the BBC Arabic service, who was shot in the shoulder, the BBC reported. The photojournalist was not identified by name.

"We extend our condolences to the family and colleagues of Jamal al-Sharaabi, who was killed today as he performed his professional duties," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. "This killing comes on the heels of many weeks of increasingly hostile rhetoric and violent reprisals against independent and critical media."

The Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate has documented more than 50 separate attacks on journalists since political unrest began in January. The attacks include abductions, assaults, confiscation of equipment, and threats of violence against journalists and their families.


For more information:

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (@) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
http://www.cpj.org/

Journalists Beaten in Bahrain. Expelled from Yemen

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, March 14, 2011 - Authorities in Yemen and Bahrain are continuing to obstruct news coverage of ongoing political unrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today as it called on the two government to allow journalists to work without reprisal. In Yemen, at least six international journalists were expelled since Saturday, according to news reports and CPJ interviews. In Bahrain, security forces and plainclothes men attacked an Al-Wasat photojournalist covering a demonstration in the capital, Manama.

Yemeni security forces today raided a Sana'a apartment shared by four international journalists, The New York Times reported. The Times identified the journalists as Oliver Holmes, a contributor to The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine; Haley Sweetland Edwards, a contributor to the Los Angeles Times; Joshua Maricish, a photographer; and Portia Walker, a contributor to The Washington Post. The four were brought before immigration authorities who ordered their expulsion for "national security reasons." The Times identified Holmes and Walker as British, Maricish and Edwards as American.

"I'm positive that this is related to the fact that all four of us have been reporting about the upswing of violence against protesters," Holmes told the Times by phone from the airport. Edwards said their expulsion was a clear indication that the crackdown against protesters will intensify "and there's no one here who's going to see it."

Reporter Patrick Symmes and photographer Marco Di Lauro, on assignment for Outside, a U.S.-based travel and adventure magazine, were detained Saturday by security agents, Symmes told CPJ. Although they had press visas, they were put on a flight to Istanbul. "It is obvious that we are being expelled simply to prevent the chance that we are in any way capable of learning what is happening in Sana'a," Symmes told CPJ in an e-mail. Symmes said they were working on a travel article and had repeatedly emphasized to authorities that "we have not asked to cover demonstrations, and have not done so."

Government supporters continue to intimidate local reporters. On Saturday, a group of about 20 people believed to be government supporters went to the Journalists Syndicate in Sana'a and threatened to burn it down, according to two local journalists and an item posted on the syndicate's website.

"We are alarmed by the expulsion of foreign journalists and fear that it may be the prelude to intensified repression of local journalists seeking to cover the protests in Yemen," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "We call on the authorities to revoke these expulsions and allow all journalists to work freely."

In Bahrain, security forces and men in plain clothes beat Mohammed al-Mukharaq, a photographer working for the independent daily Al-Wasat, according to news reports and local journalists. Mukharaq, wearing a vest that carried the name of his newspaper, told CPJ he was covering a demonstration on Sunday in Manama when a group of 20 or more men approached, beat him, crushed his camera and mobile phone. Mukharaq said he suffered extensive bruising.

Local journalists told CPJ that a list called the "Bahrain list of dishonor," is circulating online and identifying 25 people as "collaborators aiming to sell their country." The author is unclear. CPJ, which reviewed the list, found the names of at least nine critical journalists, including Mansour al-Jamri, editor-in-chief of Al-Wasat; Abduljalil Alsingace, a Bahraini blogger and human rights activist; Ali Abdel Imam, a Bahraini blogger; and Qasem Hussein, a critical columnist. One journalist whose name appears on the list told CPJ: "I don't feel safe anymore. I'm receiving threats via phone telling me that they will stab me in the back and my name is also on the list." The journalist asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal.

"Reports of the existence of a 'Bahrain list of dishonor' are deeply troubling," CPJ's Mahoney said. "The authorities must condemn this list and ensure the safety of all journalists."


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Aden: Days of Bloodshed

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - New York, March 9, 2011- Yemeni security forces repeatedly used excessive, deadly force on largely peaceful protesters in the southern city of Aden in February 2011, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Security forces fired weapons that included assault rifles and machine guns at the protesters, killing at least nine and possibly twice that number, and injuring more than 150, some of them children.

The 20-page report, "Days of Bloodshed in Aden," documents attacks on protesters in the strategic port city of Aden from February 16 to 25. Human Rights Watch found that police and military forces also chased and shot at protesters trying to flee the assaults. The forces stopped doctors and ambulances trying to reach protest sites, fired at people who tried to rescue victims, and removed evidence, such as bullet casings, from the shooting scenes.

"Shooting into crowds is no way to respond to peaceful protests," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Governments in the region and beyond should make clear to Yemen that international assistance comes with the condition of respecting human rights."

The Yemeni authorities should immediately end these illegal attacks and conduct an impartial investigation into the injuries and deaths in Aden, Human Rights Watch said.

The report is based on more than 50 interviews with injured protesters and witnesses to the killings, relatives of protesters who were killed, doctors, paramedics, and human rights activists. Human Rights Watch also analyzed video and photo materials that witnesses to the protests provided, as well as hospital records and ballistic evidence that protesters collected after the shootings.

Since 2007 Aden has been the center of protests in Yemen's southern provinces, where inhabitants are seeking increased economic opportunities and political autonomy or secession. The South was a separate republic until it unified with the North in 1990. On February 3 protesters in Aden and other parts of the South joined calls across Yemen for an end to the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In Aden, security forces have systematically attempted to prevent large protests, although they have allowed them in the capital, Sanaa, since February 22. Nevertheless, groups of several hundred people have protested against President Saleh in various neighborhoods of Aden almost daily since February 15.

Government officials blamed the Southern Movement for the bloodshed. The movement is a loose coalition that has been leading both the protests in the South since 2007 and the more recent demonstrations in Aden against Saleh.

Human Rights Watch found in Aden that security and intelligence forces, including members of Central Security, the general police, the army, and the National Security Bureau, routinely used lethal force that was clearly excessive in relation to the danger presented by the protesters. In all cases Human Rights Watch documented, security forces used teargas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition, including from assault rifles and machine guns.

Numerous witnesses described the protesters as unarmed and stated in most cases that the protesters presented no threat to others or to surrounding property. Some of the protests were entirely peaceful. During others, protesters threw stones as security forces tried to disperse them.

The majority of victims were young men and boys. Human Rights Watch documented the killings of three boys - two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old. Many of the injured were children as well. Human Rights Watch also documented several cases in which security forces killed or wounded bystanders. One man was hit and killed by a bullet as he observed the protests through the window of his home.

Security forces quickly removed bullet casings from the streets, and authorities forced families to bury the bodies of those killed immediately, in an apparent attempt to suppress evidence and to prevent massive public funeral processions. In at least one case, the authorities forged a forensic report of a person killed in a protest.

The exact number of those killed and injured during the attacks in Aden remains unknown. Authorities did not release information on casualties and prevented independent observers from reaching government hospitals. Many of those who were injured did not go to the government hospitals after learning that security forces were entering them and arresting injured protesters, and the capacity of private hospitals was overstretched.

Yemeni security forces detained dozens of peaceful protesters and Southern Movement activists in Aden during the same period, Human Rights Watch found. Some detainees were released, but Human Rights Watch documented at least eight cases in which Southern Movement activists "disappeared" after being detained.

Human Rights Watch documented the same patterns of use of excessive force by Yemeni security forces against southern protesters in its 2009 report "In the Name of Unity."

"The recent killings and injuries are the latest chapter in President Saleh's brutal attempts to stifle legitimate dissent in Aden and surrounding areas," Stork said. "Instead of forging unity, these unlawful attacks risk driving a further wedge between the government and the people of the South."
To read the report, click here (full report available in English, summary and recommendations in Arabic.)

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Yemen Day of Anger

SANA’A, Mar. 1 — Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in ‘Change Square’ outside of Sana’a University as protests entered their nineteenth day.


Last Tuesday, ‘Change Square’ witnessed ‘a day of anger’ that was staged in solidarity for people killed by security forces this week because of their participation in protests against the regime.

The anti-government protesters were chanting, clapping and dancing while large speakers broadcast enthusiastic music. Hundreds of tents have been erected. The walls and tents are hung with cartoons and slogans that denounce President Ali Abdullah Saleh as corrupt and a thug.

Protesters waved Yemeni flags and some of them climbed up light poles and billboards to chant enthusiastically against the president. Female protesters were also taking part in the demonstration.
 
Protesters there say that they will not leave until the president leaves. They say that the president has two choices: “Either leave or be forced to leave.”

“This is the only place I can express my opinion without being monitored by political or national security. When I see those eager protesters, I realize that the regime will be overthrown by those heroes who come here spontaneously,” said Ali Abu Lohoom, a youth activist.

“I don’t want a job or money. I want the president to step down,” he said.

Abu Lohoom denounced the recent speeches by the president as ‘stupid’. “Our president is dying,” he said.

Redwan Masood, head of Yemen Student’s Union, told the Yemen Times that there are cases of enforced disappearances of students and protesters by security forces.

“Some injured protesters are afraid to go to hospital because they know that security forces will detain them,” he said.

Adel Al-Osaimi, an activist in the ruling party and secretary-general of the Yemen Student’s Union, said that all the students of Sana’a University refuse the opposition’s protests and call for stability. He said during a public meeting with the president in Sana’a last Tuesday, that anti-government protesters want the university to be a theater for their demagogic actions.

However, Masood challenged the ruling-party officials to bring ten students to support the president. “They have no student base. All students are eager to make change,” he said.

Sa’ad Al-Abasi, 17, came to the anti-government protests from Sahrab district in Taiz governorate to participate in the day of anger.

“I’ve come to overthrow our corrupt president and his regime. The deadline for the president leaving is next Friday,” he said.

Abdulmajeed Al-Zandani, a prominent religious leader, declared last Monday his support of the protesters at Sana’a University.

“There is no legitimacy for the ruler who is not acceptable to the people,” Al-Zandani told protesters last Monday.

Counter-protests have taken place in Al-Tahrir Square where thousands were chanting for President Saleh. Witnesses said that the pro-government protesters came by buses provided by officials of the ruling party.

An employee in the public service, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Yemen Times that his employer forced employees to attend pro-Saleh protests in Al-Tahrir Square. He said that employers provide buses, flags and pictures of the president for employees to carry.

“They threaten employees with being laid off. I’ll not go to any pro-government protests, and I’m not afraid about the results of my decision,” he said.

From Yemen Times

Journalists Beaten, Detained in Baghdad and Yemen

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, February 28, 2011-The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the ongoing attempts of governments in the Middle East to censor news coverage of protests. In Yemen, men stormed the Journalists Syndicate on Saturday, and in Iraq, journalists demanded apologies from the military after a crackdown on the press on Friday, and Baghdad Operations Command offered the apologies on Sunday.

On Saturday at around 11 a.m., three men in plainclothes arrived in a marked police vehicle and stormed the offices of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate in Sana'a. The men called the journalists present "traitors" and threatened that they "will teach them a lesson," Marwan Damaj, the head of the syndicate, told CPJ via phone. The syndicate filed a complaint with the Interior Ministry. The interior minister told Damaj that the government had nothing to do with the attack, he said. Damaj added that "there is anger from security forces and an attempt to prevent the press from covering the anti-government demonstrations."

"Journalists covering the political turmoil and street protests in Yemen are already working under great risk to their safety so these threats are particularly worrying," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "The government must launch an immediate and credible investigation into this assault on the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and bring those responsible to justice."

Masdar Online, a popular Yemeni news website, has been blocked locally since Saturday, according to local journalists. It is the fifth time the website has been blocked since Masdar Online as launched in 2009, the site said. The editorial management said in a statement that the blockade was due to the website's wide coverage of recent anti-government protests.

Qassim Atta, the head of Baghdad Operations Command, acceded to journalists' demands for apologies for Friday's attacks against the press. In an interview with Sumaria News, Atta said that on behalf of the Baghdad Operations Command he offered "an apology to all the journalists who were arrested and beaten by security forces while covering demonstrations on Friday." He added that the arrests and beatings "were not intentional" and that "errors committed by security forces due to security conditions are not considered a restriction of press freedom." He said that "the attacks on journalists in Tahrir Square Friday were a security measure to deal with riots that took place during demonstrations."

"This is a start but the Iraqi government must do more than apologize - it must ensure that journalists can cover any public gathering without interference or harassment by security services," Mahoney said.

In Friday's crackdown on the press, 23 journalists announced they would boycott covering "activities of the commander in chief of the armed forces and the Baghdad Operations Command until a formal apology is presented along with assurances that what happened on February 25 will not be repeated," according to a statement. Dozens of journalists were reportedly temporarily detained and Iraq's Al-Diyar satellite TV was shut down as demonstrations progressed in Baghdad on Friday. Baghdad Operations Command allowed the TV station to resume its broadcast, Atta said.

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Peaceful Protestors Attacked in Yemen

(Human Rights Watch/IFEX) - New York, February 23, 2011 - Police allowed pro-government armed groups to attack peaceful protesters in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on the night of February 22, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. The armed groups killed at least one anti-government protester and injured 38 others, according to witnesses.

Police ostensibly deployed to protect anti-government protesters at the gates of Sanaa University, stood aside to allow an attack by a large group of government supporters armed with AK-47 assault rifles, pistols, sticks and daggers, eyewitnesses told Human Rights Watch. The armed group had arrived in trucks, one of which displayed a large portrait of the president. On 20 February police had promised to protect the demonstrators. Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has pledged his forces would only fire in self-defense.

"Police who stand by and let others do their dirty work should be held to account," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "President Saleh's promises to stop the violence mean little so long as peaceful protesters still get attacked." A doctor present during the attack told Human Rights Watch that police initially formed a line separating protesters from armed government supporters on both sides of the square. "Suddenly, police allowed them to come through, and they started throwing stones at us," the doctor said. "Then police just left and the thugs, who were some 100 meters away, opened fire."

Another witness said he saw a car drive into the square and two people get out and start shooting directly at the protesters with AK-47s. He said he also saw other government supporters carrying pistols. Protesters showed Human Rights Watch about 20 AK-47 and pistol bullet casings they said they found on the square immediately after the attack. Human rights activists told Human Rights Watch that gunmen were seen firing from an adjacent building.

The police were nowhere to be seen during at least five minutes of continuous gunfire from the pro-government group, eyewitnesses told Human Rights Watch. After police reinforcements arrived, the police began shooting in the air, but failed to stop the government supporters for another 20 minutes while sporadic shooting continued, the witnesses said.

The doctor said that soon after the shooting started, four wounded protesters were brought into a medical tent. "All four had bullet wounds in various parts of the body," he said. "One man was shot in the head." He said that one died immediately and another was in critical condition. Media reports and Yemeni human rights activists said the second person also died from his injuries, but Human Rights Watch was unable to confirm this.

About 10 of the 38 injured were in serious condition and were taken to hospital. According to the doctor, Al-Quwait hospital, a government institution, refused to take four of the injured. They had to be driven to another medical facility, the doctor said. As of 1:30 a.m. local time on February 23, many anti-government protesters remained in the square. Government supporters still occupied a large part of it, dancing and singing pro-government songs.

Protesters demanding Saleh's resignation have staged daily rallies at the site since February 11 and began sit-ins there over the weekend. After several attacks by pro-Saleh provocateurs, municipal police on February 20 promised the protesters that they would ensure their protection.

The Yemeni government has confirmed one dead in the attack on February 22 and four dead in previous incidents but have not released the names.

At least 12 protesters have been killed in rallies seeking Saleh's resignation since February 16, according to information that Human Rights Watch obtained from Yemeni human rights groups. One human rights group said the number was higher, supplying the names of 16 people it said were killed in the southern port city of Aden alone, one a 14-year-old boy. The local groups said that the protesters in Aden were killed by military or other government security forces during largely peaceful protests. Human Rights Watch was not able to confirm the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Another victim died on February 20 of injuries from a grenade attack by an unknown assailant three days earlier in the city of Taizz. Yemeni human rights groups obtained the names of those killed from hospitals and relatives.

Protests throughout the country that began on February 3 have left at least 200 people injured, local groups told Human Rights Watch. They reported that 76 of those people were injured during protests in Aden on February 16-18. In Taizz, another 87 people were wounded on February 18 in the grenade attack.

The government should immediately investigate the role of police, military and other security forces in the attacks, Human Rights Watch said.

"At least 18 Yemeni youth have paid with their lives for simply demanding that their government respect their basic rights," said Whitson. "The Yemeni authorities should allow peaceful protesters to express their grievances without risk of death and injury at the hands of the security forces or pro-government armed groups."

Human Rights Watch has previously documented the apparent role of the government in coordinating the presence of armed provocateurs and pro-Saleh demonstrators since the protests became daily events starting February 11.

Yemeni government officials said they are holding nine people in connection with the grenade attack in Taizz. On February 21, President Saleh, who described the anti-government protests sweeping from Tunisia and Egypt as a "virus", said he ordered Yemeni security forces to fire only in self-defense.

As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Yemen is obligated to protect the rights to life and security of the person, and the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Yemen should also abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which provide that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life, and must be exercised with restraint and proportionality.

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