Amnesty International: World needs to intervene in Yemen
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 6, 2011 -- Updated 1452 GMT (2252 HKT)
Thousands of Yemenis protest in a fresh call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh
to resign in Taiz on Wednesday, April 6.
Thousands of Yemenis protest in a fresh call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh
to resign in Taiz on Wednesday, April 6.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Amnesty International releases report, "Moment of Truth for Yemen"
* In it, the rights group calls on the world to help investigate the deaths
of protesters
* The report puts the death toll at 94; the U.N. has said it's over 100
* Amnesty: Yemen's government "has an abysmal record" of investigating
"unlawful killings"
RELATED TOPICS
* Ali Abdullah Saleh
* Amnesty International
* Yemen
(CNN) -- The international community needs to step up and "play a more active
role" in investigating the deaths of protesters in Yemen, Amnesty International
said Tuesday.
Protests against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have left 94 dead
over the past two months, most of them during "Bloody Friday" protests on March
18, the human rights organization said. The United Nations has put the toll at
more than 100.
Amnesty International cited an eyewitness who said most of the protesters
killed on March 18 were shot in the head, chest and neck, and left to die at
the scene.
"The Yemeni government has an abysmal record of failing to investigate or
prosecute those responsible for unlawful killings and torture or other
ill-treatment," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for
Middle East and North Africa.
In its report, "Moment of Truth for Yemen," Amnesty International criticized
Yemen's government for failing to release details about its investigation into
the "scores" of protester deaths from the live ammunition used to break up
demonstrations.
Amnesty calls on the government to accept help from the international community
to carry out independent investigations into those deaths. There was no
immediate response to the Amnesty report from the Yemen government.
Clashes between protesters and pro-government gangs continued Tuesday, with at
least six killed and hundreds more injured, according to eyewitnesses and
medical teams, as the future of President Ali Abdullah Saleh remained uncertain.
The United States has no intention of stopping its military aid to Yemen,
despite the unrest, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Tuesday. The aid, in
support of Yemeni counterterrorism efforts, continues to be essential because
of the "real threat" from al Qaeda in the country, he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in neighboring Saudi
Arabia on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations with King Abdullah, although
the unrest in Yemen is likely to be a topic of discussion.
In Sanaa, Yemen's capital, eyewitnesses and field medical teams told CNN that
security forces and anti-riot police used batons to attack protesters among
40,000 people marching on Zubairy Street Tuesday evening. In addition,
pro-government gangs attacked protesters on Tuesday near a military base.
"The government forces are killing us," said Abdullah Salem, a youth activist
who was at the protest. "Saleh and his militia will not succeed and every blood
spilt will be accounted for in international courts."
In the city of Taiz, meanwhile, at least two anti-government protesters were
killed when security forces and Republican Guards fired on protesters,
according to medical teams. Hundreds of people were injured, 55 of them from
gunshot wounds.
The security chief in Taiz denied his forces fired on demonstrators.
The violence comes as the United States is helping to mediate a transition out
of office for Saleh, who has been facing popular protests for weeks, according
to two Yemeni officials.
The timing is delicate, officials said, because they want to avoid any steps
that could further destabilize Yemen or interrupt counterterrorism efforts in a
country that U.S. officials believe is home to some of the world's most active
al Qaeda operatives.
The White House said in a statement Tuesday it "strongly condemns the use of
violence by Yemeni government forces against demonstrators in Sanaa, Taiz and
Hodeida in the past several days. The Yemeni people have a right to demonstrate
peacefully, and we remind President Ali Abdullah Saleh of his responsibility to
ensure the safety and security of Yemenis who are exercising their universal
right to engage in political expression."
The statement called upon Yemen's government to investigate and hold those
responsible accountable.
"The United States strongly supports the Yemeni people in their quest for
greater opportunity and their pursuit of political and economic reform that
will fulfill their aspirations," the statement said. "President Saleh needs to
resolve the political impasse with the opposition so that meaningful political
change can take place in the near term in an orderly and peaceful manner."
The U.N. human rights office Tuesday called on Yemen to halt the use of force
against protesters. And British Foreign Secretary William Hague also said he
was appalled by the reports of further deaths this week.
"In early March, President Saleh promised to maintain maximum restraint in the
use of the Yemeni security forces in controlling peaceful demonstrations. We
strongly urge him to keep that promise," he said.
Earlier, an Obama administration official told CNN that the U.S. has been
working behind the scenes, trying to determine the best way forward.
"Whatever timeline they develop, we can accept -- but it needs to be worked
out. That's the problem that's making people anxious," he said. "There has to
be a path forward, it can't be a situation where he (Saleh) thinks that, week
to week, he can sort of continue to hold on without making some kind of
accommodation."
Saleh offered to step down by the end of the year after constitutional reforms
and new elections, but the opposition, led by the Joint Meeting Parties bloc,
is demanding he leave immediately. A plan unveiled by the bloc Saturday called
for Saleh to hand over all authority to Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi
in the interim. But Saleh is not offering any further concessions, and protests
by the opposition continue.
U.S. officials said various groups, including al Qaeda and secessionist
elements, are exploiting the political turbulence and splits within the
military and security services for their own gain.
The rapidly deteriorating situation presents a major problem for the Obama
administration.
Saleh has been in power since 1978 and has been a staunch U.S. ally in the
fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Saleh argues he should remain
in office because he is the only one who can effectively continue that fight
against terrorism.
One U.S. official said Yemen presents a serious challenge for the
administration, as the government is "preoccupied with political unrest" and
little is being done on the counterterrorism front.
A counterterrorism official said there is concern over Yemen's pursuit of
terrorists. "The ability of what's left of the government to manage internal
security which includes (al Qaeda) is in question," said the official. A
weakened security system in the country "provides an opportunity to be
exploited" by al Qaeda, the official said.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom, Jill Dougherty, Pam Benson and Elise Labott contributed
to this report.
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