Hassan Baoum Seriously Ill
Southern activist Hassan Baoum is seriously ill and has been transferred to a police hospital his family reports. Baoum is on a hunger strike in protest of his “illegal arrest” on April 1, 2008. He has had a diabetic reaction and his blood pressure is very high. He is chained to the bed and has not been allowed visitors since his arrest.
Yemen rounded up opposition political leaders on April 1 in response to several days of riots that caused extensive damage to government buildings and vehicles. The Yemeni military deployed dozens of tanks, armored vehicles and fighter jets into the southern Yemeni governorates
Security and military squads raided homes and opposition political parties’ premises in Aden, Dhalei, Radfan, Abyan, and Mukalah. Dozens of opposition political figures were arrested at their homes at dawn. Witnesses said the men were pulled from their bedrooms and beaten. Most are now incommunicado at various military camps.
Leaders of the Retired Army Association including Abdu Al-Maatri, and Hassan Baoum were arrested. Baoum who was previously arrested in September 2007, held incommunicado and released in December. Ali Munasar, the head of the Yemeni Socialist Party in Aden was also arrested. The government announced it would strike the demonstrators with an iron fist. The arrest of the men prompted another wave of protests throughout the southern governorates where large demonstrations have become commonplace. The demonstrations are prompted by institutionalized discrimination following Yemen’s 1994 civil war.
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