Student’s Murder Sparks Outrage
The students have been demanding for over a year that the military be withdrawn from the campus.
The National
SANA’A // The shooting of a student at Sana’a University in Yemen by a soldier has sparked protests on the campus and raised concerns about the increased presence of the military at the institute.
Saleh al Houti, 20, a second-year commerce student, was shot dead at the western gate of the university on Tuesday as he was driving into the campus.Sayaf Mohammed al Jaradi, a colleague of al Houti who lives with him in a university housing complex, said the shooting happened after al Houti tried to enter the gate with his brother’s car.
“The soldier refused to let him in and asked for permission to allow the car in. Saleh showed him his university card and that the car belonged to his brother. They quarrelled and when Saleh’s brother drove inside the gate, the soldier fired at the car. The bullet hit Saleh from the back.
“He was hospitalised but died in hospital,” Mr al Jaradi said.
After the shooting on Tuesday classes were halted while outraged students protested inside the campus. They demanded that the killer be put on trial and the interior ministry held accountable over the death.Armed tribesmen from Hamdan and relatives of the victim stormed the university and took control of the two main gates and the rector’s office.
Students refused to let the university rector, Khalid Tamim, leave the campus and threw their shoes at his car.“Hundreds of furious students massed around his car, breaking down its windows; they even pelted his car with their shoes and empty bottles. Military uniforms of the guards who escaped were also burnt,” said Muath Munasser, a witness.
Al Houti’s relatives and friends refused to leave the university campus until Saleh Basurah, the minister of higher education, came to calm them down.
“We have condemned this incident, which is not acceptable, and its perpetrator will be held accountable. The security guard has been already arrested and presented to prosecution for investigation and trial,” Mr Basurah said. Protests continued yesterday as thousands of students demonstrated in front of parliament forcing it to set up an inquiry into the incident.
While the teachers’ union decided to stop teaching and join students’ protests, Ridhwan Masood, the head of the students’ union at Sana’a University, said protests would continue until the soldiers left the university.
“We will intensify our protests until our demand in changing the guards is addressed; we will continue to organise protests inside the university campus and in front of the cabinet and parliament, using all legal means to kick out these soldiers and intelligence agents who repress our activities and abuse us out of the university.
“We have also asked for the support and solidarity of human rights organisations; we will also release a list of all abuses against students by university guards. The university officials should also be held responsible, for they have been silent over these abuses,” he said.
Mr Masood said the shooting was a result of the presence of soldiers at the campus. “The government should stop militarising the university life. This is an academic institution and not a security compound,” he said. “This [shooting] is a normal consequence for the militarisation of the university.
“Following increasing attacks by these soldiers on students over the last few years, we have been demanding these soldiers be changed to civilian guards but without any response.
“They should stop dealing with students as criminals. Now, we cannot put off the uproar of the students unless these guards are changed with civilian ones, unless the interior minister is held accountable,” Mr Masood said.Mohammed al Ghobari, a political analyst, said the presence of soldiers at universities was intended to repress the student movement.
“The authorities are still haunted by fear that political parties use universities to attract new members. That was justified before the announcement of the multiparty system in 1990 but not now,” he said.
“The government still believes it is not acceptable that political parties should work inside the universities and therefore, security and intelligence agents should operate actively inside the university campus.” Mr Ghobari said the heavy presence of intelligence staff and soldiers inside the university campus has weakened the students’ movement.
