The History Prior to the Arrest of the Australian Woman
More on the Australian woman, her friends, the two kids under house arrest and the context of the arrests
Tens of detainees in Yemeni prisons, under the name of counterterrorism
By: Nisreen Shadad, edited by Jane Novak
The Yemeni authority detained tens of people in the beginning of this year, under the name of counterterrorism. Rafah Hussein and her brother Sadman, Bengali citizens, were arrested on February 14, 2010. Rafah was released after hours of interrogation. Her brother and three other Bengalis imprisoned in February, 2010 are in custody of the Political Security. The four are being held incommunicado and have joined the ranks of Yemen’s “disappeared.”
Rafah found no one to stay with except a friend of hers named “Umm Omar.” Shylon Giddins, an Australian citizen, was arrested as well on May 15, 2010.
Abdul Rahman Barman is the clients’ lawyer. Mr. Barman, a lawyer in HOOD and the head of the SAJEEN organization, said neither the Yemeni government nor the Australian governments are serious to release the innocent detainees. “If those detainees are from other European countries, I think they will never leave two children, in their house, surrounded with security officers,” he added.
The main reason behind their detention is American pressure on the Yemeni government, therefore the Yemeni government arrests any terror suspect or person merely acquainted with a terror suspect, according to Barman.
“The Arab countries become police centers for American government,” said Mohammed Naji Allaow, the coordinator of the National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, known as (HOOD).
In April 2010, the security attacked Umm Omar’s house. Because she was late to open the door, the security brought the responsible authority of the area, and then they broke the door and arrested Rafah again. They took a laptop, a camera and USB flash drivers belonging to Umm Omar.
Rafah was released after 34 days and returned to Umm Omar’s house, but Umm Omar was arrested on May 12, 2010 and brought back to her home at 2:00 a.m the next morning. She was arrested again on May 15, 2010. Mr. Barman has been visiting Umm Omar in the prison and her two children, Omar aged seven and Aminah aged five.
Umm Omar came to Yemen in 2006 and works as an English teacher. Rafah and her brother Sadman, a high school graduate, came to Yemen to study Arabic. Their father Hussein sent them to Canada to study, but without their father’s permission, they came to Yemen to study. For more than a month, they didn’t contact their father. They send him an email to let him know that they are good. However, the father informed the Canadian authorities about the disappearance of his two children and after investigation the authorities informed him that his children went to Yemen.
The procedures used by the Yemeni security are illegal including arrest them without a warrant. The investigation was conducted without the presence of the lawyer. Moreover, their family can’t visit them.
Tashnoba Haidar, a Bengali girl, was arrested on February 19, 2010 as a result of being acquainted with a terrorist suspect for a month and a half. After following her case, she was released and deported to her home. She was arrested in her home for four days and then she was released.
HOOD sent a letter to the head of the Central Political Security, Ghalib al-Qamesh, and asserted that security authorities should respect both Islamic law and the Yemeni constitution. HOOD called on al-Qamesh to stop oppressing people and advised him to leave his position.
In another statement, HOOD warned against the surrender of Yemeni security authority to U.S demands. The use of lethal force against individuals wanted by the US is not only an abandonment of Yemen’s sovereignty, but also is participation in crimes against humanity.
