Armies of Liberation

NGO Resonate Yemen has issued their report on the 2012 presidential election in Yemen. It is available here at their website.

Update: As we all learn together to be more sensitive, my Yemeni friends reminded me the word Akhdam itself is disparaging term, meaning slave I think, so this is why the PR is calling them the marginalized. Black racial minority is also acceptable. Maybe African-Yemenis. Update: A new article also discusses the marginalization and segregation of black Yemenis in Aden.

Sawa’a Organization launched its open line for monitoring violations against marginalized people

Sawa’a Organization for Minorities’ Rights Defense and Anti-Discrimination is concerned about the escalation of violence against marginalized people in Taiz.

Sawa’a organization for minorities’ rights defense and anti-discrimination is watching with extreme concern the escalation of violence against the marginalized people in Taiz city which resulted in the fall of two killed people recently.

The organization monitored ,during the last week, the kill of a cleaner at the age of 22 years and another in his 7th decade was working as a guard in a land which was a place of dispute.

Sawa’a Organization for minorities’ rights defense and anti-discrimination says that the Interior ministry bears the full responsibility for what happened,and demands it to adjust the perpetrators and bring them to justice as soon as possible, and confirms that it monitored a slowdown by the security agencies in the prosecution of those accused of committing the crime of murder despite they know them.

The organization calls the security authorities in Taiz city to allow the marginalized people to express their views and opinions and not to resist their protests and protect them form any further attacks.

In this context, Sawa’a Organization launches its open line for monitoring violations to which the marginalized people are exposed and they are 01565182-711199279-77080744

e-mail: sawaa.org@gmail.com

Sawa’a Org. for Minorities’ Rights Defense and Anti-Discrimination – Sana’a

Saleh frequently resorted to denouncing his opponents in religious terms and framing armed clashes as legitimate jihad with fatwas from his clerics. The CCYR supports equal rights, intellectual freedom and a civil foundation for the impending state and is highlighting the increasing use of fatwas and taqfirism by hard liners to short circuit reform, and intimidate the public at large and activists in particular.

Yemen: Civic Coalition of Youth Revolution condemns Takfirism campaign

“The Civic Coalition of Youth Revolution” CCYR has reviewed the dangers besetting the homeland and revolution with its supreme goal of the new democratic civil Yemen, for sake of which people made big sacrifices.

The CCYR noticed a most important hint in such a historical moment represented in a return to language of Takfeer /Takfirism, exclusion and cancel of others . These are the same values practiced by the former regime throughout 33 years, for which the people of Yemen took to streets.

Most importantly is that it is an influential player within one of the biggest joint meeting parties’ components that practices such behavior and while such a player did not abide by the declared political program of the Islah party, it also did the same for the first goal of revolution represented through establishing the new civil democratic country that respect freedom of thought, belief and of expression.

The CCRY, having condemned such behavior of past black era logic, confirms continue peaceful struggle against any obstacles facing the new Yemen dream of the people.

The CCYR calls Islah leadership to express their attitude towards such practices in a clear manner, for it is an influencing individuals in Islah party who did so.

The CCYR informs all forces of modernization and civilians with care about future of Yemen to practice role of raising awareness on such risks and to fight them everywhere.

The CCYR confirms solidarity with all involved in the Takfirism campaign, Bushra Almaqtary, Fikry Qassem, Salah Aldakak, Muhsen Aed, Sami Shamsan, Adel no’man being last of them.

The Yemeni Baath Party is close to their counterparts in the Syrian headquarters; it is a transnational party. (There are also Iraqi inclined Baathists.) The Ba’athists were part of the JMP but withdrew in 2005 with the publication of the National Reform Document which they considered too pro-American. They joined (and withdrew again) in later years. Yemenis recently took a break from protesting the GCC deal and the “selection” in order to protest atrocities in Syria. Currently the Baath Party is supporting Assad in its own way to the ire of Yemenis and Syrians in Yemen who support the right to Syrians’ right to life.

Change – Sana’a: alTagheer;

A source familiar with the Baath Party unveiled contacts and meetings between the Syrian community and officials at the embassy in Sanaa, led to reach a common vision and a common position towards the current events in Syria, in order to serve the demands and aspirations of the Syrian people and the Arab nation yearning for unity, freedom and change according to the source. (Read on …)

The Air Force protests are ongoing and the Yemen AF is one of the biggest money pits in the budget. The judges joined other governmental bureaucracies in demanding a change in leadership and procedures. Judicial reform is one of the most necessary elements of the transition, and they should be applauded and heard.

Yemen Post: Yemen Prime Minister Mohammad Salem Basindwia along with other ministers of the interim government failed to persuade judges of ending their protests, well informed sources said. (Read on …)

Rejecting Taqfirism flat out. And they are correct that a civil state does not reject religion but protects the rights of all religious persuasions equally.

RSF condemns the Takfeer campaign against Yemeni writers

A statement released by Revolution Salvation Front (RSF) on the apostasy campaign against the Yemeni writer, Bushra al-Maqtari

Condemnation Statement

O’ great people..O’ revolutionaries and freedom seekers in all squares of freedom and change
In deliberate abuse to the freedom of belief and approaching elimination and dominance of religion employing, the Yemeni writer Mrs. Bushra al-Maqtari, subjected to Takfeer (apostasy) campaign by known extremist groups.

Recently, these groups issued Fatwa, an Islamic edict by clerics, named as “The Olama’s Fatwa on abuse the Islam and Allah”, in which they named four writers: Bushra al-Maqtari, Fikry Kasim, Muhsin A’aid and Sami Shamsan of being “abused Islam” and described with “apostasy” and “Kufrism”.

The Fatwa elaborated by talking about an article of writer Bushra Maqtari, reported some of severed phrases from the article and interpreted it according their special orientation and political purpose for abuse and incitement to murder against the writer.

The RSF deplores and condemns this unjust Fatwa and that was not in fact Fatwa as it is just exploitation of religion for the liquidation of opponents to insert illegal ambitions, seeking to provoke sedition in society and exclusion of political opponent bigotry and bad interpretation of words away from its meanings.

It rejects the Takfeer at all. The so-called “Olama’s Fatwa on abuse the Islam and Allah” only regarded as a matter of political exploitation of religion to rein the other opinion and intellectually terrify. Such method already used by the same extremist groups against others and authorized the killing of children and women during previous political conflicts especially those infamous fatwa issued against the Yemen southerners during the civil war in 1994, misbelieved as “the war of apostasy and separation”. As well, many writers subjected to such Fatwas, as Dr. Abdul Aziz al-Maqalih and Dr. Hamood al-Awdi.

The RSF warns against going too far in using and monopoly religious and national eligibility by a group extremists and radicalists as Saleh’s regime did to weaken and exclude opposition opponents. Such behavior regarded as a crime must not be silent by the community.

It considered use of the mosques and public spaces to incite against other faiths, beliefs and ideologies as a blatant open call for incitement to murder and crime must be punished.

In this regard, the RSF calls upon the Ministry of Endowment to prevent the use of mosques to religious Takfeer, sedition and hatred in the community.

RSF also calls on political parties, human rights and civil society organizations, social and revolutionary representations, thinkers, writers and all the people to respond to such serious actions that threaten the security, stability and safety of the community.

RSF condemns the sites that published writings of abusive terms such as NabaNews and YemenPress, demanding to be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Issued by The Peaceful Revolution Salvation Front
Date 03/02/2012

Fatwa is here and Gt’d here in article entitled: “The text of the fatwa, and the image” .. scientists Yemen opinion about insulting the divine: the article described Bushra Maqtari, and demanding closure of sites that published her article, and called for abusers to declare repentance”

Interesting to note that AQAP in Jaar banned some of the same newspapers that the scholars are also railing against.

Source link: Akhbaral Yemen:

- Altagheer squares seemed to have changed a lot, which rises concerns regarding differences among constituents of these squares. Do you think that the change squares of 2012 is different from that of 2011, what are the reasons?

There has been no difference, the change square still under control of Islah opposing party that is actually heavily saturated with tribal ideology and fundamentalism. The party, with its influential powers, is the major reason behind constant tensions and violations committed against revolutionaries. These powers cause the anti-saleh regime revolution and its goals to become weak and unable to achieve brilliant success. They are hindering the silent society segment from joining the revolution, and had this party not steered the revolution since its first day, it would have been succeeded since months, if not within one or two months. It is the influential regime-affiliates Islah who conspired against an abortive revolution and let many opportunities missing, starting with Dignity Friday, then the Taiz holocaust of the change square, and finally the life rally. They changed the Sana’a square into a jail for revolutionaries. Unfortunately this is the truth that should be known.

- What are the latest developments of the committee formed to tackle disputes occurred last month between Houthi and Islah affiliates?

The other joint meeting parties (JMPs) actually played a secondary role in relation to the Islah party, which plays, represented by its influential powers, the most crucial role at change square of Sana’a. The role of the other parties is no more than decoration of an alleged partnership that is much more pitiful than be condemned, and had there been minimum of independence of those parties, a mutual decision making process, there would not have been such a difficult situation. The violated rights of revolutionaries would be stopped as well as the unilateral decision making process since first day, yet these violations continued and became more intense recently. In fact, the other (JMPs) can neither take decisions nor can they stop any violations, but are only a decoration of the leaderships’ influencing in Islah. I call these parties to revolt against all of Islah unilateralism and the crimes committed against revolutionaries. What add insult to injury is the daily violations committed by revolution-defaming Islah party, which is more atrocious than the regime we all demand its step-down.
(Read on …)

Yemen National Conference, “The Yemen that we desire”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Upcoming National Conference in Beirut: “The Yemen that we desire”

Sana’a, Yemen, January 16, 2012

On January 18 and 19, 2012, a Yemeni national conference will be held in Beirut, Lebanon entitled: The Yemen that we desire”. The conference is organized by the Change and Defense of Rights and Freedoms Organization, in cooperation with civil society organizations and media representatives. The conference will have active participation by youth representatives from various blocs, coalitions and alliances from the squares nationwide.

This conference comes at the threshold of a new phase of Yemen’s modern history, where an exceptional new awareness is being born. This is reflected in the determination of a courageous people and youth pushing towards reform. This new found awareness is linked to calls for a new Yemeni modern civil state based on the principles of freedom and equality and the rule of law. (Read on …)

The Yemeni Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (known as HOOD) launched an investigation into “disappeared” activists. HOOD, a credible organization, found that over 1000 protesters are jailed incommunicado and most likely enduring torture.

While many protesters were grabbed randomly, Yemeni bloggers, tweeters, facebookers and journalists are targeted in particular. Last Friday, millions* across Yemen marched, appealing for solidarity from people in the free world, but gained little western media coverage.

Its also likely some of the missing are dead. After nearly every protest, the state steals the wounded and corpses from hospitals and the streets to reduce the body count. At least three mass graves have been discovered since February.

One family came forward to report the Sanaa regime offered them $10,000 to accuse the opposition in their son’s murder, after he was shot in the eye and killed by the security forces.

Yemen Post: HOOD human rights organization announced that more than 1000 youth activists are still illegally being held by the regime only because they chose to protest peacefully. Among the imprisoned are eight women the organization claims.

Youth leaders in Sana’a marched on Friday raising banners and calling the international community to help in release those imprisoned by government forces and save them from the torture they are going through.

Abdul Rahman Barman, the executive director of HOOD told Yemen Post, “the number of imprisoned youth is on the rise and the world must stand against the government for the sake of humanity.”

“These youth are being tortured and attacked fiercely. Some leave government custody with their minds lost from the torture,” added Barman.

Though the last week of protests in Yemen have been peaceful, security forces have killed more than 900 since January.

Earlier witness testimony detailed brutal torture of prisoners, including children as young as 12, at the hands of Yemeni security forces.

Violence has increased since the UN Security Council passed resolution 2014 two weeks ago strongly urging Saleh to step down. Its par for the course.

During 1994’s civil war, President Ali Abdullah Saleh ignored two security council resolutions calling for the immediate end to the random shelling of Aden City. Saleh’s utter disregard for the resolutions and the forced imposition of unity on south Yemen in 1994 gives rise to southern Yemenis’ claims that they are “occupied” by the northern Saleh regime.

*Yemen has about 25 million citizens. About half are under 15. The marches demanding regime change take place across the nation, not just the capital, and draw the majority of Yemenis to the streets, weekly. Hundreds of thousands of youth activists and others are living in protest squares since February, refusing to go home until Saleh and his regime are deposed.

My article on the Tawakkol/Nobel/ Muslim Brotherhood controversy is here, click. It says Islah founder al Zindani openly advocates jihadist violence, but he’s Saleh’s buddy, not Tawakkol’s. Furthermore the protesters reject the ineffectual opposition parties entirely and advocate a parliamentary system that will reinforce political diversity and empower small parties, minorities and independents. (The US backed GCC plan will empower the radicals, Islah and the status quo; one reason the protesters reject it entirely.)

This is a current interview and video of Tawakkol at Democracy Now and her statement with Ban Ki Moon is here

I am astonished that so many conservative commentators jumping in with both feet, meme of the day. Two of the most informed and rational are linked in my article, but there’s a dozen others going off who never covered the blood bath in Yemen or Saleh’s relationship with AQAP and are now obsessed with trashing Tawakkol as a radical solely because she belongs to the Islah party. Then logically all the Democrats should resign their party because of Bill Ayers (among other reasons).

Some analysis is based on Wikipedia depth understanding of Yemen. One theme was, Why doesn’t she join/create another party? Its Yemen. Tawakkol couldn’t get a license to text message news or establish a news paper for two years. No non-Saleh loyalist can create a new party. When I say the JMP is “diverse,” I mean Islamist oriented Islah joined with the secular YSP, socialist remnants of the ruling party of the former southern state, the PDRY, to form the JMP. The reason Islah itself is diverse is that the southerners’ YSP is the only other opposition party that has any seats in Parliament, due to the hegemony of the ruling GPC. Options to oppose Saleh from within the political system are limited to Islah or the socialists, and both have long been compromised and not fully within the opposition.

But overall, how Tawakkol feels about homosexuals (now that we know what she thinks about Jews) is much less relevant than the fact that Saleh is inserting National Security operatives (and paying al Qaeda) to create chaos in Abyan and the fact that he regularly releases AQAP operatives in a quid pro quo arrangement. Saleh asked for and got a fatwa against protesting. He plays the religion card internally and the terrorism card externally. The threat to US national security is not Tawakkol Karman.

Defector Ali Mohsen is very well deserving of scrutiny in this regard, as are US sweethearts, Saleh’s relatives, security force commanders and CT partners, the Four Thugs. Tawakkol Karman is a democracy activist representative of thousands of other democracy ideologues in Yemen. The backlash against her is more about the politicized Nobel Committee.

Updates: Rusty gets it, see The Arab World, It ain’t Switzerland

The same principle holds in Yemen where a woman with ties to Islamists won the Nobel Peace prize. I don’t give the Nobel Prize much credence as anything more than what Norwegian politicians think, but the reaction about Tawakkol Karman sharing in the prize has been, well, kinda stupid.

This isn’t the choice between a pro-American dictator and Lockean liberals, it’s the choice between a Pakistani like “ally” which pays lip service to the GWOT but who had deep ties to al Qaeda and Saudi style Islamists and those that oppose him. That the opposition is made up of other Islamists is just part of the game you play in the Arab world. It’s also made up of socialists, Baathists, and whatever other insane and discredited ideology still lingering in the region.

Yes, exactly, there are actually Nasserites. All the parties are left over from before 1990’s unity and have a stale ideologies. They don’t really function as parties in that they are top down organizations that don’t ask their members for input or have real transitions of power or transparency themselves.

There are plans in work for a democratic party, but Saleh has to go before it can be founded.

Below is a write up from MEMRI that notes Tawakkol is of a liberal mindset. The MEMRI article says she renounced her Islah membership in favor of the democratic demands of the revolution. Like my article, it highlights her activism in favor of journalists, villagers and women’s rights. It also says that she advocates safeguarding against extremists stealing the revolution by advancing a pluralist model of a transitional government.

There’s a couple of good citations including, “Her preference of liberal over Islamist views was also reflected in her call, during an interview, for equality between Muslim Yemenis and religious minorities such as the Jews, which would include the right to run for president.[13]”

“During the protests against President Saleh, Karman stood out as an independent leader representing no partisan position. Thus, for example, she refused to negotiate with the regime, though her party did negotiate with it.”

There are a few minor factual errors in the MEMRI article including, Tawakkol is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, whether or not they claim her. She is not and never was a member of Parliament. (She was elected to the ruling council of Islah because she is so popular, to the dismay of the hard liners in the party.) The name of her NGO, Women Journalists without Borders was stolen by a regime clone in 2006, the correct name for her NGO is Women Journalists without Chains.

Tawakkul Karman, one of the three women awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, is a leader of the Yemeni protest movement who advocates nonviolent struggle for regime change in her country. A 32-year-old mother of three, she was born to a rural family in Taiz province. Her father, ‘Abd Al-Salam Khaled Karman, is a politician and lawyer, and her sister, Safa Karman, is a news editor for Al-Jazeera TV.[1]
After the family moved to San’a, she earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Science and Technology there, followed by a master’s in political science and a certificate in general education from Sana’a University. She also studied investigative journalism in the U.S.

Karman is active in trade unions, human rights organizations and media institutions in Yemen and outside it. She is a member of the Yemeni parliament on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood party, Al-Islah, and of the Youth Revolution Council. She is also the chair of Journalists without Borders in Yemen, and a prominent advocate of free press, women’s rights and human rights in her country. (Read on …)

The Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights calls for urgent intervention to prevent Yahya Saleh from storming its head quarters in Sanaa, http://bit.ly/qaaZB2 (ar). The Sana’a regime in Yemen, getting closer to a long overdue war crimes trial in the ICC, is attacking the keepers of the evidence; HOOD’s library of human rights abuses was previously burnt to the ground. Idiot Saleh fails to realize that the state’s conduct of the Saada war in and of itself is enough to convict him of collective punishment; the repetitive lethal attacks on southern protesters (2007-2011) are also crimes against humanity. The 500+ protesters killed by state security forces since February are a third and separate range of crimes.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/YAMAN-NEWS-AGENCY-EN/267126689985221

I’m reposting my article from March 3 on this topic below the fold because I couldn’t remember where the first mass grave was: on the eastern edge of the Salahu Deen military camp near little Aden. Apparently the government of Yemen is repeating the practice in Sanaa, stealing corpses in an effort to reduce the known number of fatalities. The following is an article published today at al Sahwa:

Sahwa Net, Sana’a – Medical sources at the Military Hospital in Sana’a have revealed that dozens of corpses of protesters who were killed by security forces were hidden by the Yemeni authorities in unknown places in an attempt to conceal evidence of crimes committed against peaceful demonstrators.

The sources affirmed that the Central Security and the Republican Guard kidnapped dozens of the killed and wounded persons and escaped them.
(Read on …)

I was never more happy to be duped than on this story. Original post here. As it stands, it is unclear if the boy was raped and the case is before the courts and he is confirmed alive.

Hood: There is no evidence on the death of the child Aublj Omar, accused of raping in prison, Moses Alnmrani

The Organization of HUD that it has signed a victim of inaccurate information from the child’s mother Omar Baublj, which said the organization he had died en route to Sana’a, but most of the information obtained by the organization asserts that the child is alive and that he did not die and that his mother were not on the road to Sanaa for treatment according to the agreement With the organization in terms of origin. (Read on …)

Without the testimony of the person who provided them to Marib Press, its hard to authenticate. But there are anecdotal reports by eyewitnesses who saw weapons being given out from cars.

Yemeni officials deny press report on distributing weapons
Saturday 07 May 2011 202011000000Sat, 07 May 2011 20:32:12 +0300 08 PM / 26 September Net

Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs Rashad al-Alimi and Minister of State for Parliamentary and Shura Council Affairs Ahmed al-Kuhlani have expressed regret about a forged document spread by Marebpress website that they were involved in distributing weapons to pro-government people. (Read on …)

Update: retracted by HOOD. I was never more happy to be duped. The issue of the rape is before the court and the boy is not dead.

A truly horrendous crime. There’s no immunity under God or man for crimes like this. Six year old Omar’s mother gave testimony, despite many threats, to the prosecutor after she witnessed the Central Security murder 13 year old Rami Salem Barmeel in Haramout March 12. This statement was issued May 1.

Seyaj and Hood organizations are condemning the rape to death crime against a child because of a testimony against Security personnel accused of killing another child in Hadhramout

Statement of condemnation

Seyaj organization for childhood protection and Hood organization for defending rights and freedom condemn the rape crime to death against the child ( Omar. J.S 6 years old) due to a testimony of his mother against members of the Central Security who fired intentionally on a peaceful protest resulted the death of a participated child in the protest.

The mother reported to the two organizations that she was the only witness against the Central Security who fired a peaceful march for Omar Al-Mokhtar school in “Foah” , Al-Mukalla in Hadhramout at March 12th 2011, causing the death of Rami Salem Barmeel, 13 years old. (Read on …)

Also the Yemen Post reports, “Head of the preparatory committee for national dialogue, Muhammad Salim BaSondwa, said he had received death threats from an unknown person. He told the News Yemen that a message had been sent to him via his cell phone that read: ”don’t believe the kids who are playing with your mind. No sheikh or a master will help you if we put you in the red list.”

And another from al Masdar: Received a colleague, the journalist Mohammed Abdu al-Absi threatened to telephone messages numbers 733000000, 736000000. وقال الزميل العبسي “إن الرقم الأول يعود لرجل الأعمال شاهر عبد الحق والأخر مسجل باسم نجله وائل عبد الحق، وإن التهديدات جاءت على خلفية إصداره بيان إدانة ونفي لإقحام أبناء منطقة الأعبوس في موضوع زيارة شاهر عبد الحق إلى ليبيا”. The colleague, al-Absi “The first number back to the businessman Shaher Abdul Haq and the other is registered in the name of his son, Wael Abdul Haq, The threats came on the back released a statement condemning the denial to involve living in a region Aloabbos on the subject visit Shaher Abdul Haq to Libya.”

Amnesty International has today urged the Yemeni authorities to ensure the safety of a prominent human rights activist after she was warned anonymously for allegedly passing information to the UN Security Council.

Amal Basha, chairperson of the Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), received a telephone warning via her office this morning telling her not to leave her home and to take extra precautions. (Read on …)

Yemen blocked medical supplies and arrested doctors throughout the Saada Wars (2004-2010) as policy. It was horrendous, especially as the state was bombing residential civilian areas, villages and cities.

Violence escalates in Yemen: Two protesters are shot dead and others injured

By: Nisreen Shadad, hoodonline, edited by: Jane Novak

The National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, (HOOD), has been informed about the attack against the demonstrators on February 22, 2011, close to Sana’a University. Two protesters died and about eighteen are injured.
(Read on …)

Issued by the Freedoms Committee at the Press Syndicate:

Journalist, Dr. Dr. Abdel-Karim Salaam, correspondent was battered until blood flowed from him and he was taken to the hospital. Salaam was assaulted by thugs who were hiding near the university during his coverage of the sit-in in front of the University of Sana’a.

Accordingly, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate strongly condemns the unjust assault on our colleague, the journalist Abdul Karim Salaam, and says the security services and officials who run these bullies have the responsibility for their actions.

It also renewed its claim for reporters not to be subjected to attack and calling for the implementation of the directions of the president yesterday not to attack them.

Several hundred civil society organizations from 15 countries issue one unified statement. A regional framework for democratic transition is a good concept. These are the hard core, hard working often beaten and imprisoned democracy activists in these countries who have endured against great odds. I know their work and many of them personally. This is the real deal. English below:

منظمات المجتمع المدني تحيي الشعب المصري

وتدين الاسخدام المفرط للقوة و الرصاص الحي و تجييش “البلطجية”

ضد الاحتجاجات الشعبية السلمية في البحرين وليبيا واليمن والأردن والجزائر والسودان

(Read on …)