Washington Post: NYC protest against Yemeni president gets heated when he appears as shoe is thrown

NEW YORK — A protest of the embattled president of Yemen outside the New York hotel where he’s staying got heated when demonstrators saw him leave the building.

The dozen protesters had been kept across the street from the Ritz-Carlton hotel Sunday afternoon. They had been waving flags and yelling in opposition to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He is visiting the United States for medical treatment.

Saleh exited the hotel and waved and smiled sardonically toward the protesters. One of them attempted to charge across the street, but was restrained by authorities. Someone also threw a shoe in Saleh’s direction.

Saleh got into his car. His motorcade then left.

Yemen Post The Yemen-based Abaad Centre for Studies and Researches has cautioned that some factions seek to collapse Yemeni cities militarily under the pretext of Al-Qaeda as happened in Radda and Abyan provinces scenarios.
“This scenario may be carried out in Ibb, Dhala’a, Lahj, and, Hadhramout and other cities would be controlled under the pretext of fighting Al-Qaeda as it is expected to happen in Dhamar, Taiz, and Hodeidah.
In a periodic report, Abaad pointed out that Al-Qaeda has no systematic structure and its goals are foggy, affirming that it lacks strategic visions.
“Therefore, Al-Qaeda was penetrated by local and international bodies, and only those bodies take advantages of Al-Qaeda,” added the centre. “Even some figures benefited from Al-Qaeda as that clearly appeared during its control and withdrawal of Al-Amria in Rada when Tariq Al-Dhahab could get his brother out of the custody.”
“There are figures affiliated to Al-Qaeda, some were in Abyan and others who escaped jails, are currently existed in Sana’a, and some Al-Qaeda fugitives live with the displaced people inside schools in Aden.”
The report ruled out that Al-Qaeda has the ability to take over any town, if it does not receive direct and indirect logistic support by some sides that are in connection to the power transfer process.
“Al-Dhahab withdrew from Radda after he failed to recruit enough numbers to completely control the city as well as he got his main demand, release of his bother” the report added.
The periodic report revealed that Al-Dhahab was not the real leader of Al-Qaeda in Radda.
It further cited that Al-Qaeda senior leaders, Nasser Al-Wohaish, the leader of Al-Qaeda, and Ebrahim Darwish, another Al-Qaeda leader were at Alzahir district of Baidha governorate when Radda was taken over.
“Decisions were taken by Al-Qaeda Shura council consisted of 20 persons who are selected of 60 persons, the real division of Al-Qaeda which is called ” Almuhajreen” which includes a Saudi and Pakistani nationals. Their duties were not external protection. Some Bedouins, tribesmen and other escapees joined Al-Qaeda in its fighting with the aim of getting money and others were contained as a result of Al-Dhahab’s charisma in the area.
“While the real leader was not known in Radda, there was a field leader who is called Abu Hamza and another high-ranking leader called “Abu Hamam” , and they were considered the main decion-makers in Radda”
Abaad said that assassination incidents against officers and soldiers of the Political Security and other security services were clear-cut indicators of Al-Qaeda expansion.
“Before Al-Qaeda control on Radda, three of the Political Security officials were killed in Baidah, capital of the governorate, and Al-Qaeda was behind their assassination,” the report added “One of these officers, Ahmed Samba was kidnapped and executed by Al-Qaeda in Abyan,”
“Security services believe that Al-Qaeda was behind killing of approximately 70 security officers including 20 ones affiliated to the Political Security. Most of them were killed in the eastern and Southern governorates in the period from January 2011 to January 2012. This number is 25 percent of all those officers and soldiers killed since the eruption of anti-regime protests.”
The report affirmed that Al-Qaeda used the Yemeni political gap and the power transfer process to strengthen its control, pointing out that Saleh’s regime directly or indirectly contributed in Al-Qaeda control on Abyan and Radda.

“As Al-Qaeda took over Al-Qaeda in Zinjibar in April 2011 and seized control on the Central Security camp without fighting, it was supposed that Major General Adel Al-Masri, nephew of the Interior Ministry, be investigated.
“However, Al-Masri was appointed as a security director of Radda a day after the signature of the GCC-brokered power transfer deal,” the report added.
“After Almasri became the first security official in Rada, Al-Qaeda could seized control Radda at the same way it took over Zinjibar,”
“As a result of Al-Qaeda operations, some regional and international powers would move to Yemen’s territorial water, particularly the United states,”
“Its military move is motivated by presidential elections race, particularly after it achieved victories in Afghanistan and Yemen as well as the success of its covert operations which led to the killing of Bin Laden and Anwar Al-Awlaki,”
“Pentagon said it deployed a large floating base to serve as a “mother ship” for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, but the main goal was the implementation of an agreement with Taliban for which the American forces would leave Afghanistan in return for allowing Al-Qaeda leaders would exit Afghanistan with guarantees of not endangering their lives,”
“Because Iran is interested in getting Americans and Al-Qaeda out Afghanistan, so it would facilitate the mission,” added the report.
“As for the US-Iranian competition at Bab-el-Mandeb strait, particularly after Tehran threatened to close Hormuz strait, the report said that Americans seek to secure Bab-el-Mandeb, and then expand to the east Africa, but they know that Iran’s existence in the African Horn would make them accept share as happened in Afghanistan and Iraq” the report concluded.

It expected that Washington would support Turkey’s efforts to decrease the ceiling of Iran’s demands which start with the United States’ suspension of its support to the Iranian opposition and ends with turning blind eyes to Iran’s repression against Sunnis in Balochistan , Ahwaz and Kurdistan.
It also cited that Washington and Tehran would reach an agreement that put an end to bargaining, pointing out that the Gulf Cooperation Council states would have their roles in the agreement as they are considered the closest partners to the United States.
“Yemen could be included in bargaining and Iran may abandon its influence in the African Horn, Yemen, Syria , Bahrain, particularly if it felt that it is fragile from inside and that its “Guardianship of the Jurist” system faces collapse in conjunction with parliamentary elections and Arab spring revolutions” it added.
The report concluded that bargaining reveals that Al-Qaeda organization is used as a justification for regional and international race to took over region’s resources.

It ultimately called the Yemeni Consensus government to set an emergency plan to deal with Al-Qaeda which includes economic reforms, political openness, debates and dialogues with all Yemeni forces including Al-Qaeda and the Houthi group.
“The government must take into consideration the military and security action as the last solution,” the report said.

There is a fracture between those who support federalism and those who remain committed to an independent state. In this case, I agree with Feierstein that, in order to be effective, they do need a common vision and realistic goals and that participation in the National Reconciliation Conference is an important step in achieving justice and full citizenship rights (one way or anther) for Southern Yemenis. However the international community by acknowledging the prior atrocities (now that Saleh et al have immunity) might take a step toward confidence building. These are not a bunch of disgruntled dead-enders; its most of the region. They do have a common vision (of systematic institutionalized oppression) but not a common solution if you factor in al Attas and the Cairo conference. Also there is no agreed upon leadership structure or formal mechanism of representation that was ever developed.

The southerners had placed a lot of hope in gaining international and UN support based on Saleh’s violation of UN SC res 928 and 931 in 1994, which in their view supports the contention that the south was illegally occupied or reunited by force following Saleh’s victory in the civil war. Considering Saleh immediately violated res 2014 in 2011 without international consequences or reprimand, it now seems highly unlikely that the UN SC will ever produce a result that is not firstly designed toward the best interest of the permanent members.

The system, norms and authority of international law were undermined by the UN mediated and SC endorsed GCC plan, which undermines not only principles of justice but the right of self-determination. So as I’ve said several times before, including early last year before the GCC debacle, and even had translated into Arabic to be clear, I think participating in a self-governed federalist system with the internationally guarantee of a later southern referendum on unity is the way to go.

There are many more things that can be done to diffuse tensions. enough to participate in a conversation at least. For example, this is one spot-on reader comment, “Why should Mahdi Makwalah, one of Saleh’s country-men remain as the supreme military commandant of the Southern governorates including: Aden, Abyan and Lahj? That is another provocation for Southerners.”

A seemingly related reader comment: Wondering why the Ansar AlShariah (or AlQaeada) have managed – easily – to control provinces and cities in the South where the Southern Peaceful Movement (SPM) has a strong sentiment; areas like Azan (Shabwa), Zinjibar & Jaar (Abyan), and AlHota (Lahj). The Ansar AlShariah took partial or full control of such areas after Central Forces and Presidential Guards handed it over to them, or did nothing material to stop them, and that the Air force made random bombardments on these areas which inflected fear and caused damage to residents and their properties?.

Meanwhile (from the same website) “the Supreme National Council for the Liberation and the restoration of the State of the South” (TSNCLRRSS) said in a letter: “The presidential elections scheduled for February 21, 2012 under the initiative of the Gulf, is one of aspects of prosthetic solutions to resolve the crisis of power and the popular uprising in Yemen, and is not looking at the core of the crisis of authority, devastated by the crisis, the failure of the unity, which was one causes emptying of power to face the struggle of the people of the south and is unable to meet the requirements of its people in the north, raising the people against it.” And that’s a good point. The TSNCLRRSS is calling for a boycott of the election.

Another viewpoint:

Just as the Southern were having a “breath of relief” when Mr. Saleh fell, came up Islah Party trying to impose their Islamic vision on the Southernerns yet by force, as much as, if not firecer than, their predecessor. Yesterday they transported their members from Ta’az joining their countrymen who are residents of Aden City. Their announce purpose is to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the (Failed) revolution, but instead they went to AlMualla district of Aden, the heart of the Southern Peaceful Movement strong hold area.

Wondering why they didn’t make their celebration in Saada instead of AlMualla?
Saana gangs have extrem uncompromising disagreemets among themselves, but, ironically, at the same time, are having a full mutal strategy on the South. Whatever they do, they make sure it doesn’t effect their iron grip fist on the South.

Certainly AQAP bears the responsibility for sheltering in populated areas in the first place but people in the al Qaeda occupied territories of Yemen want to know where the refugee camps are. Seriously, where are they supposed to go? And it is a US problem when an al Qaeda presence means the potential of US drone strikes. The 120,000 who fled Zinjibar last May are still in the schools of Aden. I know Yemenis’ rights are very low on Obama’s priority list, but there must be a part of the plan to increase US drone use that will deal with the public panic and mass displacement that will occur as US drones follow AQ from province to province threatening people’s lives and homes. Over 15,000 fled Raada within days of Tariq al Dhahab’s (and al Wahishi’s) appearance. They were escaping both the al Qaeda fanaticism and the threat of US drones.

While the Obama administration may try to maintain the myth in the US that they know exactly who they are hitting, and its always a precise targeting, the non-lethal impact on civilians must be considered as well. The US is playing right into al Qaedas hands with nearly every policy from the re-imposition of a dictatorship through the GCC deal to Saleh’s visit to increased drones. The US is focused on vulnerable land when it should be focused on vulnerable people.

Basically, the US is going to bomb Yemen in order to pull off an uncontested election that nobody wants (except the US, the GPC and Islah elites) in the interest of “stability.” If the expired parliament gave Saleh immunity, it can appoint Hadi. The bogus show election isn’t worth more Yemeni lives or the displacement of tens of thousands, and it certainly wont confer legitimacy when there’s only one candidate that was selected by the US. The most politically disenfranchised are going to boycott anyway: civil minded protesters, southerners and Houthis.

The National: Yemen will increasingly rely on US drone strikes to target Islamist militants threatening to disrupt a transfer of power this month, Yemeni government officials said.

The president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is meant to hand over power to his vice president, Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, on February 22.

The run up to the transfer is being overshadowed by growing protests, including within the military, which have grounded Yemen’s air force across much of the country.

Two aides in Mr Hadi’s office said they expected a rise in drone attacks against Al Qaeda militants.

The strikes will be intensified only if necessary, to ensure that militant groups do not expand in vulnerable areas, said one of the aides. Both asked to remain anonymous.

An early indication of the escalation came on Monday, when at least 11 militants were killed in Yemen’s Abyan province by three separate strikes from drones, according to security officials in the province.

It was one of the biggest such strikes believed to have been carried out by the US in Yemen.

Yemeni officials and western diplomats fear suspected Al Qaeda militants, who control considerable territory in Abyan, may attempt to capitalise on the end of Mr Saleh’s rule.

Months of near civil war to topple Mr Saleh, along with lawlessness and tribal rebellions, have created a vacuum for the militants.

Three weeks ago, they took over the town of Radaa, 173 kilometres south-east of Sanaa, and declared it an Islamic state.

The militants pulled out a few days later after negotiations with tribal chiefs.

Yemen’s military capability to tackle the militants has been hampered by two weeks of protests against the air force chief, said General Mohammed Saleh Al Ahmar, the half-brother of the president.

Abdul Aziz Al Muhayya, the air force’s commander of operations, who joined the protests last week, told The National that air force runways are out of service in the provinces of Aden, Taiz, and partially Sanaa.

“The majority of the air force is out of [the] government’s hands now,” he said.

“Our bases are somewhat handicapped,” a senior Hadi aide said. “We cannot rule out using US drones if needed in an emergency situation when it comes to attacking Al Qaeda hideouts.”

Drone attacks by the US in Yemen require the approval of Washington, the US ambassador in Sanaa, the counterterror office in Yemen, and the green light from Mr Hadi, Yemeni officials said.

The US has repeatedly used drones in Yemen to attack militants from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which the US has said was behind the December 2009 plot to blow up a US airliner as it approached Detroit.

In one of most successful attacks for Washington’s drone programme, a strike in Al Jawf province in September killed Anwar Al Awlaki, the American-born cleric who became a senior figure in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Mr Saleh was viewed by Washington as an important ally against AQAP and his government usually provided the intelligence for the targets, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal in December.

The US hopes the transfer of power will not affect Yemen’s cooperation in targeting AQAP.

A US embassy official in Sanaa was optimistic that Mr Hadi, as the next president, would be cooperative in the fight against militancy and help build the security relations between all ethnic, tribal and regional groups.

SOHR report Dec 2011

On Monday, December ,5 Sheikh Tawfiq Ali Mansour Juneidi ,nicknamed
“Hawas “the leader of the People’s Committees in the town of Lauder of
Abyan province ,died as a result of wounds sustained by a blast of an
explosive package targeted him on Friday, December ,2 and which also
caused the death of his colleague ,Ali Nasser Houshan .The Web site” ,Taj
South Arabia “reported that the People’s Committees protect the district
from the al-Qaeda operatives ,since it is believe that the al-Qaeda is behind
this assassination….

“Al Qaeda “operatives on the evening of Monday, December , ambushed
two vehicles to target a number of people from Almayaser Tribe from the
Farajs when they were passing in” Ekd “area between the districts of Lauder
and Wadiea .Aden News Agency said that the ambush caused injuries
among three people ,they are :Ahmed Hussein Ashal ,Hussein Ali Ashal and
Ahmed Mohammed al-Ghairi.

Both of the citizens Haaj Obeid and Adel Amari were seriously injured on
Friday, December ,2 by an armed group opened fire on a security leader in
the city of Ghail Bawazir of Hadramout province .The Aden News Agency
said that the unknown gunmen were riding a Hilux car ,passed in front of the
Abu Saba’a Cafe and opened heavy fire on the security leader and those
around him…

The group calling itself” Ansar al-Sharia “,on Saturday, Dec ,31 .fired in the
air to suppress the march of dignity ,which started from Aden province
toward the city of Zanzibar, demanding an end to the war in the city between
the Yemeni army and the group .The march was attended by thousands from
the South ,in particular from Abyan province .The website” ,Sada Aden ”
quoted from Mohammed Ahmed Qais ,the Chairman of the Organizing
Committee of the March of Dignity, that the peaceful march aimed at
demanding the departure of the militants of” Al Qaeda “,as well as the
Yemeni army troops from their city, but the militants of” Ansar Al-Sharia ”
stopped the march in the village of Alkod that is located five kilometers
away from the city of Zinjibar, firing in the air to prevent their progress…

The main road linking the provinces of Aden and Abyan has been closed
since the events of the city of Zinjibar of the incursion of armed elements
“Ansar Al-Sharia “to the neighborhoods until now .There have been several
attempts to open it and to allow travelers to pass through it ,but they all fail
because of the tense military situation between the forces of the Yemeni
army and the armed groups .Following the closure of that road, citizens from
both sides are affected and suffer from traveling from one province as an
alternative way make them spend a lot of time and efforts ,as well as
depriving the citizens of the cities of Zanzibar and Jaar from returning to
their homes which they had abandoned fearing for their lives….

On the morning of Tuesday, December ,6 warplanes flew at low height over
Abyan province ,in the city of Wadiea ,breaking the sound barrier ,and
triggering fear and terror among the children and women.
The Aden News Agency said that the people of the city fear of possible
bombing maybe exposed to innocent civilians, especially of the flights of the
U.S. drones hovering constantly over the cities and villages of the region for
long periods. (The fear comes after)
The U.S. aircraft on December ,2009 17 ,launched several Cruz rockets from
American battleships in the Gulf of Aden to strike Al- Majala village in the
district of Al-Mahfed in Abyan province that killed dozens of innocent
children, women and elders.

The South and the Northern Government: A Persistently Troubled Dialogue
By Nedhal Moqbel

A recent episode of “Agenda Maftouha” (Open Agenda) program, broadcast by BBC Arabic TV, discussed Yemen’s security situation. Among the program’s guests were the Southern activist Saleh Al-Jabwani and Colonel Abdullah Al-Hadri who represented President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s opposition. Mr. Al-Hadri dilated on Saleh’s crimes against protesters in Sanaa and Taiz squares and the destruction he left behind. However, Mr. Al-Hadri obviously got nervous and impatient when the issue of Southern secession was raised. As he responded to Mr. Al-Jabwani’s comments, Colonel Al-Hadri used an emotional speech and a sharp tone, contending that the current situation is the cause of the entire “Yemeni nation.”

“Our cause is one . . . why do you want to divide us amidst this continuous uprising?” added Mr. Al-Hadri. Wait a minute! Wasn’t it a “one Yemeni nation” when Southerners began their own uprising after 1994, demanding their right to a merely dignified life? Wasn’t it a “one Yemeni nation” when you and your boss (Saleh) brutally persecuted them? Weren’t those protesters your fellow citizens and, therefore, part of this “Yemeni nation”? Moreover, Mr. Al-Hadri stated that General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar was an honest military man who refused to stand by a dictator, and so did Colonel Al-Hadri and many others in the military. He said, “Yes, we used to be Saleh’s partners before. But when he stained his hands with blood and began to distort the country and foster Al-Qaeda, we decided to stay away and choose the homeland and the nation.” How devious! How provocative!

In a sympathetic tone, Mr. Al-Hadri spoke of Saleh’s crimes during the recent protests in North Yemen, stressing that this bloodshed was the reason he (Al-Hadri) and others like General Al-Ahmar seceded from Saleh. As if Saleh’s hands were clean until before these protests! What about the blood he has shed in the South since 1994? What about the thousands of Southerners whom he and his allies killed and wounded in that short-term civil war with military tanks and rockets? What about many extra thousands of Southerners whom they have killed, detained, tortured, and wounded since the outset of the Southern Peaceful Hirak? Why did Mr. Al-Hadri and his fellow military men not distance themselves from Saleh while he was shedding those bloods in the South? Why did they continue to support him, to represent his iron fist over the South? Why did they turn against Saleh only when his victims were Northern citizens?

Of course, my intention is not to attack anyone. I simply reject the twisted language Mr. Al-Hadri used to obscure the Southern cause. He went on, using the same emotional appeal: “It’s shameful to talk about South and North now . . . our cause now is that of a homeland and a nation.” Well! What is really shameful is that Colonel Al-Hadri does not consider the Southern issue itself a cause of an entire homeland whose lands and natural resources and jobs have been robbed, an entire people that used to exist independently but now is under a real occupation. What is really shameful is that Mr. Al-Hadri’s words echoed Saleh’s attitudes toward the South even though the former was presented in the program as an anti-Saleh figure. The same old regime being reproduced! No wonder that most of the oppositional figures affiliated with the “new” government participated in various ways in the 1994 war against the South. No wonder that they still unjustly and irrationally compare the Southern cause (a cause of a homeland) with the Huthi issue (a cause of a sectarian group).

Northern military figures like Colonel Al-Hadri know well the many injustices from which Southerners have suffered too long. Therefore, it is unacceptable that he accuse them of having “ruptured the country.” The country has been torn apart since the 1994 civil war. I wonder if Mr. Al-Hadri still remembers when his citizens in the North celebrated their “victory’ over the South on 7/7/1994; the Sanaa official TV then displayed Northern women uttering trilling cries of joy and Northern men chanting on streets, “Allah Akbar! Long live our leader Ali Abdullah Saleh!” On the other side of the country, Southerners were collecting the dead bodies of their loved ones in order to bury them. This black day, with all the sad memories it carries to Southerners, was made an official holiday and a national day to celebrate annually. Technically, unification ended in 1994 and was replaced by an occupation of the South and a robbery of its natural resource revenues, history, culture, and dignity. Who, then, tore up the previously unified Yemen?

The General People’s Congress and the Joint Meeting Parties are two faces of the same coin. The talk about having given Saleh immunity from prosecution is only half the truth. This “new” government has, in fact, given immunity to itself, too, since the majority of its officials were yesterday’s strong allies of Saleh’s. What we see now in the Sanaa government is the same old regime, and what we hear is the same old language, especially when it comes to the Southern problem. This government’s officials may undergo internal conflicts, but the Southern issue is always the thing that eventually brings them together due to their shared fear of losing the South with all its many treasures. Until Southerners achieve their goal of liberation, we will continue to hear the same rhetoric from Northern officials (and from Northern ordinary citizens) who often argue fearfully and impatiently, “there’s only one Yemen . . . unity is a red line . . . we’re ready to die for it . . . we’ll protect it with our own blood . . . unity or death.”

Comment by Jane: It is true that the atrocities toward the southern protesters (2007-2010) provoked little if any outrage in other parts of Yemen. During the Saada War, civil groups aligned themselves with the concept of civilian immunity without taking a stand on either side of conflict itself. Conversely during the southern protests, the arrests, torture and cold blooded killings elicited little sympathy. Beyond the absence of media attention, some in Sanaa expressed the opinion that southern protesters deserved it. In 2007/8, Southerners were really expecting that their counterparts in the north would join their uprising against the regime.

The lack of domestic solidarity against the state’s systematic attacks on unarmed southern protesters that in part caused the shift in demands from equal civil rights to independence. Remarkably, some of the current revolutionaries (who are seeking to overthrow the regime) deny that southerners have the right to seek independence although both movements deny the legitimacy of the state. From the outset of the current revolution, few efforts were made to reach out to the southern secessionists. And many southerners viewed the year long protests in Sanaa and other parts of the country in a disconnected way, not wholly unsympathetic, but as if the bloody events were occurring in another county. As I’ve said before, many view the unity government as an re-branding of northern power. some also view all northerners as privileged and part of the oppressive structure, when in fact disenfranchised northerners are very poverty stricken and thoroughly without basic services.

In terms of raw numbers, Saleh’s trail of blood, more southern protesters were killed than “northern” protester fatalities over the last year of the rev, and it occurred week after week in an atmosphere of domestic and international silence.

Issued by the national conference, “the Yemen that we desire”

Beirut

January 21, 2012

Organized by al-Tagheer for Defending Rights and Freedoms, a national conference entitled as “The Yemen that we desire” was held during 18-19 January, 2012.

It was participated by several young activists of the youth revolution squares, politicians, journalists and academicians with various backgrounds.

During the 2 day-conference, the major issues related current situation in Yemen, specially the peaceful youth revolution, the southern case and Sada’a cases, were discussed. As well as, latest developments on the national arena.

The major topics were as follows:

- The reality of people youth revolution, prospects and achievements

- The civil state

- The political participation of youth and woman

- The transitional justice

The participants asserted the following:

1- Continuation of the revolution

The conference welcomed the legendary steadfastness of the Yemeni people in squares and streets of the great revolution all over Yemen, recommending it to go ahead in the revolution course and steadfastness on the face of suppression, terrifying, fraud and conspiracy. It concluded that the only option before Yemenis is to reach the aimed civil state, to get rid of all the affects of the state-absence era, sovereignty abuse, looting, economic collapse and waste resources. That will be achieved through continuing revolution and maintaining its flame burning until fully regime overthrow in all of its tyrannical staff and foundations. The continuity of revolution protests regarded as the only guarantee to achieve the revolution goals and toppling the regime that summed most of the crimes left Yemen and Yemenis to the miserable reality threatened to destroy the future of the nation.

Therefore, the conference recommends to continue the revolution activities and adoption all the demands and aims of revolutionary youth to be achieved.

It totally refuses any deal, either foreign or local, dealing with the revolution as a political “crisis”, nor as a people youth “revolution” as it is in real, trying to fragment the revolution demands or neglecting its core, for being not conformed with the purposes of the great Yemeni people in their revolution, for its sake they gave thousands of martyrs, wounded and prisoners.

The participants hold the Yemeni political forces the responsibility to protect the great sacrifices of the people, asking it to live up to the level of those sacrifices and holding its historical responsibility towards the most honest and biggest revolution experienced by the nation over its history.

The conference calls on the ruling government coalition to reply on the legitimate questions of the citizens regarding circumstances relevant to the GCC initiative and the accompanied confidential concessions.

2- The civil state

The major objective of the peaceful people youth revolution is to establish a “civil” modern democratic state backed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, the conference considers that all revolutionary options should be led to this outcome. All political courses have to take into accounts the condition of “civil” state through its approaches and backed on the revolution legitimacy.

The conference emphasized on establishing an independent and honest judiciary authority based on justice, equality, law dominance.

It calls for holding a primary national conference participated by all the revolution forces and political parties, with the priority of youth representation, to achieve the citizenship state.

The participants asserted the necessity to re-structure the army and security leading to re-accounting the military and security institution as an independent national institution that not a subject of fiefdoms and territorial representations and classes.

3- Transitional Justice:

The participants accounts that the transitional justice as one of the important principles which can be applied on the Yemeni situation in regards to the past political conflict. Therefore, relevant clear measures should be determined in this respect including the following points:

- Official recognition of the crimes committed.

- Granting of compensation and reparation.

- The establishment of national reconciliation for all victims of political conflicts in the former homeland.

- Commemorating the martyrs of the peaceful revolution.

- Rejection of the immunity granted to Saleh and his officials according to the GCC initiative.

The Conference believes that the law of immunity and a black stain on the conscience of humanity and a slap in the face of justice undermine the principle of legality, as it touches not only a group of people to escape from punishment, but to fortify the culture of corruption.

The conference regarded the Law of Immunity as a shameful stain on the human memory and a painful slap on the face of justice being undermine the legitimacy principle that it abuses not only a group of people to escape from punishment, but to fortify the culture of crime and corruption.

4- Southern Case

The conference welcomes the revolution of peaceful movement in the south erupted in 2007 previous to the Arab revolts. It considered the fair solution would not be outside options of southerners themselves. So, the conference recommends that the final word has to be entrusted to the various representations of the south.

The conference affirmed that the affects of tyrannical and barbarous war in 1994 against the southerners demands political and social representations in the north, especially that implicated or involved, to quickly apologize clearly and frankly the former. A brave apology is the first step in re-formulating the national participation between the south and north being a fair political case, reaching to re-produce the national unity as a “choice” raising on popular consciousness, not on imposing the unity by force and tyranny.

5- Sada’a Case:

One of the revolution priorities is to fairly and inclusively address Sada’a case including dealing with the war affects, beginning in the re-building, engaging Sada’a people in the political process and stopping sectarian incitement campaigns against them.

The conference retains to the serious threats of co-existence and interfaith among Yemenis with their different backgrounds, entrusted the awareness of Yemeni people to realize the consequences of such threats on security and safety of Yemen society.

6- Al-Qaeda and Terrorism:

- Conference calls for finding a judicial alternative to combat terrorism, regarding current mechanisms to counter-terrorism, like killing in contrary to the law, leads terrorism to exacerbated rather than addressed.

- Participants announced their solidarity with the people of the affected province of Abyan due to the ongoing battles with the armed groups, resulting in enforced displacement of more than one hundred thousand citizens, killing and injuring thousands, destroying hundreds of homes and the burning of dozens of farms.

- Conference calls on all neighboring countries to assist Yemen in eliminating the sources of terrorism, stop funding it, and condemns campaigns of blasphemy and treason against political opponents and opinion-makers.

7- State form:

The conference recommends the adoption of the federal option as a form of government that the nature of the federalism during the Assembly National Conference and respect the choice of the southerners.

Conference calls for action on re-drafting of the electoral system and the relative adoption of the list as the most appropriate system of the state.

8- Women’s participation:

Conference welcomes the great national struggle of Yemeni women and appreciates their real participation in revolutionary action, as well as their contribution to the public life: politically, economically, socially and culturally.

The Conference recommends to widely expand women opportunities in real partnership and their role in decision-making centers.

9- Youth participation:

The Conference recommends that to fairly represent youth in the institutions of political decision-making being the hard core of the revolution, change and reform.

- The Conference recommends the formation of a supreme body to take care of the families of the martyrs and wounded of the youth revolution, including victims of political conflict.

- The Conference recommends to support the coordination efforts and alliances between the components of the revolution, up to represent all the active configurations and coalitions, without exclusion of any active component.

· The Conference recommends to print all conference documents and provided speeches to be issued in a book and circulated to all the revolution squares and fields.

Issued in Beirut

January 21, 2012

Names of the participants in the conference—87 person, See the Arabic source

Yemen has a long history of exiling former politicians to neighboring countries, and the deal always includes political passivity and non-interference in Yemen’s internal affairs.

NYR | YemenPost | Yemeni outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh has sought asylum in Yemen’s rich neighbor, Sultanate of Oman, the American News Agency Reuters reported on Tuesday citing diplomats.

Oman is still hesitant to accept his offer for fear that it would have a detrimental effect on any future relationship with Yemen, the unidentified diplomats added.

Saleh has left Yemen on Sunday for USA, taking a connecting flight from Oman and this prompted many analysts to draw out an inference that Saleh is intending to live in the Gulf rich neighbor for the rest of his life.

Local and international news agencies reported that Saleh’s elder Son, Ahmed, who commands the elite Republican Guards, the country best equipped and trained military troops, has been to Oman’s capital of Muscat by the time his father stopped over there reroute to USA.

Ahmed’s visit to Oman believed to be for arrangements of his father’s permanent stay in exile.

(Update: the 2009 law grants a two year extension until they elect a new parliament in 2011, ambiguous language at best.

Update 2: a handy link from Yemen Parliament Watch that indicates parliament is operating outside the scope of the law: “The report indicated that the constitutional period of the parliament ended in February 2011 where the parliament had finished its six years stipulated constitution as well as the additional two years.”

Update 3: there is also a stipulation in the constitution that parliament can be extended when facing war, natural disaster or unrest, but I’m assuming that had to have been done formally, and within the scope of the term, not by some GPC mind meld.

Update 4: the amnesty was issued while Parliament was legally on vacation or in recess.)

Original post continues: A political deadlock ensued following the 2006 presidential election wherein the GPC thwarted the implementation of a proportional representation system (as opposed to a “winner takes all” single district method) and other electoral reforms, prompting the opposition JMP to boycott parliament altogether. Without the implementation of the previously agreed upon reforms, the parliament voted itself a two year extension and rescheduled elections for 2011. (In order to thwart elections in 2011, the SCER also disqualified the voter rolls en mass.) There was no new parliamentary election in 2011 and no official law passed rescheduling the election and extending their terms as far as I know. Therefore there is no legitimate Yemeni parliament, just a bunch of old men stuck to their chairs for a decade.

So where is the legal foundation of this expired parliament’s vote to give the Sanaa regime immunity? More fundamentally, the people withdrew legitimacy from the Parliament, the Sanaa regime and dysfunctional political party system through a year of mass nationwide protests.

However, while many are working on the issue of Saleh’s immunity, I am much more concerned with the implementation of the proportional representative system in order to undermine the hegemony of both the GPC and Islah who were both artificially empowered by the GCC plan. Proportional representation will allow for the growth of new parties, minority representation and probably more women in political office. It appears that the only way to get the task done is through a public referendum, as the same illegitimate GPC dominated parliament that stalled on the issue for five years will likely continue to block it.

The proportional system has a national consensus, and it has been repeatedly been endorsed by a variety of Yemeni groups from the JMP in 2005 to the tribally based National Dialog Committee in 2009 to the Yemeni Youth Revolution that took to the streets in 2011.

Had the PR system been enacted as agreed upon in 2006, allowing for authentic political growth and representative parties to compete in 2009, the revolution might not have been necessary. So its important not to allow history to repeat itself, especially with this crucial and long overdue element of the overall package of electoral reform.

There is more on the other illegalities of the unprecedented and illegal amnesty plan below from Human Rights Watch and the YCTJ:

Press Release
By The Yemeni Center for Transitional Justice Concerning the Approval of the House of Representatives of the Immunity Law

The Yemeni Center for Transitional Justice reviewed the law approved by the House of Representatives (Parliament) of the Republic of Yemen concerning the award of immunity to the President of the Regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh and his supporters. As YCTJ confirms its previous position with respect to this law, that the law lacks the minimum principles of human justice, and is openly in violation of honorable Islamic Jurisprudence, international laws, and is in breach of the international human rights conventions/agreements to which Yemen is signatory, YCTJ now also calls for the application of real true transitional justice without any selectivity, forgery or deliquescent.

Only in this manner can the rights of the families of the victims for accountability and liability of perpetrators of violations of the foregoing crimes and infractions be protected, and to resort to international institutions to present the criminal perpetrators, participants or contributors to such crimes, or those who assisted the perpetrators from escaping from punishment, to face just trials in international judicial frameworks, as well as to judicially and legally pursue these perpetrators everywhere. Accordingly, there is no immunity or obstacle that stands in the way of this inalienable right, which is guaranteed by all heavenly scriptures, human statutes and legal systems, based on the principles of justice and equality, and in confirmation of the provisions of the relevant international conventions and agreements thereto, and as fulfillment of the minimal rights of safeguarding human beings, in terms of their blood (life and physical harm), their property and honor/dignity.
YCTJ urges all official local and international entities not to overlook the previously perpetrated crimes, also to work diligently to expose the truth of these crimes in full details and present and report them to the public. This should be considered as fundamental prerequisite to all calls for forgiveness, pardon and national reconciliation based on transitional justice, which aims to address the infractions of the past period and to avoid repetition thereof in the future.
YCTJ implores the members of the Yemeni Parliament, members of the Government of Reconciliation and the Temporary President to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, previously approved by the House of Representatives in 2004, but remains without ratification to this date, and thus to also work to join most of the countries of the work that are under the Rome Statute, so as to insure that human rights violations of the past are not again repeated in Yemen in the future.

Dr. Yasin Al-Qubati
Chairman
Yemeni Center for Transitional Justice
Ta’ez on 21 January 2012

and HRW’s statement

New Immunity Law an Affront to Victims, Blow for Justice

Source: HRW

A new law granting amnesty to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his aides violates Yemen’s international legal obligations, Human Rights Watch said today. The sweeping law provides domestic immunity from criminal prosecution for serious international crimes such as the deadly attacks on peaceful demonstrators in 2011.

The law enacted by Parliament on January 21, 2012 grants blanket immunity to Saleh from any prosecution during his 33-year rule. It also shields Saleh’s aides from prosecution for “political crimes,” as long as they are not terrorist acts. Last year’s attacks on protesters might be classified as political and therefore exempted from prosecution, Human Rights Watch said.

“This law sends the disgraceful message that there is no consequence for killing those who express dissent,” said Sarah Leah Whitson [3], Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Yemeni government should be investigating senior officials linked to serious crimes, not letting them get away with murder.”

An accord brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), that Saleh signed in November 2011, instructed the parliament, which is dominated by the ruling party, to pass a law granting immunity to Saleh and his aides in exchange for the president ceding all power by February 21, 2012. Yemeni Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi, who is serving as acting head of state, was expected to sign the law immediately.

An article in the law says it may not be “annulled” or “appealed.” However, providing immunity from prosecution for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and other gross violations of human rights violates international law, Human Rights Watch said. International treaties, including the Convention against Torture and the 1949 Geneva Conventions, require parties to ensure alleged perpetrators of serious crimes are prosecuted. As recently as January 6, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay reasserted that an amnesty cannot be granted for serious crimes under international law.

The Yemeni constitution authorizes the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws in cases and pleas. Article 51 of the constitution of Yemen says citizens have the right of recourse to the courts to protect their rights and lawful interests. Article 153 of the constitution designates the Supreme Court as the highest judicial authority in the land and empowers it to strike down laws that are unconstitutional.

Yemen’s amnesty law does not prevent courts in other countries from prosecuting serious human rights crimes committed in Yemen under universal jurisdiction laws, Human Rights Watch said.

“Courts outside Yemen can and should ignore this amnesty and prosecute serious international crimes committed by the Saleh government,” Whitson said.

Yemen’s next government also could refer serious international human rights crimes committed during the protests against Saleh to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for possible prosecution, Human Rights Watch said. Although Yemen is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, it could accept that court’s jurisdiction over any eligible cases since 2002, when the Rome Statute went into effect. The UN Security Council also could refer crimes in Yemen to the ICC.

Human Rights Watch has confirmed the deaths of 270 protesters and bystanders during attacks by government security forces [4] and gangs on largely peaceful demonstrations against Saleh’s rule in 2011, most in the capital, Sanaa. Dozens more civilians were killed last year in apparently indiscriminate attacks [5] by security forces on populated areas during clashes with armed opposition fighters. Human Rights Watch also has documented a broad pattern of international human rights violations and laws-of-war violations by government security forces in previous years, including apparent indiscriminate shelling in the 2004-2010 civil war [6] with northern Huthi rebels and the use of unnecessary and lethal force since 2007 to quash a separatist movement [7] in the South.

The immunity law instructs Yemen’s government to submit draft legislation to parliament for national reconciliation and transitional justice and to “ensure the non-recurrence of violations of human rights and humanitarian law.” The concept of “transitional justice” as set out by the United Nations includes a range of judicial and non-judicial measures such as criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, and reparations to victims.

“Transitional justice without the justice is pretty hollow,” Whitson said. “Failing to prosecute will reinforce Yemen’s culture of impunity and signal to abusive leaders worldwide that there are no consequences for political murder

Yemen Post: Hundreds of officers and soldiers protested inside the International Sana’a Airport on Sunday, demanding to sack commander of the Air Forces, Mohammad Saleh Al-Ahmar, half-brother of the outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

One officer told Yemen Post on condition of anonymity that five tanks and many military vehicles belonging to the Central Security and Special Guard Forces rushed to the airport with the aim of dispersing the protesting soldiers.

“However, Major General Ahmed Ali Al-Ashwal, Chief of General Staff, immediately headed to the airport and ordered the forces not to assault approximately 500 protesters.” he added.\

He further said that negotiations are being continuing between Al-Ashwal and some officers of the Air Forces, indicating that they insist on the resignation of Al-Ahmar and meet all other demands.

Sources said that Guards of Al-Ahmar arrested an officer, Omar Al-Hatimi, who loudly criticized Al-Ahmar and threw his shoes at him inside a meeting hall of the Air Forces.

Officers and troops of the Air forces Air complained that Al-Ahmar used to confiscate all their rights, and fail to keep his promises for which he pledged to grant them promotion and allowances.

Sources told Yemen Post that the soldiers were preparing to escalate their protests against Al-Ahmar in case all their demands are not met.
The revolution of institutions have hit many public authorities and resulted in the ouster of tens of corrupt officials in Yemen, as employees insisted on firing corrupt officials.

Among those high-ranking officials who lost their positions were Major General Ali Hassan Al-Shater, chief of the Armed Forces Moral Guidance Department and Abdul Khaleq al-Qadhi, chairman of Yemenia airlines.