Yemen: E M E N
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r e D e G n r n : U i U K n s n e C s a W e m r o r e y C D P yemen: CraCKinG DoWn UnDer PressUre amnesty international amnesty international is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. amnesty international Publications First published in 2010 by amnesty international Publications international secretariat Peter Benenson House 1 easton street london WC1X 0DW United Kingdom www.amnesty.org © amnesty international Publications 2010 index: mDe 31/010/2010 original language: english Printed by amnesty international, international secretariat, United Kingdom all rights reserved. this publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. the copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. Cover photo : a window riddled with bullet holes following a raid by security forces in yemen. © amnesty international YEMEN: CRACKING DOWN UNDER PRESSURE CONTENTS 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................5 2. Abuses in the name of security.................................................................................10 Human rights framework ..........................................................................................10 Arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances .......................................................11 Torture and other ill-treatment ..................................................................................16 Unfair trials and the Specialized Criminal Court..........................................................17 Death penalty..........................................................................................................22 Amnesties...............................................................................................................23 External actors ........................................................................................................24 Recommendations ...................................................................................................27 3. Al-Qa’ida and the response ......................................................................................29 Attacks by al-Qa’ida and other armed groups ..............................................................30 Unlawful killings by security forces............................................................................30 Arbitrary arrests and detentions.................................................................................34 Unfair trials and the death penalty ............................................................................37 Recommendations................................................................................................... 37 4. Sa’dah conflict....................................................................................................... 39 Background ............................................................................................................ 40 Sixth round: new scale of death and destruction......................................................... 44 Violations of international humanitarian law............................................................... 47 Displacement and humanitarian assistance................................................................ 50 Detentions and trials ............................................................................................... 52 Bani Hushaysh trials................................................................................................ 54 Recommendations................................................................................................... 56 5. Unrest in the south................................................................................................. 61 Killings of activists.................................................................................................. 63 Excessive and lethal force against demonstrators........................................................ 65 Arbitrary detentions, torture and unfair trials.............................................................. 67 Recommendations................................................................................................... 72 6. Freedom of expression under fire ............................................................................. 73 Legal and judicial repression of press freedom ........................................................... 76 Specialized Press and Publications Court................................................................... 80 Recommendations................................................................................................... 82 7. Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 83 Endnotes................................................................................................................... 84 TIMELINE 1839 - Aden (south Yemen) comes under British rule. 1918 - Ottoman empire collapses and north Yemen gains independence under Imam Yahya. 1948 – Imam Yahya assassinated, and succeeded by his son Ahmad. 1962 - Imam Ahmad dies; army officers seize power in northern Yemen and establish the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), sparking civil war in northern Yemen between advocates of an imamate, backed by Saudi Arabia and advocates of the Republic, backed by Egypt. 1967 – British rule of Aden ends; Southern Yemen formed and later named the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). 1972 - Border clashes between YAR and PDRY; ceasefire brokered by the League of Arab States. 1978 - Ali Abdullah Saleh named President of YAR. 1979 - Renewed fighting between YAR and PDRY. 1986 - Thousands die in south in political clashes. A new government is formed. 1990 – North and South unite, creating the Republic of Yemen with Ali Abdullah Saleh as President and Ali Salim al-Beidh, former President of the PDRY, as his deputy. 1991 - Yemen votes against UN Security Council’s resolution to use force against Iraq in Gulf War, leading to expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Yemeni workers from Gulf states and a halt to most international aid. 1994 – Deep grievances over unification reach boiling point with southerners citing discrimination against them; the armies of the former YAR and PDRY, having failed to integrate, engage in sporadic fighting at the former border. In July, northern forces take control of Aden; secessionist leaders, including Ali Salim al-Beidh, flee abroad and are sentenced to death in their absence. 2000 – In October, US naval vessel USS Cole bombed in Aden. 2001 – In November, President Saleh tells US President George W. Bush that Yemen is a partner in the fight against terrorism. 2002 – In October the supertanker Limburg is badly damaged in an attack off the Yemeni coast. 2004 – In June-August, government troops in the north fight supporters of dissident Shi’a cleric Hussain Badr al-Din al-Huthi, who is killed in September. 2007 – In July, a suicide bomber kills eight Spanish tourists and two Yemenis in Ma’rib governorate. In August, protests led by retired soldiers begin in the south against Sana’a government. 2008 – Mass protests continue in the south. In March-April, several bomb attacks on police, official, diplomatic, foreign business and tourists. In September, an attack on the US embassy in Sana’a kills 16 people, including six assailants. Qatar brokers a mediation agreement between the Huthis and the government but within the same year it fails to hold. 2009 – In June, nine foreigners abducted in Sa’dah region; three are later found dead and two others, both children, are released in 2010. In August, the army launches operation “Scorched Earth” against Huthis – the sixth round of fighting in Sa’dah. In November, the Sa’dah conflict spills into Saudi Arabia, which joins the conflict against the Huthis. In December, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula claims responsibility for the failed attack on a US airliner bound for Detroit. 2010 - In February, the government and Huthis reach a ceasefire agreement. Map of Yemen © United Nations Yemen: 5 Cracking down under pressure 1. INTRODUCTION “… States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.” Unanimous UN General Assembly resolution, December 20091 Yemeni authorities are abandoning human rights in the name of security. Internationally, tough action is being demanded from the government to combat al-Qa’ida supporters based in Yemen. Inside Yemen, the state is being challenged by growing calls for secession in the south and an intermittent conflict with a rebel movement (known as the Huthis) in the north whose latest