14-Year-Old boy killed by Al-Dhale’ security while walking home [Archives:2008/1169/Local News]
SANA'A, June 29)A 14-year-old boy was killed last Friday when a Security Administration soldier in the Jahaf district of Al-Dhale' governorate shot him while the boy was on his way home from his classmate's house.
According to the boy's uncle, Abdulhakim Al-Hawairi, the victim's family blames the soldier, Bassam Al-Sayadi, and the district chief of the Security Administration, “who always incites the soldiers against the residents of the district.”
The family of the victim said that the soldier shot the child deliberately while he was coming home from his classmate's house where the boys had been studying together. After he was shot, the child was taken to Saber hospital in Aden where he died shortly afterwards.
The residents of the district have organized an ongoing sit-in protest since last Friday in front of the Jahaf police station. JMP leaders, members of the local council and citizens said that they are staging the sit-in to demand that the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice.
The local press sources in Al-Dhale' governorate said that authorities have arrested the accused soldier and have suspended the district chief of the Security Administration.
During the investigation, Al-Sayadi said that he received explicit orders from the district chief of the Security Administration to shoot anybody who gets close to the administration building. The soldiers said that the chief informed the soldiers that they may be subject to attack by some of the local residents. Local media sources attributed the security chief's worries to a quarrel that occurred between him, the local residents and the principal of Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed school when the security chief asked for money in return for guarding the school during examinations.
JMP Political parties, non-governmental organizations and local sheiks released a statement demanding the state to return the accused soldier with the crime weapons to the district's prison. This statement also demanded the participation of the local council in the investigation to ensure a fair trial.
Yemen Times contacted the manager of the Criminal Investigation Administration who refused to comment on the issue.
Seyaj Organization for Protecting Childhood, which was the first organization to reveal the story of the boy's death, condemned the crime and asked the security and judiciary authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice to be punished. The Seyaj Organization expressed its support for the protesters and said it is worried for Yemeni children who are exposed to crimes like murder, rape, psychological and physical aggression.
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