2003 Amnesty International report on Yemen releasedHuman rights in Yemen sacrificed [Archives:2003/639/Front Page]

Yemen Times staff

In its 2003 International report on Yemen released last week, Amnesty International (AI) said that human rights in Yemen were largely sacrificed by the government in order to comply with international pressures exerted after the 11 September attacks in the USA.
According to the report that covers the year 2002, waves of mass arrests took place, with foreign nationals particularly target for detention and deportation outside the normal legal framework. Journalists also had their share of intimidation to prevent them from reporting the arrests as some of them became detainees as well.
The report revealed that torture and ill-treatment remained widespread and death sentences continued to be passed as 10 people were executed and hundreds are awaiting the death sentence.
“Demonstrations critical of the government were frequently broken up by police, sometimes using excessive force.” AI added in its 3-page report.
Furthermore, the report also referred to the AI delegates, who visited Yemen in February and August to discuss with government officials the deterioration of human rights situation in the wake of 11 September 2001.
It is noticeable that the report would on many occasions refer back to what it views as the major reason for the increase of human rights violations last year, which is the pressures exerted by the USA against Yemen in its war against terror following the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington, DC.

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