Authorities repress pensioners’ sit-in, Southern governorates devastated [Archives:2007/1074/Front Page]
SANA'A, August 5– President Ali Abdullah Saleh was expected to meet with representatives of pensioners' associations in an attempt to resolve their issues. Saleh listened to a number of complaints and demands related to pensioner rights and grievances after the group's forced retirement in 1994.
Press sources mentioned that the chairman of the pensioners' committee, Nassir Al-Nawbah along with three other pensioners was transferred by air to the capital city of Sana'a to meet the president.
After the recent pensioners' sit-in, eyewitnesses said that more than 300 armed persons from Al-A'wabel city in Al-Sa'eed district in Adhala' governorate staged a sit-in in front of the government complex on Saturday, demanding the release of detained Al-Shu'aib citizens.
Local sources also stated that the protestors threatened to increase the brunt of their sit-in in case the detainees are not released as a result of peaceful protests carried out by pensioners last Thursday in Aden.
The district of Rasad in Yafa', Abyan governorate staged a crowded festival including armed security, civil pensioners, and local citizens. They expressed their solidarity with the pensioners, denouncing price hikes as well as violations practiced by security men against protestors at the sit-in held in Aden.
During the festival, protesters demanded the release of detainees without any conditions of avoiding the country. They also called for holding those people accountable who injured and killed innocent lives.
The sit-in statement announced the protesters' insistence to continue sit-ins until their demands are met. They demanded the return of all pensioners to their jobs and settlement of their situations morally and financially.
The statement also invited all civil society organizations along with human rights activists to stand with pensioners, supporting their legitimate claims. It further called the state to stop manipulating estates' lands and resources, emphasizing the right of equal citizenship for all citizens of the same country.
Socialist MP Sultan Al-Samai criticized the authority's maltreatment of pensioners during protests in southern governorates. Al-Samai told Al-Eshtaraki.net that the authority is back to its old behavior, indicating the all-inclusive system and repressing of citizens. He also denounced Aden authorities' repression of protesting armed and security pensioners, stating, “These measures are breaching the laws, constitution and conventions.”
Al-Samai demanded the quick release of detainees, prosecution of the party that issued orders to repress the peaceful sit-in and apologizing to pensioners who have faced injustice since the war of 1994. The socialist leader stated, “Instead of admitting its outrageous mistakes committed against pensioners of the southern governorates, the authority repressed and detained them to be in the prisons.”
Meanwhile, security forces disbanded the peaceful protest of pensioners organized in Freedom Square on Thursday in Khormaksar in Aden. The security police used tear bombs, pellets and nozzles to repress the sit-in, detaining a large group of pensioners, including members of the central committee of the Yemeni Socialist Party.
Abdurahman Al-Ja'fari, chairman of the Yemen Citizens League urged people to take lessons from events of the August 2 protest in Aden. He urged people to think deeply and avoid obduracy and passions in tackling important national issues.
He also supported all kinds of peaceful political acts that demand rights. He stated to Al-Ayam newspaper that the alternative to these problems and troubles is to stabilize foundations and principles of unification and its continuation throughout firmly connected systems, achieving balance and independent local judgment.
Al-Ja'fari stated that sky-rocking prices lead our country to experience feuds and chaos. “Our people with their low income are not able to face miserable conditions of living, though our country has resources but is claimed by corruption. Our country is going to have great welfare, if we heed to make comprehensive reforms without hindrance. Otherwise we will miss a great chance that may be the last one to rescue our country, and keeping up with the train of development and upgrade. History will not have mercy upon us nor will coming generations.”
He further added, “I personally appeal to everybody to use their intellect and avoid obduracy and drifting behind sentiments. You have to give your mind a voice. Our kind people paid for these reactions and passions and then were left alone to face sufferance. We do not want to diminish a prosperous future for our country. We have to move toward reforms because they are the real solution that will create a good future having justice, security, stability and equality.”
Last Saturday in Aden, lawyers along with human rights activists decided to form a national board to defend detainees and injured protesters. This is attributed to the outrageous repression inflicted by authorities against the peaceful protest of pensioners staged last Thursday.
A statement released by lawyer Jamal Al-Ja'bi's office revealed that eight lawyers held a meeting and agreed to form a national defense body to defend detainees and injured people. They declared that their decision is a right guaranteed by the constitution and guidelines laid out in the International Announcement for Human Rights and the International Covenant related to political and civil rights.
The statement also demanded that detainees receive treatment without any intimidation.
Additionally, the lawyers decided to gather a large number of their colleagues to expand the national defense body in order to start working before the weekend.
With regard to the detainees, security sources reported that security forces released a group of detainees from Al-Manssourah prison in Aden while many remain imprisoned.
One of the sit-in leaders stated that security forces detained and imprisoned more than 158 pensioners and citizens.
Aden city experienced a traffic shut down coming from Al-Shiek O'thman heading to Khormaksar, Kraiter and Al-Tawahi due to a mass rally organized by the Higher Coordination Council of pensioners that was supposed to take place in Freedom Square in Khormaksar close to the General Security Department of the governorate.
A large number of security forces gathered in the early morning to prevent this rally, deeming it a threat to the security of the city. These forces imposed a firm belt on the inlets, conjunctions and passages leading to Freedom Square, preventing transportation heading to the rally place in Khormaksar.
These security measures were meant to prevent the attendance of hundreds of pensioners coming from Al-Dhala', Lahj, Abyan, Shabwa, Hadhramuat and Al-Mahra governorates. A large number of them could not reach Freedom Square due to patrols installed at roundabouts starting from Al-Safina conjunction.
Security forces were sure to enforce concrete rules to block roads leading to Aden international airport and routes leading to Freedom Square. Forces entered the protest location setting off tear bombs among protesters and trying to separate them by force. Consequently, protesters threw stones and security forces retaliated with gunshots, sometimes into the air and other times directly at protesters.
An official source in the security committee stated that the committee released a statement in which it necessitates paying attention to rulings regarding processions and demonstrations. However, some people breached the law and entered the city of Aden attempting to shake security and create chaos.
The Coordination Council of the pensioners' associations issued a statement concerning the events of August 2. In the statement the council reported, “The citizens of the southern and eastern governorates came to participate in the protesting ceremony, invited by the council of the pensioners, and represented by the peaceful sit-in organized in Freedom Square in Khormaksar in Aden city to take their rights back plundered after the war of 1994.”
The statement continued, “The peaceful sit-in that was staged to achieve legitimate claims was faced by tear bombs and rubber and live shots and tear gas. This tragic behavior resulted in injuring more than 12 persons. Some of them had critical injuries. It is not only this but some others were detained and thrown into prisons of the political security, criminal investigation and central prison of Al-Manssourah. The detainees were more than 158 persons. The security forces detained the leader of the council, Brig. Nassir Al-Nawbah and some members of the council along with a significant number of the participants.”
The statement demanded the instant release of the detainees, allowing activity to continue in Aden governorate. The council also invited the committees of pensioners in southern governorates to maintain solidarity with citizens of these governorates and devise peaceful means of obliging authorities to meet their demands.
They further demanded the state to medically treat those injured and compensate them due to the use of tear bombs and tear gas. They urged the formation of a court to prosecute the perpetrators of such acts, who they described as “killers.”
They also announced their complete adherence to pensioners' demands, requesting the issuance of a political declaration that ensures the protection of all rights, including the return of pensioners to their state jobs lost after the war of 1994 and compensation for damages incurred.
The number of pensioners retired by a political decree is 60,000, all of whom belonged to the former popular democratic Republic of Yemen ruled by the Yemeni Socialist Party before the unification.
Pensioners have been protesting going on five months, the biggest protest occurring July 7 in Aden. This protest enraged the ruling party as well as security forces and resulted in a severe counterattack, headed by the president himself, in a rally in Amran city against the Yemeni Socialist Party.
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