Establishment of the C100 to Combat TORTURE [Archives:1998/16/Front Page]

On Thursday, April 16th, about 100 leading intellectuals, public figures and key opinion makers met to listen to a presentation by Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf on torture in Yemen. “Although torture is not politically driven in Yemen, it is nevertheless prevalent due to a backward police force and lack of training among law-enforcement bodies in this country. It is vital to address this ugly and beastly phenomenon if we are to join the civilized world,” he said.
The group then discussed a proposed charter for an NGO in this field. At the end of their deliberations, they established the Committee of 100 to Combat Torture, now tagged as the C100 to Combat Torture. Qadhi Ahmed Abdul-Razzaq Al-Ruqaihi, Imam of the Grand Mosque in Sanaa and Member of Parliament, was elected President. A woman, Dr. Oras Sultan Naji, Member of Parliament, was elected Vice President. Mr. Ali Saif Hassan, a businessman and key opposition political activist, was elected Secretary-General.
The C100 to Combat Torture will hold another meeting on May 15th to chart out its course of action and take decisions on administrative matters.
The C100 shares premises with the Yemeni Institute for Development of Democracy to reduce overhead expenditures.
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