The translation of a letter to the president written by Al-Ahsab [Archives:2006/928/Reportage]

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March 13 2006

Dear Mr. President,

It is internationally known that any complaint to an official body should in return be treated fairly. It should give back his rights and treat him with due respect. However things are different now. A civilized complainant is harassed and humiliated as police try to hush him up and prevent his voice from reaching you. In this respect, my case is a good example.

Police arrested me, my sons and my 55-year-old wife while staging a two-month sit-in in front of the Minister of Interior's house. They illegally and in an uncivilized manner imprisoned my children Feb. 20, 2006. A group from the fourth police center took the tent in which my children were sheltering during the sit-in. They also stole their mattresses and their kitchenware. When they reached the fourth police center, they beat them, insulted them, called them bad names, threw stones at them and threw them in the al-sailah (aqueduct) after confiscating their belongings.

This happened while the opponents who stole our belongings remain free due to indifference and lack of positive reaction from Dhamar governorate security authorities. They did not abide by the Minister of Interior's directions based on your directions. Dhamar security apparatuses made themselves representatives of my opponents indicated by the fact that they did not refer them to judiciary. I presented my case to all official government bodies and it was published in several newspapers. However, it is a personal insult to you that these officials did not want to interact in a responsible manner with citizens' problems.

From 2004 to the March, 11, 2006 writing of this petition, I staged several sit-ins beginning with the Human Rights Ministry, the president's headquarters, the Minister of Interior's house and finally the UN office. My children were arrested from the UN offices and taken with their mother to detention at Al-Mojtama' Police Center in the industrial complex area.

For this reason, I repeat my demand for rapid fair treatment. I demand that all officers and policemen who arrested my children and my wife be punished; otherwise, I will be compelled to seek humanitarian asylum in any country respecting human rights.

With my best regards,

Ahmed Rashid Al-Ahsab
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