While calling for non-violence, he became a victim of a political assassination Assassinated [Archives:2003/53/Front Page]

SANAA – The Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) released a press statement on Saturday claiming that Jarallah Omar’s assassination was politically motivated, but did not provide any hints about which party or group stood behind the killing.
The YSP presented its condolences to the Yemeni people for the murder of Jarallah Omar as a result of what it believes is a “Political and terrorist assassination.”
President Saleh also sent a condolence message to the family of Jarallah Omar in which he described the killer as a “fundemintalist extremist” who wanted to impose his ill beliefs by force.
Jarallah Omar, 60, was shot dead on Saturday at around 11:30 am just after he completed his speech during the Islah congressional assembly in Sanaa. He was pronounced dead in a hospital shortly after the shooting.
According to an official source, the gunman, was a member of the Islamic opposition Islah Party, and was mosque preacher known for his extremist views and opposition to the government and moderates in his own party. The source added that he studied at the Islah-affiliated Al-Nur University a few years ago and that he was imprisoned for six months following a public preach in Mashhad Mosque in Sanaa 15 months ago in which he ruthlessly defamed the President and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmar. He is also suspected of being a member of the fundamentalist Salafi movement.
The Islah Party on the other hand, rejected the claims of the official media saying that the assassin was not a member of Islah. “Islah Party condemns the lies of the official media that tried to spread misleading information about the identity of the criminal Ali Jarallah Al-Hushaishi.” it said in a press statement on Saturday.
The Islah statement also disclosed that efforts were exerted to investigate how the assassin was able to enter the congress hall while carrying two guns, which he used to murder Jarallah Omar, and which also resulted in the injury of Islah figure Saeed Shamsan.
“He confessed that he is not a member of Islah and that he also planned to kill the Baath and Nasserite party leaders in the hall.” Islah’s General Secretary Mohamed Al-Yadoomi said. “We will continue to hold our congress meetings tomorrow and what happened today will not sabotage our event.” he added on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said that the gunman went up to Omar after he sat down following his speech and requested a private chat with him. Then he was heard saying ‘You are from the Khawarij’ and shot him two times in the chest. One of the bullets penetrated his heart leading to his death at the hospital.
Observers suggest that the attacker seemed to have shot Jarallah Omar apparently because of the politician’s secular ideology.
But questions such as “Why he had shot Mr. Jarallah during the congress when he could have done that any other time and prevent himself from being captured?” and “Why didn’t the security forces -appointed by the government- supervising entrances into the hall prevent him from entering with his weapons?” cast doubts on this assumption and present another possibility of having accomplices who facilitated his movement.
Following the attack, the assailant was taken by the security men of Islah Party leader Sheik Abdullah bin Hussein Al-Ahmar, who questioned his motives along with several opposition representatives at his house North of Sanaa.
Sources close to the Sheikh said that the whole interrogation process at the Sheikh’s house was taped on video. It is believed that Islah did this to avoid any possible media misguidance in the future concerning the possible manipulation of the confessions of the assassin in the future. This may be used in fact to support Islah claims about the non-involvement of Islah. “It could even be aired on one of the famous Arab channels” the source said. The murderer was later handed over to the authorities.
Even though the motives behind the murder are still unknown, analysts believe that it may have been pre-planned by a political group or structure to undermine Islah’s congress as a whole and to result in a crack in YSP-Islah relations.
“It is easily understandable that Islah cannot commit such an act because it would sabotage the whole congress and would lead to devastating results concerning public opinion.” A leading Islah figure said. “It must be a conspiracy.”
No information was available about what happened behind closed doors at the Sheik’s house. The Sheik intended by seizing the assassin, who already has been convicted in the past, to ensure that he could get information from him that could lead to his accomplices and who ordered him to do the killing. It is still not known whether this attempt yielded any results. However, there was fear by the Islah party that truth could be lost if the assassin is submitted to the authorities, especially if there is any suspicion leading to the involvement of the state in this assassination.
Jarallah Omar had called in his speech at the assembly on Saturday for the regulation of the carrying of weapons and for exerting effort to stop violence in all its forms in the country. “He was a victim of what he was fighting against,” said the Islah statement.
The statement of Jarallah Omar during the assembly meeting was quite harsh on the current economic and political conditions in the country. “The crisis in the state and society is getting worse throughout the country. A ruthless attack is intensifying against the democratic margin and general liberties inherited from the state of unity. The attempt is to limit the expected public outrage at the harsh living conditions, increasing unemployment, and extreme poverty which only benefits a small group of corrupt powerful individuals.” he said.
In his statement, Jarallah Omar praised the Islah Party and called it “a party with a distinguished position as a great political power that cannot be ignored.” He also mentioned the requirements towards building a modern democratic country. “Democracy within any party is necessary to avoid internal disputes.” He said.
Jarallah briefed the attendants about the YSP and internal democratic practices and also focused on the main challenges facing Yemen as a whole. “Yemen faces huge challenges in various fields including development, water scarcity, population growth, poverty, corruption, illiteracy, marginalization of women, deterioration of democracy, domination of educational incompetence even compared to developing countries, failure to enforce the law, plus many other challenges presented by globalization and the free trade market.”
Biography of Jarallah Omar:
-Born in Kahal village in Nadira district of Ibb governorate in 1942.
-Started his education in the village then moved to the Shamsiye school in Dhamar then to the Ilmiye school in Sanaa.
-Participated in the student demonstrations that preceded the 26 September revolution
-Signed up in the Police academy in 1963 where he graduated and worked as an instructor until the events of August 1968
-Participated in the defense of Sanaa during the 70-day siege
-Enrolled in the National Arabs movement
-Founding member of the Yemeni Democratic Revolutionary Party (YDRP), and was a member of the central committee of the party
-Imprisoned for three years following August 1968 events
-Left to Aden in 1971
-Elected in the second congress assembly of the YDRP as a member of the political office
-A founding member of the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), and was an active member of the political committee of the party
-Representative of the YSP in the north by then (where the party was called the Yemeni People’s Unity Party)
-Among the first in the former south who called for the formation of a multi-party system
-Participated in the formation of Unified Yemen on May 22, 1990.
-Post-unity Consultative Council member
-Member of the Supreme Elections Committee formed to organize the 1993 parliamentary elections
-Minister of Culture and Tourism during 1993-1997
-Member of the political office and the secretary of the political and foreign policy circle of the YSP during 1990-2000
-Deputy Secretary General of YSP in 2001.
-An active social figure in the local, Arab and international arena
-Accomplished many achievements and gained many awards during his career

——
[archive-e:53-v:2003-y:2003-d:2003-12-24-p:./2002/iss53/front.htm]