Yemenis in exile appeal to UNHCR [Archives:2004/737/Local News]

A number of Yemeni citizens in exile since the 1994 civil war appealed to the UNHCR office in Cairo to re-settle them in non-Arab countries as they no longer feel safe after the disappearance of Ahmad Salem Obaid, a reliable source told Yemen Times.
The source said that around 120 citizens in exile wrote to the UNHCR, stating that they want to go to any European country, as they feel afraid after the sudden disappearance of their friend Obaid. They pointed out that Arab countries cannot even protect the rights of their citizens and are not in a position to protect politicians in exile and their families.
The source confirmed that exiled people in Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia are concerned over the future of their families and that the UNHCR promised to study their case and respond to them.
Besides, the criminal court of Cairo accepted the case file by some human rights NGOs in Egypt concerning Obaid, who disappeared from Cairo two months ago. The first hearing was scheduled for May 11. The Socialist Party holds the Yemeni authorities responsible for his life. A leading opposition member showed surprise at why “the authorities are concerned with the arrest of Abdulsalam al-Hilah in Afghanistan and never did anything to address the Obaid problem.”
Obaid held different positions in the South Yemen prior to unification, including Minister of Information and Defense, and after the unification he was a military advisor to the President until the civil war. After that he left for exile in Egypt.
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