Yemen
International Community Must Not Wait:
The Systematic Use of Live Ammunition against Unarmed Protestors Constitutes a Crime against Humanity

Cairo 9 March 2011   The Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) expresses its deep concern for the increase in the use of violence by Yemeni security authorities against unarmed protesters, particularly the use of live bullets.
As a result of the security forces’ attacks, dozens of people have been killed in Aden and the southern governorates of the country in the last two weeks.
Yesterday, live bullets were obviously used against protesters in the Maydan At-Taghyeer (the Change Square) in the capital, Sanaa.
The use of live ammunition reflects the systematic patterns of the way the authorities deal with such events, which constitutes a crime that must not be tolerated.
  The AOHR has been following the developments regarding the injury of dozens of people.
According to AOHR field sources, up until 10pm last night nine persons were injured, two of them sustaining critical injuries, by snipers.
Another eight persons suffered due to the heavy use of tear gas canisters.
  The AOHR expresses its deep concern for the deployment of armored forces and tanks in the suburbs of several cities in Yemen.
The AOHR classifies this as an act of state terrorism, a crime which aims to frighten people to prevent them from practicing their rights to peaceful demonstrations, and to deliberately threaten their freedom and safety.
  The AOHR questions to what extent President Ali Abdullah Saleh will continue these actions before yielding to the protestors' legal demands.
The AOHR also wonders how many victims there have to be until Arab people's legitimate demands for reform and rights are met.
  The AOHR strongly condemns these crimes.
In the light of the negative record of accounting for violations of human rights in Yemen, the AOHR calls for the initiation of an international independent investigation into them.
The AOHR asserts the importance of an immediate international community intervention to avoid the risks of a deteriorating situation and to end a potential bloodbath.
     * * * For more information please contact: Alaa Shalaby Executive Director – Member, Board of Trustees Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) 91 Merghani St.
, Heliopolis, Cairo 11341 Egypt Tel +202 24181396 Fax +202 24185346 Mobile +2 010 6488987 Ala.
shalaby@hotmail.
com – Aladinchalabi@yahoo.
com www.
aohr.
net  Visit the webpage of the Arab Organization for Human Rights on Al Mezan’s web site: http://www.
mezan.
org/en/dis_aohr.
php?id_dept=79&dname=aohr