Amnesty International, Yemen: Security at what price? 25 August 2010. Available at UNHCR RefWorld
In the name of security, the Yemeni authorities are rolling back human rights gains – with terrible consequences for the people of Yemen.
Challenged by growing calls for secession in the south, an intermittent conflict with a rebel movement (known as the Huthis) in the north, and the presence of al-Qa’ida in the country, the government has increasingly resorted to repressive and illegal methods.
The authorities have been egged on by other governments, particularly those in the USA, Europe and the Gulf, who want them to take tough action to combat al-Qa’ida and to prevent Yemen fracturing or imploding into a failed state. These governments fear that al-Qa’ida in Yemen could link up with the armed opposition group al-Shabab in Somalia, leaving the strategic Horn of Africa under the influence of Islamist militants and jeopardizing the safe transport of oil and other commodities to and from the Gulf region and Asia.
International pressure on Yemen intensified after 25 December 2009 when a Nigerian man, said to have been trained by al-Qa’ida in Yemen, apparently tried to blow up a US airliner bound for Detroit. The US government quickly expanded military and intelligence co-operation with the Yemeni authorities, and in early 2010 announced a US$155 million security package for Yemen, with around US$35 million earmarked for the country’s Special Operations Forces to carry out counter-terrorism operations. Yet there was little evidence of concern about the impact any security operations might have on human rights.
Islamist militants have indeed carried out suicide and other attacks in Yemen, and the government has a duty to protect people from such attacks and to punish the perpetrators. However, the main security fear for many Yemenis is to be caught up in the government’s sweeping responses to the challenges it faces in the south and north, which are often described as counter- terrorism operations. Despite government allegations, there appears to be no evidence linking the Huthis or the loose coalition of individuals and groups known as the Southern Movement to al-Qa’ida. Both appear to be popular movements stimulated by anger at perceived discrimination by the government and local grievances.
Hundreds if not thousands of people suspected of links to al-Qa’ida or armed Islamist groups have been arrested and subjected to a wide range of abuses, including enforced disappearance, prolonged detention without charge, torture and unfair trials.
