In solidarity with Human Rights Activist, Arwa Othman Who's Facing Death-Threats

Arwa Othman was one of the members of the National
Dialogue Conference and headed the Freedoms Committee. 

Multi-award winner, Yemeni Human Rights activist, Arwa Othman stated today that she received death threats to her Facebook inbox by individuals, believed to be affiliated to Al Houthi group, because of her critique to their recent weaponry power. As a response, Arwa decided to report the incident to Yemen's Public Prosecutor, and post the report on her Facebook wall, so whatever will happen to her shall be in the public eyes.


I asked Arwa about the threats and she confirmed to me that she received the threats early in the morning, today. She said, “I thought it was nothing important and there was no need to share them with the public. However, I became extremely worried when the threats were against my daughters as well.”

Snapshot from Arwa's wall: she posted a selection of
the threats sent to her & her daughters' FB inboxes. 

Accordingly, Arwa shared on her Facebook page snapshots of the threat messages sent to her and her daughters' inboxes. Arwa told me that after consulting friends and other journalists about what to do, they all advised her to report the incident to Yemen's public prosecutor. Indeed, Arwa did so and she also shared the letter on her Facebook along with those snapshots. The report goes like this:

“Report To The Public Prosecutor

Dear Mr. Public Prosecutor
I have not done more than posting a photo of cobbler and the armed group, a picture taken from popular online websites, (the photos were not taken by me).. and then I happened to receive orders to remove the pictures because the armed group are “sheikhs and honorary and nationalists”.. even my daughters received messages about eliminating me.

Hence, I thought to report this to you. God only knows that since 2011, I have been receiving smearing campaigns, and I have been accused of blasphemy, I have been subjected to slander in my honor – and I have remained silent about all that. But today, the threats are directed towards my daughters. This must not be tolerated, any longer.”

Since 2011, Arwa Othman has been facing different kinds of threats; smearing campaign and even physical assault for her activism and critical writings against any and every oppressive political power in the country. She's not only one of the strongest women voices, but also one of the most dedicated and veteran activists across the country. Given the lack of any protection provided by the state - if anything happens to her this time, Al-Houthi group takes full responsibility, as she has been fearless critical voice against their acts since their takeover of most parts of Yemen, in 21 September, 2014.

Yemen's Electricity Ministry's Employee Acid Attacked

Yemen's Electricity and Energy Ministry has always been notorious for its corruption. It won't be an exaggeration to say that it is the top ministry which has the biggest negative impact on the citizens with it's utter bad performance. It's responsible of handling all those incidents when the country gets in total blackout. On the news the blackouts are reported as caused by some tribal attacks. That's not necessarily true. There is a huge element of corruption in the ministry, in which electricity has became a powerful card to pressurize the citizens. Accordingly, and thankfully, a group of Yemeni activists have been mobilizing the people and campaigning against the ministry's corruption and the blackouts, with a campaign established in June 2013 named, 'Menawera ya Hokoma w al Sha'ab tafi'.


One of the active members in the action and also an employee at the ministry, Adnan Al-Madani had to pay a painful price for his courage and activity. On "September 7th, 2014 at eight o’clock in the morning while he was on his way to the headquarters of the Ministry, an acid has been thrown to Adnan’s face by unidentified people who were riding a motorcycle and fled after1."

"Adnan Al-Madani is the victim of corruption." via Bassam Hassan

The unfortunate incident was captured by a surveillance camera in a nearby building2:

I asked one of the members in the campaign, Ghada Al-Wazeer if she knows Adnan in person? "yes, I do know him personally," she replied, "he was the one giving us all the corruption-related documents, and before I left to the US, we organized an event at the Basement with him."


"I believe he was targeted because of his activism in the campaign. Plus, he has been threatened many times and the last time was 2 days before the incident, and other employees at the ministry who are following up the Adnan's case are being threatened now."


Adnan has been hospitalized to Jordan and he remains in a critical condition. His colleagues at the ministry try to send him moral support through their Facebook page here.




___________________________________________________________________

1http://www.hurryat.org/en/?p=303

2http://m.voice-yemen.com/news83059.html

South's Independence Day Revives Hirak Movement

From today's massive celebration. 

A lady holding the old southern's passport.


And the following video is from the yesterday's prepartions for today's anniversary celebration:

Shia rebels seize control of port city and province in Yemen

"Shia rebels who recently overran Yemen’s capital seized control of a key port city on the Red Sea and a province south of Sana’a on Tuesday.

The development indicates that the rebels, known as the Houthis, may be determined to carve out a mini-state within Yemen, taking advantage of the weakness of the central government and the disarray in the army and security forces.

The Houthis, who are widely believed to be supported by Iran, already control the provinces of Saada and Omran north of the capital.

On Tuesday, they pushed into the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, west of Sana’a, and the capital of a province with the same name, which they have besieged for days.." - AP

 

Funeral for last week's victims

Today, a grand funeral was held for the victims of last week's bombing attack in Tahrir square. Rest in peace!

"What’s wrong with the Houthi?" New Song Teases Houthis' Recent Moves (Lyrics in En)

The song beautifully sums it all up - all that political analysis pouring on us about the current situation in the country is described in the lyrics. Very nice and clean. Listen & follow the lyrics below!



[Verse 1]

What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?
He forgot what he told us
He used to say my concern is my country
And he had mercy for the citizens
And today he terrorises and kills, across every street and house
And nothing which he has not removed
I swear this can't be for too long..


[Repeat Verse 1]


Those who take back their words
They surrounded it to his (Houthi) hands
That’s the business of the state
The Houthi is not alone in this
Is it me who betrayed?
It’s clear that it’s you the offender
There is a loyalty to A’afash (Ali Abdullah Saleh) besides to an Irani deal



An a’afashi, Houthi coup
He couldn't win popularity
He couldn't hide from the start his bad intention


What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?
He forgot what he told us
He used to say my concern is my country
And he had mercy for the citizens
And today he terrorises and kills, across every street and house
And nothing which he has not removed
I swear this can't be for too long..



Death to America means love it to the max
Let America live and let the (Yemeni) nation die
The Houthi’s contradicts his walk
Especially now when all is clear for him
Especially now when all is clear for him
What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?
Why wouldn’t him behave his men?
Hey my people! tell him to behave his kids
Why wouldn’t him behave his men?
Hey my people! tell him to behave his kids




What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?
He forgot what he told us
He used to say my concern is my country
And he had mercy for the citizens
And today he terrorises and kills, across every street and house
And nothing which he has not removed
I swear this can't be for too long..



Hey Saudi riyal! Hey Emirati dirham!

You make sure it’s my end, then it’s my beginnings

What goes around comes around
Don’t rush for what’s next
What goes around comes around




An a’afashi, Houthi coup
He couldn't win popularity
He couldn't hide from the start his bad intention


What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?
He forgot what he told us
He used to say my concern is my country
And he had mercy for the citizens
And today he terrorises and kills, across every street and house
And nothing which he has not removed
I swear this can't be for too long..



What’s wrong with the Houthi? what’s wrong with him?

Domestic Violence: Yemeni Women's Silent Killer

Photo/ Bushra Al Fusail.

While Yemen's political and security landscape is boiling, little attention is given to women's status in the country. Although Yemeni women had an active role in Yemen's National Dialogue Conference (Mar. 18, 2013 – Jan. 24, 2014), there has been zero progress in legislations to protect women's rights. The greatest danger for women in Yemen is enduring the systemic discrimination and violence which have devastating consequences on their lives. Violence against women is common in Yemen, perpetrated by the state, the community and the family. 

Yesterday, "a 16-years old boy attempted to behead his 20-years old sister while she was asleep in their house in Khor Makser in Aden city. The girl's been in severe condition when she arrived to the hospital as she was also stabbed in different places in her body. The mother and another sister tried to rescue the girl once they heard her scream, and they rushed her to the hospital immediately. The girl is in a critical condition and is placed in a medically induced coma1."

Additionally, there was a report of another domestic crime committed against a wife in Yemen's eastern; "a husband beheaded his wife for unidentified reasons in Foa neighborhood in Mukala city. Reportedly, the husband has escaped and has not been captured yet2."

There are no specific laws protecting women in Yemen from violence. The Penal Law criminalizes physical harm, but does not mention domestic violence or violence against women, and does not cover psychological harm. 

Social norms in Yemen allow a culture where men, hitting their wives, daughters and sisters is regarded as an acceptable manner. That culture is nurtured with the failure of laws to explicitly condemn domestic violence and other forms of violence against women. Therefore, it's absolutely crucial that there is a political will to address the problem, with an up-to-down approach.

“According to a National Women’s Committee (NWC) study, only 5% of women who were the victims of domestic violence proceeded to report the incidents to the police. This can be attributed to several factors. To begin with, very few Yemeni women are fully aware of their rights; meanwhile, even less are familiar with what can be fairly considered domestic violence. Complicating the matter, various forms of verbal and physical abuse, as well as restrictions on freedom, are regarded as aspects of Yemen’s cultural heritage and customs3.”

While Yemen's new Constitution is a work in progress by the Constitution Drafting Committee 4, the committee's members and the government must exert effective measurement in addressing violence against women in the country. Otherwise, domestic violence would continue to be a silent killer for many women across the country.

______________________________________________________________________

1http://adenalghad.net/news/127036/#.VDo7atTLdRp

2http://mukallastar.com/news/2014/179479.html

3http://nationalyemen.com/2013/02/24/the-reality-of-domestic-abuse-in-yemen/

4https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/friends-of-yemen-steering-committe-report

Into Yemeni Grooms' Traditional Costumes

"‘I was feeling special,’ says Mohammad Ali Saleh, casting his mind back to his wedding day. ‘When I walked through the crowd in my traditional outfit, I was feeling special.’


Saleh got hitched in December in Ta’izz, a city squatting at the foot of Sabir Mountain in Yemen’s southern highlands. As is customary at Yemeni weddings, Saleh’s bride was not present to share his feel-good moment – she was having her own, at a separate ceremony nearby. Instead, he was joined by 38 other grooms...." -Brownbook Mag

A bloody day in Yemen

Sana'a:

"A bomb blast tore through Tahrir Square in central Sana’a on Thursday morning, killing dozens of supporters of the Houthi movement that controls the Yemeni capital and fuelling fears of more violence between the Shia group and radical Sunni Islamists.

The explosion underlined the mounting political and security vacuum in Sana’a, which came under Houthi control on 21 September shortly before a peace deal was signed between the group and the government.

The health ministry estimated that the attack left at least 47 people dead and 75 wounded, with the death toll likely to rise because a number of survivors are critically injured......" -The Guardian

The explosion moment was captured by a surveillance security camera at a nearby Bank building: 

Hadramout:

"A suspected al-Qaeda operative detonated a suicide bomb at a military checkpoint on the western outskirts of the city of Mukalla in Hadramout province, killing twenty soldiers, injuring thirteen, and destroying a tank and two army vehicles..." -Atlantic Council

Video of the scene after the attack: