Yemen accused of human rights violations in 'war on terror'

The Yemeni authorities must stop sacrificing human rights in the name of security as they confront threats from al-Qa'ida, Zaidi Shi'a rebels in the north, and address growing demands for secession in the south, Amnesty International said in a new report. Yemen: Cracking Down Under Pressure documents a catalogue of human rights violations including unlawful killings of those accused of links to al-Qa'ida and Southern Movement activists, and arbitrary arrests, torture and unfair trials. Yemenis accused of supporting the Huthis who are armed Zaidi Shi'a rebels in the northern Sa'dah region, or the Southern Movement, have also been targeted for arbitrary detention, unfair trials in specialized courts and beatings, together with journalists, dissenters, human rights defenders, and critics of the government. Some have been subjected to enforced disappearance for weeks or months by largely unaccountable security agencies that report directly to Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh. "An extremely worrying trend has developed where the Yemeni authorities, under pressure from the USA and others to fight al-Qa'ida, and Saudi Arabia to deal with the Huthis, have been citing national security as a pretext to deal with opposition and stifle all criticism." said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa Program.