Freedom & Justice

[صوت الجنوب]

Freedom & Justice


Muslah

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The people of South Yemen have been living under the Northern military occupation for 11 years, since summer 1994. During this period they have experienced the most brutal and oppressive treatments that one can only compare it to Saddam’s regime days. Speaking to many Southerners, amongst them teachers, students, farmers, doctors, one thing has been put strongly by them which is that the Occupiers( Dahabish) are plundering everything we have and continue their war against us, “it is undeclared war, they want to kill us all, they said. A journalist approached me and said this government has failed catastrophically to run the republic of Yemen but they believe themselves to be successful. We, as southerners came to a conclusion that the Northerners have only succeeded in occupying the South and looting its national and private resources and wealth.

A university lecturer came to me and said, “Ali Abdullah and his family behave like gangsters. They don’t understand that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services and even the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond their control. He continues by questioning isn’t this what the international human rights charter clearly states?.” Naturally I had to say yes because he was absolutely right.

Well, I did pay attention to them and thought to myself that these allegations need further investigation in order to clarify the truth. Two days later I was lucky to witness a demonstration in Al-mua’ala by angry and thirsty men, women and children. They confronted the police and the army who came heavy handed, with machine guns and tear bombs and heavy weapons on their motor vehicles pointed at the demonstrators. Gunshots were fired in the air to threat and disperse the crowds but they continue their resistance all day, shouting, “we want water”. During the demonstration many young people as well as adults were arrested and taken into the police station for interrogation. The police and political security officers used their usual tactics of torture beating threats etc. Their most important question was who is behind you? Who funds you? You work for the American? You work for traitors outside Yemen? You work for Israel? However many of those people are still in prison without trial. They are innocent ordinary people thirsty and dying for water and water only nothing else. The Government of Sana’a is seriously paranoid and ready to take a rest for treatment. Can’t go on any longer!?