Yemen: 'thug' attacks on Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights celebrating Nobel Peace Prize win should be investigated
Amnesty International is calling for an investigation after dozens of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights were reportedly injured in Yemen’s second-largest city yesterday when government supporters attacked an anti-government rally celebrating the achievements of Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman.
According to reports, pro-government “thugs” threw stones at Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights who were taking part in a peaceful Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s march in the south-western city of Ta’izz. The march was called after last Friday’s announcement that Tawakkol Karman would be among three Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights to receive the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
As a journalist and president of the NGO Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights without Chains, Tawakkol Karman has long campaigned against human rights violations in Yemen. She has called on the authorities to protect freedom of expression and Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights’s rights as well as to release political prisoners. She was involved in this year’s pro-reform protests in Yemen from a very early stage and was briefly detained for her activism in the capital Sana’a in January.
Tawakkol Karman shares this year’s Nobel Peace Prize with two Liberian Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and rights activist Leymah Gbowee. She is the first Arab woman to win the prize.
Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Malcolm Smart said:
“The Yemeni authorities must protect the right to freedom of expression, which includes not tolerating violent attacks on peaceful marches.
“A full, independent and impartial investigation must be carried out to identify and bring to justice all those responsible for wounding dozens of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights at the Ta’izz march.
“The whole world continues to watch as Yemeni authorities fail to act on demands for reform while peaceful protest is being violently suppressed.”
A larger march, involving both men and Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights, condemning yesterday’s attack and celebrating Tawakkol Karman’s Nobel Peace Prize on top of its usual anti-government calls, also took place in Ta’izz today. A pro-government group reportedly attacked a group of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights who were near the Republican Hospital during the march.
Since February, scores of people have been killed and more than a thousand have been injured in protests across Yemen as security forces have repeatedly used excessive force, including by firing live ammunition at peaceful protesters.