National Yemen

The ICRC managed to reach the people in Dammaj last Friday December 2^nd after nearly one month of regular trying to access the isolated village of Dammaj in the northern governorate of Sa’ada.

The ICRC has been actively following up the situation in the village, located over eight km southeast of Sa’ada city, to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance.

“We are concerned about the situation in Dammaj”, said Eric Marclay, the head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen. “Thousands of people who live in this part of Sa’ada governorate have been denied access to essential commodities, including their daily needs in food and basic medicines, a matter that is taking its toll on the population there, namely the sick, the elderly, women and children”, he said.

“According to the basic rules of international humanitarian law, persons taking no part in hostilities must at all times be treated humanely, regardless of their race, colour, religion or faith”, said Mr. Marclay. “The parties to the conflict must also do whatever is in their power to ensure that medical personnel and material, and humanitarian workers are allowed safe passage to provide assistance “, he added.

In 2010, the ICRC reached the area of Dammaj right after the ceasefire, and was able, for the first time, to distribute food rations to thousands of conflict-affected people there, including to displaced persons. Several distributions followed since then, in Dammaj as well as elsewhere in Sa’ada.

During his time as President from 2001 to 2009, Bush authorized the use of waterboarding and other interrogation techniques that Amnesty and other human rights groups consider torture.

“International law requires that there be no safe haven for those responsible for torture; Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia must seize this opportunity to fulfill their obligations and end the impunity George W. Bush has so far enjoyed,” Matt Pollard, senior legal adviser, said in a statement.

Bush has defended the use of waterboarding — which simulates the sensation of drowning — as key to preventing a repeat of the September 11 attacks on the United States. The U.S. Department of State had no immediate comment. Bush’s spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bush is expected to visit the region this week to raise awareness about cancer in Africa, Amnesty said.

Two days after signing a peace treaty, Houthis started a military aggression on the mostly unarmed inhabitants of Dammaj.

Houthis used heavy machines and artillery including tanks.

the attack resulted in 22 dead students and 51 wounded. Those wounded students are still bleeding until this moment due to the siege imposed by Houthis who have prevented ambulance from going into the markaz. Houthis have also been sniping at anyone who walks out in the markaz to go to the Masjid or anyone who tries to collect the dead bodies or treat the wounded.

Some of the dead students were foreign nationals, two Americans, two Indonesians, Two Russians and one Malaysian.

This Houthi assault has forced the students to engage Houthis in a defensive battle and causalities were also reported on Houthis side. The exact number of dead Houthis is unknown but sources said 20 were killed and many were wounded.

Also, the students said they have captured ten Houthis alive.

The students in Dammaj have reported that they saw fire blazing in Houthis tanks and vehicles.

That was not all for Houthis as they have been engaged in fierce fighting by local tribes who were infuriated by their expansionist tactics. Some local sources in Yemen said that more than 150 Houthis were killed by local tribe fighters in a near by area called Hijjah.

Meanwhile, Shaykh Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajooree, the head of darul-hadeeth in dammaj has called yesterday for Jihaad in Dammaj to fend off the aggression of Houthis. He said in an audio that was published online”We were being oppressed under this siege for 40 days. Then came the sniping and the bombarding with heavy artillery. We are not assailants and we are not prepared to run away. We did our best and tried to send delegations but Houthis have refused but to seize our place, our wealth and our women”.

He then added that waging Jihaad against Houthis is one of the greatest deeds because they are transgressors.

Sources: http://marebpress.net/news_details.php?lng=arabic&sid=38143

http://aloloom.net/vb/showthread.php?t=10430

Darul-Hadeeth education center which is under siege by Houthi insurgents

A call for help was issued yesterday by a man from the province of Saada, Yemen.

Hussein Al-Hajooree, who was identified to be speaking on behalf of Darul-Hadeeth in Dammaj, called upon world aid organizations in the Muslims world and world in general to rescue more than 12.000 people who having been living under embargo by the Houthis militia for more than a month.

Speaking to as-sharq al-awsat newspaper in London, he said that the total siege which has been imposed by the Houthis for a month and five days has prevented the arrival of food, water and medicine to the whole province. He lamented, “The price of the sack of wheat has soared from 5.000 Yemeni rials (23$) to 30.000 Yemeni rials (140$) inside Saada and despite that it is not available in shops”. He added “the flour is sold today in Dammaj by kilo. And some people are living only on dry bread”.

Hussein Al-Hajooree also said: “A number of new born babies have died in the hospice inside the camp due to the lack of medication”. He added: “the Houthis are fighting us because we are not upon their way. They are trying to impose their creed on the people who live in the province after it has fallen into their hands. They are working to become like Hezbollah in Lebanon, a state within a state”. He wondered “where are the aid organizations from this perilous situation?”

News came out yesterday that eight children has died due to the lack of nutrition and medical supplies. Three old men have also died due to the absence of their regular medication. The Red Cross has attempted, as well as other local figures, to send aid to the besieged areas but all these efforts were sabotaged by the stubborn Houthis. Rbab Ar-Rifaa’ee, the spokeswoman of the Red Cross in the capital Sana mentioned that the Red Cross is contacting all the involved parties to reach a deal. But she reinstated that until now no aid was allowed into Dammaj.

She said that she is aware of the aid convoy sent by locals and hoped that it will be allowed in. However she declined to mention who is blocking the aid from reaching the besieged people. Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat has tried to speak to the representative of the Red Cross in Saada but he declined to comment which indicated that he could be facing threats if he speaks up.

According to mareb press, the Houthis have prevented people from going to preform hajj. They have also prevented sick people from getting treatment. Up to 200 children are at risk of dying due to the lack of food, water and medical supplies. The Houthis have blocked an aid convoy from reaching Dammaj claiming that it contains weapons, even though the carries offered for the caravans to be searched but the Houthis refused that.

Local news agencies have reported a saying that is circulating between those who are watching closely the activities of the Houthis. It is goes like this “the sacred emblem of the Houthis is death to America, death to Israel, may the Jews be cursed, and victory is for Islam. But the only thing we so far see from them is death to Saada, death to Al-Jawf (an area near Saada), may Dammaj be cursed and victory for the Houthi.”

Sources say the siege started more than a month ago. And those who speak from inside the camp and near by area are talking about draconian treatment and atrocities committed by the Houthi rebels who prevented an aid convey that was collected from other areas in Yemen to enter the camp.

Sources from Yemen are also saying that Houthis have prevented wounded and sick people from being taken to hospitals.

Over the past few days, the Houthi rebels have carried out attacks on the camp using heavy gun machine, artillery and snipers.

It is believed that a woman was shot dead by the Houthi snipers, and three men were injured.

The Houthis, who belong to an extreme Shia sect, have been waging attacks and provoking war inside Yemen since 2004. People inside Yemen believe that Houthis are being armed and backed by the regime in Iran. The Houthis are seen to be taking advantage of the worsening conditions in Yemen to expand territories under their control.

Darul-Hadeeth in Dammaj is an institution of Islamic education that was established a more than a decade ago and it hosts students from around the world.

It follows Sunni Islam and speaks vociferously against extremism carried out by the likes of Al-Qaa’idah.

Sympathizers say Media in Arab world is turning a blind eye to what is happening in Dammaj because of their neutral stance towards the revolution against the president Ali Abdullah Saalih.

And because of this indifference reaction of the Media in Arab world, the only voice out of Dammaj is the forums and the phone calls made by sympathizers outside including well known scholars such as Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Abbad, Sheikh Rabee bin Hadee and Sheikh Saleem alhilaalee.

Al-Nashiri, who wore a loose, white prison-issue T-shirt and headphones to hear Arabic translations, was read the charges in connection with his role in the bombing of the US Navy vessel docked off the coast of Yemen.

Seventeen US sailors were killed and 40 more were wounded in the attack, which blew a massive hole in the side of the ship. His arraignment marked the resumption of the hotly debated military tribunal process, as ordered by US President Barack Obama after a hiatus in which the White House failed to bring the trials into US civilian courts as promised.

Al-Nashiri’s case is the first Guantanamo tribunal in which the accused could face the death penalty. His lead defence counsel, Richard Kammen, sought to determine if the judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, favoured the death penalty. But Pohl declined to answer. Al-Nashiri’s arraignment opens the door for upcoming tribunals of such high-level suspects as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed orchestrator of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

During the four-hour court session, defence and prosecution lawyers sparred over alleged violations of attorney-client privilege by military officials, who Kammen charged had seized Nashiri’s legal papers from his cell.

A trial date of November 9, 2012, was set by the court, in response to Kammen’s request for adequate time to prepare. The short-haired defendant, sporting a five-o-clock shadow beard and thin mustache, responded with polite smiles when spoken to by Judge Pohl. Told that he was free to wear civilian clothing, al-Nashiri said he preferred the detainee uniform.

Also in court, sitting behind a glass enclosure, were at least seven or eight members of the victims’ families, including John Clodfelter of Mechanicsville, Virginia, who told reporters afterwards that his 21-year-old son, Kenneth, had been “massively” torn up by the bombing. Clodfelter was dismayed by al-Nashiri’s demeanour in court, saying he “seemed cocky to me” and noting that there was more concern in the courtroom over the defendant’s rights than the rights of the victims.

Commander Andrea Lockhart, a member of the prosecution team, read the charges, which included conspiracy to commit terrorism, attacking civilians and violating the law of war. After his capture, al-Nashiri was subjected to a number of waterboardings, according to documents released in 2009. In 2007, the defendant said he confessed to the Cole attack as a result.

“This is a big part of the case, what happened to Mr Nashiri and how he was treated will certainly be a big part of any penalty phase, should we get to a penalty phase,” Kammen told reporters. Kammen, a private lawyer, told the judge that he was concerned that his client would not receive a fair trial. Another member of the defence team, military lawyer Colonel Stephen Reyes, complained that officials had seized privileged attorney-client communication documents.

Judge Pohl grilled a member of the Joint Task Force command that runs Guantanamo for details about the seizure. The official said he had been ordered to conduct the inspection. Kammen had complained to reporters that just two days before the arraignment, 200 pages of new courtroom regulations had been published and that as of Tuesday, his team had not yet seen them. His team had also not seen evidence against the defendant – material that the prosecution is obliged to share with defence attorneys. But military prosecutors defended the need for secrecy. Chief prosecutor Army Brigadier General Mark Martins told reporters the country’s secrets “are not an open book,” but insisted the accused “will be well represented.”

National security requires a balance, he said. While democracy requires certain information to be public, there are “items that cannot be publicly disclosed for the sake of security,” he said. Civil liberty advocates have argued that the rules are unfairly stacked against the accused in a military tribunal, and have pushed for civilian trials in the US, which grant suspects the right to hear charges and be tried within a reasonable time. Obama also wanted to pursue civilian trials, but met a roadblock in Congress and in New York City, where some of the trials were to have been held.

Fewer than 200 prisoners remain at Guantanamo, down from a high of nearly 800 in the years after it opened in 2002. Many like al-Nashiri have been held for nearly a decade awaiting charges and trial. The Pentagon also alleges that al-Nashiri was behind an attempted attack on USS The Sullivans in the Port of Aden in January 2000 and the attack on the French civilian oil tanker MV Limburg in the Gulf of Aden in October 2002 that left one person dead.

By BARBARA FERGUSON | ARAB NEWS

WASHINGTON: Prince Turki Al-Faisal extolled Americans to follow the legacy of their US constitution and stand up for the rights of Palestinians.

“As it is Nepal’s turn to host the 18th SAARC summit, we will probably do it,” DPM Shrestha told The Himalayan Times. “We are discussing the subject.”

The organiser has to be determined by the end of the 17th SAARC Summit, which is slated from November 10 to 11 in Addu Atoll island of Maldives.

The SAARC Charter states that the Heads of State or Government shall meet once a year or more often as and when considered necessary by member states. However, the summit is being convened after a gap of one-and-half-year.

As per the Charter, Nepal has to organise the 18th summit by November 2012. But officials informed that Nepal would ask Maldives, the would-be-chair of the SAARC after organising the 17th Summit, for a three-month grace-period to host another summit.

Sources said, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai would specially request Maldives for the grace period, citing Nepal’s transition period, next week. PM Bhattarai is embarking for Maldives for the 17th Summit on November 8 with a small Nepali delegation.

A MoFA official said Nepal has decided to organise the next summit of the regional bloc, as Nepal has organised two summitsbefore. Since the inception of the forum, Nepal had organised the third and 11th SAARC summits in 1987 and 2002 respectively.