Human Rights Watch 19 September 2013 A surge of attacks on journalists since a new president took office in Yemen may overwhelm the recent progress toward freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. While the government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi has eased controls on the media as part of broader human rights reforms, it has neither denounced nor prosecuted harassment, threats and assaults by government and private actors against journalists, bloggers, and other critics. The 45-page report, “‘A Life-Threatening Career’: Attacks on Journalists under Yemen’s New Government,” finds that while Yemenis generally enjoy greater freedom Read the full article…

Freedom House 6 June 2013 The 33-year reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh ended in February 2012, and Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansur Hadi was chosen as his successor in uncontested presidential elections. A political transition agreement between Yemen’s government and the opposition set the stage for a National Dialogue Conference in early 2013 and for elections in 2014. Sectarian clashes between Shiite Houthi rebels, the Yemeni military, and Sunni Islamists continued in northern Yemen, while a separatist movement and militant Islamic groups vied for control in the south. Both terrorism and a counter-terrorism campaign marked by the use of Read the full article…

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) May 2013 The election of a new president and the formation of a new cabinet from the General People’s Congress and the opposition Joint Meeting Parties marked the beginning of Yemen’s political transition. While the deal helped quell the escalation of insecurity and economic difficulties, many people remained opposed to it. Multiple armed conflicts and situations of violence persisted, and strikes and protests led to violence and casualties. In the north, the Houthis continued to control Sa’ada province and parts of Al-Jawf, Amran and Hajja; tensions between them and Salafi supporters, including the Read the full article…

US Department of State 19 April 2013 Yemen is a republic with a constitution that provides for a president, a parliament, and an independent judiciary. Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was reelected to a seven-year term in a problem-filled 2006 election, was pressed to sign an agreement in November 2011 assigning effective power to his deputy, following nationwide protests, unrest, and violence. Saleh formally stepped down on February 21, when former vice president Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, running as the sole candidate, was elected president in a vote generally considered to be free and fair. This marked the first Read the full article…

Human Rights Watch 31 January 2013 The fragile transition government that succeeded President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012 following mass protests faces multiple challenges in ending human rights violations such as arbitrary detention, attacks on free speech and assembly, and child-soldier deployment. Fighting linked to the political upheaval decreased, but sectarian clashes continued in the north, and government forces fought with the Yemen branch of al Qaeda in the south. The country faces a growing humanitarian crisis, with nearly half the population lacking sufficient food. Saleh left office in February 2012, under an exit accord brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Read the full article…