... Blockade von Taiz: Eine lange Reise – USA sperren mit dem Iran verbundene Webseiten – Saudische Khashoggi-Mörder bekamen Training in den USA– und mehr
June 28, 2021: Deep divisions in Yemen raise doubts on achieving unity again –Capsizing off Yemen: Up to 300 killed – Houthi torture and crimes against women – Taiz blockade: A long journey – US takes down Iran-linked news sites – Saudi Khashoggi killers received training in US – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-748b-yemen-war-mosaic-748b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Schlacht um Marib / Theater of War: Marib battle
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
cp19 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B P)
Deep Divisions in Yemen Raise Doubts on Achieving Unity Again
Since then, Yemen has witnessed various conflicts, but none fractured the country in the way the current civil war has.
The Houthis now control most of the northern areas. In February, they launched an offensive to seize Marib—the government’s last major northern stronghold—though they have failed to capture it and the stalemate over Marib continues.
In turn, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which pursues a separatist agenda, controls Aden, Lahj, al-Dhale, and parts of western Abyan in the south. The STC, which was formed in 2017, also controls Yemen’s Socotra island in the Arabian Sea.
The Islah Party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood’s branch in Yemen, maintains strong support in tribal areas across the country. In Taiz, which is Yemen’s third-largest city and the capital of its largest governorate of the same name, it is Islah that dominates politics.
Meanwhile, Tariq Saleh – former President Saleh’s nephew – established in 2018 the National Resistance Forces (NRF), which are backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. According to the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Tariq “consolidated his power in the areas under his control, which stretch from the Bab al-Mandab Strait to the southern perimeter of Hudaydah city.”
In al-Mahra, there is a Saudi-Omani rivalry. “Saudi Arabia has built up its military presence on the Omani border, establishing at least two dozen bases over the past three years and recruiting locals for paramilitary groups,” writes Gregory D. Johnsen. “Oman, which sees al-Mahra as within its sphere of influence, has grown increasingly concerned with the Saudi military presence on its border and is working to undermine it.”
There is also a rivalry between al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups in Yemen. Fighting occurs regularly in al-Bayda province between tribes who are aligned with either al-Qaeda or ISIS. It is known that the disputes between them supersede any peace agreements.
Incredibly, these are not the only active armed groups on the ground in Yemen. Indeed, there are more parties and factions complicating matters. In other words, Yemen is only united in name. In reality, it is utterly divided. Although there are various parties fighting against the Houthis, apart from the common goal of defeating the militia, they appear to have conflicting agendas.
Under these circumstances, it is almost impossible for Yemen to be a united country again any time soon. The warring parties, who control different areas, have the capability of spoiling any peace effort that does not meet their interests. Unity is unlikely to be one of their aims, simply because it would mean their influence would shrink, should the Yemeni state retain control over the country’s territory.
In short, the situation in Yemen has become a patchwork of rival zones mired in endless conflicts. Understanding these clashes is essential for finding a solution to the current crisis.
For the warring parties, Yemen’s future does not seem to be the priority. Instead, and unsurprisingly, it is their own interests that appear to drive their actions. Furthermore, there are regional countries that have an influence in Yemen and they too are unlikely to support the idea of a united Yemen if that means losing their influence. Thus, while peace could still occur in Yemen, the fractured country has a long way to go to be united again, if ever – by Abdulaziz Kilani
https://insidearabia.com/deep-divisions-in-yemen-raise-doubts-on-achieving-unity-again/
(** A H)
Death toll from recent capsizing off Yemen may have been 300-U.N. official
A U.N. official said on Thursday as many as 300 migrants may have died in a recent capsizing of a boat off Yemen's coast.
United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator David Gressly gave no details but appeared to be referring to an incident in which bodies washed up at Ras al-Arah on Yemen’s Red Sea coast this month after a migrant boat sank offshore.
The incident was reported on Twitter on June 14 by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
Gressly's comments highlighted the risks of a longstanding migration route from the Horn of Africa to the rich Gulf states in search of work.
"We know that there was a ship bringing migrants that capsized, perhaps 200 or 300 people may have perished, we don't know the number," he said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/300-migrants-may-have-died-recent-capsizing-ship-off-yemen-coast-un-2021-06-24/ = https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-06-24/300-migrants-may-have-died-in-recent-capsizing-of-ship-off-yemen-coast-un
(** B P)
Houthi crimes against women
As Yemen enters the seventh year of the war, the Houthis continue their heavy-handed repression of dissent among the population under their control. From their center in Sana’a, the Houthis have deployed a complex network of security forces, irregular militias and supervisors (mushrefeen) who serve as shadow authorities within all state institutions down to neighborhood ‘Aqil. These men and women serve not only as the leaders of armed forces across Houthi-held territory, but also as the face of Ansar Allah, the strong-arm prosecuting dissent, often reaching far into the virtual world of social media. Their persecution of men, women and children is not only to maintain order in a highly unstable environment, but also it is a tactic to extract economic gains, from a grand strategy to monopolize the private sector to simple extorsion.
Civil Society organizations (CSOs) and international non-governmental organizations (iNGOs) estimate Houthi rebels hold thousands of men, women and children in prisons and black sites across northern territories under their control. Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) quoted estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at near 6,000 (African) migrants under detention across Yemen, many by Houthis and smugglers. Human Rights activist Noura al-Jarwi estimates that between December 2017 (coinciding with the execution of Ali Abdullah Saleh and downfall of GPC) and December 2020, the Houthis detained around 1,100 women. Nabil Fadel, head of the Yemeni Network for Combating Human Trafficking, told us Houthi militia detain individuals with no regard for the rule of law as a censorship tactic, often charging men and women as spies. Arrests at home, check points, public streets, kidnappings, and forced disappearances are a common practice by Houthi security forces, militias and supervisors, with individuals detained in villas used as secret private prisons, central prisons or jails operated by the Political Security (PSO) or National Security Bureau (NSB), both now merged under the Department of Security and Intelligence headed by Gen. Abd al-Hakim Hashem al-Khaywani. In January 2021 UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen added the tactic of hostage taking by Houthis “as leverage for future prisoner exchanges” under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen.
Currently, there are several high-profile cases of individuals detained or tortured to death while detained by the Houthis. The death of judge Abdo Ali Thabet al-Hajry from al-Dhale is the latest example of a detainee tortured to death. His family received his body without any explanation. Another case in May involved the arrest of Mustafa al-Mawmari, a YouTuber arrested following his comments over corruption. The case attracting most attention this year involves a young female model, Entessar Hammadi, reportedly arrested in February under chargers of modeling…and prostitution. Her case grabbed international attention in April when Houthi rivals spread an online campaign to highlight her detention and international organizations like Amnesty International pleaded for her release.
As rumors surfaced this month of a new round of prisoner exchange between Houthis and al-Islah party, also involving Saudi soldiers, new concerns rise among observers over negotiations and final lists. This latest round seems to be outside the process observed by the Office of the UN Special Envoy, a potential repeat of exchanges between Houthis, Islah and southern elements. What was labeled as the ‘largest prisoner swap’ under UN mediation in October 2020 was later used to highlight Houthi tactics and the failure by international organizations to deal with deception tactics.
There is a need to briefly address the complex network deployed by Houthi leaders, developed over the six years of war, and how security officials, militia and supervisors use detentions to deter dissent, monopolize sectors of the economy and extort financial gains to sustain patronage networks, often involving more criminal elements. Nine cases of women detained and tortured by Houthi elements will shed light on persecution, tactics, permanent physical injuries caused by various torture methods and the failure by international organizations and western governments to deter Houthi crimes.
Dissent and economic capture
There are three main reasons behind arrests by Houthis, none are random. Economic capture and deterring opposition are primary reasons for this practice, while extorsion serves as a tool to sustain patronage networks. Detentions and torture are not used to merely deter dissent, or extract information but are often used in order to capture economic resources, property or an existing business of interest to Houthi leaders or their client.[1] Houthis utilized this tactic at start of the war in late March 2015 but have expanded their efforts since the killing of Saleh in 2017.
A number of Yemeni organizations and the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen have extensively documented the capture of private businesses, including banks, by Houthis throughout the war.
Women as targets
While Houthis often promote images of large demonstrations in Sana’a and elsewhere, authorities have cracked down on protest by civilians since December 2017. Protests by women have been a target since Houthis consolidated their control in Sana’a, from pro-GPC gatherings, to celebrations of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s birthday, price hikes or detentions, Houthis have made it clear no dissent, or talk of dissent, is allowed.
The specific targeting of women by Houthis peaked when al-Zainabyyat units were created. Some Houthi opponents claim the armed unit “resembles the Hesba women’s groups formed by ISIS”, and described it as “a kind of intelligence apparatus, which responsibilities include searching women and homes, teaching women the Houthi believes, as well as maintaining security and order in women’s prisons.” On the surface, some would claim creating al-Zainabyyat aimed at observing Yemeni custom when dealing with women opponents. Yet, accounts of harassment, arrests and treatment of over one thousand women in jails and detentions centers, including interrogations, torture and rape as described by a number of former detainees clearly illustrate the complete disregard for custom, sharaf (honor) of women. As we see from the following interviews of former prisoners, tactics used by Houthis are employed not merely to extract information, punish detainees but also to permanently shame the women before their families and society as a whole. Many “detainees have faced social rejection after their release, and some were killed by their families”.
A couple of former prisoners have recently surfaced on social media outlets from their new place of residence to tell their stories – By Kholoud al-Halaly and Fernando Carvajal
https://gulfstateanalytics.com/houthi-crimes-against-women/
(** B K P)
“How war lengthened the distance between our journeys”
The 10-km distance has turned into 62-km
Traveling from Taiz to Sana’a requires prior coordination, especially since you live in the center of a besieged city except from its southwest direction.
In the beginning, it is necessary to communicate with more than one taxi driver, or what is called in Taiz (Tabbal), to check the possibility of exiting the city, especially since it is no longer as easy as it was before the war. The distance from Taiz city to Al-Hawban used to take 10 to 15 minutes at the most. Nowadays, it takes a whole day time for the drivers to go there, after which they need to take a break before they head for another city on the next day or drive 62 Km back to Taiz city on the same day.
Accordingly, you should make your communications with the driver, as soon as you are notified of the need to travel, so as to know when they are going to Al-Hawban, and whether he is going to Sana’a after that, or he will just stay in Al-Hawban area.
At 06:00 am, the bus headed south, instead of heading north in normal times, namely, towards Wadi Al-Dhabab and Najd Qaseem. Its first stop for breakfast took a quarter of an hour. Then, it moved up the difficult rugged road of Al-Aqrodh area.
Al-Aqrodh road is a rugged, mountainous and dirt road. It is about 35 kilometers away from Taiz city. People are forced to use this road by their vehicles as an alternative to enter to and exit from the city of Taiz that has been sieged by Ansar Allah group (Houthis), who blocked the main roads to the city, since early May 2015.
No one knows the suffering of travelers in Taiz, except for those who tried this narrow ascending twisting road that makes people sick and dusty, let alone the longtime stops on narrow rocky places, due to the narrowness of the road, waiting the oncoming vehicles pass.
The bus stopped every quarter to half an hour, due to the large trucks carrying basic food stuff to city. In a more tragic circumstance, a long line of vehicles stops for an hour or more, until some the drivers volunteer to organize their passage and clear the way in a long and complicated manner. Then comes the turn of the sun, which is near the middle of the sky. It is what everyone tried to avoid when they got up early, the scorching sun.
On the road, you will watch how heavy and loaded trucks pass through narrow and sloping areas, so much as that you may think that they will overturn on the vehicles next to them, or at least touch them.
This hardship is compounded by the proliferation of checkpoints, some of which belong to Ansar Allah group (Houthis) besieging the city, and others belong to the internationally recognized Yemeni government forces, as they have shared the road equally between them.
Despite the hostility that separates the two parties, they have some practices in common, such as the financial extortion of passers-by. In addition, there are also villagers who considered the passage of travelers through their mountainous villages as an opportunity to gain money through begging in a different way, as they pretend to repair some potholes and dirt speed bumps, in return for an expected financial return.
Children with prominent features and remarkable beauty, however, life is too cruel to let a person maintain their beauty and brilliance, to become a kind of pallor, which gives them supposed years beyond the few that surprised them.
Finally, you reach the asphalt road at about 11:00 a.m., at the best. You start to catch your breath, adjust your seat, and modify your appearance that has been messed with by a ruthless road – by Manal Alkadasi
https://mwatana.org/en/distance-between-our-journeys/
(** A P)
USA setzen iranische Webseiten außer Betrieb
Inmitten von erhöhten Spannungen sind die USA gegen iranische Medien vorgegangen. Betroffen von der Beschlagnahmewelle ist auch die Nachrichtenwebseite "Palestine Today", die den Standpunkt der militanten Hamas im Gazastreifen wiedergibt.
Die USA haben mehrere Domainnamen von Webseiten beschlagnahmt, die dem Iran nahestehen. Es seien etwa drei Dutzend Websites außer Betrieb gesetzt worden, verlautete aus US-Behördenkreisen. Die Mehrheit davon stehe mit iranischen Versuchen in Verbindung, Falschinformationen zu verbreiten.
Die iranische staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Irna meldete, dass die US-Regierung die Seiten unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht habe. Als Webseiten des englischsprachigen Senders des iranischen Staatsfernsehens, Press TV, des arabischsprachigen Kanals des Staatsfernsehens, Al-Alam, und des Satellitennachrichtensenders der jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen, die vom Iran unterstützt werden, am Dienstag aufgerufen wurden, gab es einen Beschlagnahmungshinweis. Darin stand, die Seiten seien «im Rahmen eines Vorgehens» des Amts für Industrie und Sicherheit, des Amts für Export-Kontrolle und der Bundespolizei FBI außer Betrieb genommen worden.
Betroffen waren mehrheitlich offenbar die Domainnamen .net, .com und .tv. Das Kürzel .tv gehört dem Pazifikstaat Tuvalu, wird aber von dem US-Unternehmen Verisign verwaltet. Die Webseite von Press TV mit Sitz im Iran, PressTV.ir, war nicht betroffen.
Teheran warnt vor Konsequenzen
Der Iran verurteilte die Sperrung der Websites und warnte vor negativen Auswirkungen auf die Atomverhandlungen.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/usa-iran-webseiten-101.html
und
(** A P)
USA blockieren 33 staatliche iranische Medienwebsites
Weil sie gegen US-Sanktionen verstoßen, legte die Regierung in Washington zahlreiche iranische Nachrichtenportale still. Auch Seiten im Irak und im Jemen sind betroffen.
Das US-Justizministerium hat 33 Websites iranischer Staatsmedien blockiert. Auch drei Websites von Kataeb Hisbollah, einer der führenden schiitischen paramilitärischen Gruppen im Irak, seien gesperrt worden, teilte das Ministerium am Mittwoch mit. Die Websites wurden demnach bei Domains in US-Besitz angemeldet, damit sieht das Ministerium US-Sanktionen verletzt. Nach ersten Berichten am Dienstag hatte eine Bestätigung noch ausgestanden.
Alle 33 Websites gehören zur Iranischen Islamischen Radio- und Fernsehunion (IRTVU), die wiederum von den Quds-Brigaden der Islamischen Revolutionsgarden (IRGC) kontrolliert werden. Sowohl IRTVU als auch IRGC wurden von den USA auf eine Sanktionsliste gesetzt, weshalb US-Bürger und US-Unternehmen sowie ausländische Firmen mit US-Filialen keine Geschäfte mit ihnen machen dürfen.
Irib warf der US-Regierung vor, die Meinungsfreiheit zu unterdrücken. Washington schließe sich mit Israel und Saudi-Arabien zusammen, »um Pro-Widerstands-Medien zu blockieren, die die Verbrechen der US-Verbündeten in der Region aufdecken«. Die Verantwortlichen von Press-TV sprachen auf Twitter von einer »offensichtlich koordinierten Aktion«.
Im Jemen wurde der Sender Al-Masirah der Huthi-Rebellen blockiert. Der Sender verurteilte auf der Website des politischen Flügels der Huthi den »Akt der Piraterie und die Beschlagnahme von Urheberrechten« durch die USA, die »ohne Rechtfertigung und ohne Warnung« erfolgt seien. Al-Masirah hat bereits eine neue Website erstellt, die am Dienstagabend erreichbar war.
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/usa-blockieren-33-staatliche-iranische-medien-websites-a-b28d9c4c-cd96-4dd3-84ea-54889150071e#ref=rss = https://www.fr.de/politik/usa-iran-teheran-washington-joe-biden-medien-internet-staatsmedien-sanktionen-90820581.html?cmp=defrss
Mein Kommentar: Eine neue Stufe der Internetzensur – jetzt nicht mehr nur in den sozialen Medien, sondern unliebsame Webseiten werden komplett abgeschaltet.
(** A P)
US takes down Iran-linked news sites, alleges disinformation
American authorities seized a range of Iran’s state-linked news website domains they accused of spreading disinformation, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
The Justice Department said 33 of the seized websites were used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union, which was singled out by the U.S. government last October for what officials described as efforts to spread disinformation and sow discord among American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The U.S. says three other seized websites were operated by Kata’ib Hizballah, which more than a decade ago was designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The website domains are owned by U.S. companies, but despite the sanctions, neither the IRTVU nor KH obtained the required licenses from the U.S. government before using the domain names, according to the Justice Department.
On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state television’s English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TV’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal takedown notice. It said the websites were seized “as part of law enforcement action” by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The U.S. government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.
Press TV, launched in June 2007, is the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s English-language service. Its Iran-based website, PressTV.ir, was not affected.
Most of the domains seized appeared to be “.net,” “.com” and “.tv” domains. The first two are generic top-level domains as opposed to country-specific domains, while “.tv” is owned by the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu but administered by the U.S. company Verisign. Seizing a domain on a major country-specific top-level domain such as Iran’s “.ir” would be apt to produce widespread international condemnation as a violation of sovereignty.
It’s not the first time that the U.S. has seized domain names of sites it accuses of spreading disinformation.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-03e651ff86918c871d9e1baaa5e30e37
My comment: A new “progress” in internet censorship.
and
(** A P)
US seizes Iranian news sites, incl. Houthi channel
American authorities took down a range of Iran's state-linked news websites under unclear circumstances on Tuesday, the U.S. and Iran said, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
The U.S. seized roughly three dozen websites, the majority of which are linked to Iranian disinformation efforts, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case had not yet been officially announced by the American government.
Iranian state-run news agency IRNA announced the U.S. government seizures of the websites, without providing further information.
On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state television's English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TV's Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal notice. It said the websites were seized "as part of law enforcement action" by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Yemen's Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Masirah satellite news channel went offline without prior notice.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33196
and
(** A P)
US government ‘SEIZES’ website of Iran’s Press TV, multiple other media outlets
The seizure notice by the US Department of Justice also invokes a law governing presidential authority in dealing with “unusual and extraordinary threat; declaration of national emergency,” which includes the Iran Nonproliferation Amendments Act of 2005 and the ironically named Iran Freedom Support Act of 2006.
Al-Masirah is not owned by Iran, but by Ansarullah – the movement of the Houthis in Yemen, a faction the US has accused of being “proxies” of Iran on account of them being Shia Muslims and resisting the invasion of Yemen by Saudi Arabia since 2015. The TV channel is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon.
Neither the US nor the Iranian authorities have commented on the seizures just yet. Meanwhile, the NGO Yemen Solidarity Council (YSC) condemned “the deliberate silencing of the Yemeni voice by the American regime.”
In a statement released through the YSC, Al Masirah said it was “not surprised” by the apparent seizure, as it “comes from those that have supervised the most heinous crimes against our people.”
The“ban” on the website “reveals, once again, the falsehood of the slogans of freedom of expression and all the other headlines promoted by the United States of America, including its inability to confront the truth,” the outlet said.
Several other Shia Muslim media outlets, in places as far as Azerbaijan and Nigeria, also displayed the seizure notice on Tuesday, prompting observers to speculate the crackdown could be an attack on Shia sites, “both religious and political.”
In the absence of any official word, there has been speculation that the domains may have been hacked instead. Furthermore, the seizures appear to have affected only the .com and .net domains that are under US jurisdiction. PressTV remains available at the .ir domain.
https://www.rt.com/news/527292-us-seizes-iran-presstv-websites/
and
(** A P)
US seizes Iranian, pro-Hamas news websites in major crackdown
Press TV, Al-Alam and Palestine Today among those taken down; Iranian broadcaster accuses US of working with Israel and Saudi Arabia ‘to block pro-resistance media’
On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state television’s English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TV’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal notice. It said the websites were seized “as part of law enforcement action” by the US Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The US government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the view points of Gaza-based terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Masirah satellite news channel went offline without prior notice. It said the channel would continue in its mission of “confronting the American and Israeli acts of piracy against our nation, by any means.”
Press TV, launched in June 2007, is the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s English-language service. There are no private television or radio stations in Iran. Satellite dishes, while widespread, also are illegal. That leaves IRIB with a monopoly on domestic airwaves.
IRIB accused the United States of repressing freedom of expression and of joining forces with Israel and Saudi Arabia “to block pro-resistance media outlets exposing the crimes of US allies in the region.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-says-government-news-sites-seized-by-us/
and also https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/22/politics/us-seizes-iran-website-domains/index.html
and
(** A P)
Haphazard US crackdown on websites included Iranian dissidents
Last week’s DOJ dragnet included Shiite religious websites, even ones at odds with Tehran’s regime.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice seized and censored 33 websites as part of a retaliatory action on the grounds that they violate U.S. sanctions on Iran. Some of the websites belonged to Iranian propaganda networks. Others were Shiite Muslim religious outlets that appeared to have nothing to do with — or were even at odds with — the Iranian regime.
One of the websites, a London-based Bahraini diaspora network, had been a refuge for exiles fleeing repression.
“We’ve seen this for years, where well-meaning efforts to address disinformation campaigns or terrorist propaganda have these serious human rights impacts, because they capture too much,” said David Greene, civil liberties director and senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a technological civil rights organization.
The crackdown is a test case for American control over the internet, as the U.S. government flexed its muscles over the information sphere in a way few states could. The choice of targets also raises questions about whether there are enough guardrails over this newfound power — and whether U.S. officials can separate their political struggle with the Islamic Republic of Iran from an ideological struggle against Shia Islam.
“At the same time the Saudis are trying to claim the Sunni beliefs and religion in their name, Iran is trying to do the same thing with Shia beliefs,” said Mustafa Akhwand, director of the Washington-based organization Shia Rights Watch, who said he has been in touch with the U.S. government about issues relating to adherents of the Islamic sect. “I have told the administration many times, you are not doing a favor for yourselves. … Shia are trying to disaffiliate themselves from Iran, and you are doing everything you can to tell the Iranians, ‘These are yours.’”
Critics of the moves worried that a lack of transparency around the website seizures cloaked cases of mistaken identity and other errors. In the case of one of the Shirazi movement’s channels, Al Anwar TV, Akhwand believes that the U.S. government may have been trying to close al-Anwar 2, a pro-Iranian station that was set up to compete with the Shirazi-aligned network. Al-Anwar 2’s website is still online.
“Making a mistake like that is showing that the administration — or whoever put [al-Anwar] in — did not do their homework at all,” Akhwand said.
Advocates for free speech and democracy in the region also said the seizures of media websites raised thorny issues about freedom of speech in the U.S. and could set dangerous precedents for governments abroad.
“The people who are in this country” — the U.S. — “who want to receive information from them, their willing readers, do have rights to receive that information,” according to Greene. He adds that his “greatest concern” is the impact the decision will have on civil liberties in other countries.
“What the U.S. does with respect to freedom of speech has implications around the world, because we hold ourselves out — mostly rightfully so — as the gold standard for freedom of speech,” Greene said. “What this tells other governments, both democratic governments and nondemocratic governments — the message it sends to them about how they can shut down, censor, seize foreign news services is really concerning.”
Former Iranian journalist Omid Memarian agrees.
“Iran is one of the most repressive countries when it comes to freedom of speech, and has a long history of banning papers, and jamming satellite channels,” said Memarian, now communications director for the advocacy group Democracy in the Arab World Now. “But for the U.S. to use the same tactics to deal with its enemies, it strengthens hardliners’ propaganda narrative that the U.S. uses values like freedom of speech for political purposes.”
“Shiaphobia”
The Justice Department claims that the censored Shiite websites were “operated by” Iran’s state-run Islamic Radio and Television Union, like many “components of the government of Iran … disguised as news organizations or media outlets.”
The Islamic Radio and Television Union does list the media websites as members. But it’s not clear what membership entails, other than a willingness to apply and an agreement to post only Islamically acceptable content. One of the censored stations, in a statement to Responsible Statecraft and The Intercept, denied it had any affiliation with the union.
Some of the censored sites, like PressTV and al-Alam, are state-run media. Others, though, are a far cry from Iranian propaganda.
Several of the censored sites are part of religious movements at odds with the Iranian government —longstanding and public confessional rifts in Shia Islam over the role of religious authority in civil government. While revolutionary clerics in Iran created a theocratic republic, many other eminent Shiite jurists — some of whom had sites affiliated with their movements seized — follow a more traditional path of “quietism,” or a belief that clerics should not hold direct political power.
Minimum Accountability
Tuesday’s crackdown was not the first time the U.S. government has censored foreign content online. Many registries for .com and .org domain names are based on American soil, so the Department of Justice has long insisted that it could seize foreign websites from domain registries if they violate U.S. law. In the case of the alleged Iranian propaganda channels, the U.S. claims the domain registries are violating U.S. sanctions.
U.S. dragnets against Iran have also previously swept up more than their intended targets. U.S. sanctions have long forced Iranians and even Iranian Americans off of popular online services, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Tuesday’s mass website seizure came at the tail end of the Trump administration’s campaign to drive pro-Iranian content off the internet, part of the “maximum pressure” campaign organized by right-wing, anti-Iran forces in the administration.
American think tanks may have helped push the U.S. government into making the decision. U.S. authorities often rely on “open source reporting” from journalists and academics to make decisions on sanctions, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The sanctions against the Islamic Radio and Television Union were used to justify Tuesday’s censorship decision. Because the Iranian broadcasters’ union is now under U.S. sanctions, the Department of Justice claimed, it would not be allowed to purchase American domain names without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces sanctions and issues exemptions – by Matthew Petti
and similar https://theintercept.com/2021/06/26/us-iran-censor-websites-evidence/
and
(A P)
The #US seized the website of a #Shia #Muslim religious station that is in decades-long conflict with the #Iranian state. #AlAnwar belongs to the Shirazi school which is at odds with Iranian regime. This is #AntiShiaism
AlAnwar is purely a religious station & has no political programming. It was started by a man who spent time in #Iranian prison & suffered torture.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1407460194947416067
(A P)
Al Masirah condemns US government's ban on its Net website
Al-Masirah Network has condemned the US government's ban on al Masirah.net website without any justification or even prior notice.
In a statement, Al-Masirah Network said "As usual in the practice of piracy, the US government, represented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ministry of Commerce, has blocked "Al-Masirah Net" website without any justification or even prior notice."
The statement stressed that Al-Masirah is continuing to fulfill its message and to confront American and Israeli piracy by all available means.
It pointed out that the US ban on the "Al Masirah Net" website and other friendly websites once again reveals the falsehood of the slogans of freedom of expression and all other headlines promoted by America, and its inability to confront the truth of the word.
Al Masirah Network called on followers to open the new al-Masirah Net website at the address: https://www.almasirah.com
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145033.htm
and
(A P)
Saba condemns US government's ban on al-Masirah site
Yemen's Saba news agency condemned the US government's ban on the "al-Masirah net" website.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the agency affirmed its solidarity with the al-Masirah network and the sites of the axis of resistance, which was banned Tuesday, as part of America's attempts to silence the media against its criminal policy against the states and peoples of the region.
The statement considered the ban to be a flagrant violation of freedom of opinion and expression, contrary to international conventions that guarantee freedom of the press and criminalized the targeting of media organizations in any way.
Saba noted that America's ban on these sites reveals the extent they affect countries of arrogance and hegemony and their inability to confront the sincerity of the word.
Saba called on press and media unions to condemn and reject this act of aggression, which reveals the falsity of the slogans of democracy and freedom of opinion and expression sung by America.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145035.htm
and from Iran:
(** A P)
US censorship should concern all those who value free speech
As a democracy, the United States claims to value freedom of speech. This is definitely true. Just so long as you publicly agree with all of its policies, both domestic and foreign.
If you fail to adhere to the White House’s basic rule regarding freedom of speech you face censorship. Which, not for the first time, is exactly what has happened regarding the recent targeting of Press TV, which saw its website domain seized, without warning along with other Iranian regional networks.
In recent months, Press TV has also had its YouTube platform frozen, reflecting the fact that US owned corporations that make a big song and dance about valuing global freedom of speech and diversity of opinion, are really very much under the thumb and control of the United States, and will do exactly what they are demanded of, by the government.
And what’s telling, is that virtually no reason, or credible explanation as to why such acts of censorship take place has been offered. It would be one thing if outlet’s like Press TV were continuing to violate community guidelines regarding social media, or were breaking some kind of laws with the use of their website domains. But the fact that no real justification is given, is of course because guidelines and laws are not being broken, and quite simply the US government is deciding who has freedom of speech and who doesn’t, on the internet, making themselves the arbitrators of criticism and accountability.
Press TV is not the only outlet to have been hit by the US grip of censorship, as other countries which have also criticized the narrative and political actions on the US, such as Venezuela have also found themselves silenced on social media platforms in a quite blatant attempt to muzzle those voices asking questions and disagreeing with Washington’s stance on a number of issues.
But the attempts to shut down alternative voices also tell us that actually, more and more people are at odds with the policies of the United States and the justifications given for its actions, and that those voices are most certainly having an impact. Social media and the presence of non-mainstream media platforms has challenged and broken the monopoly on the narrative presented by the likes of the US as never before. And this concerns the US government.
Recently, following a global tidal wave of support for the Palestinians, Palestinian voices also breaking through the lies and spin of the mainstream media and the governments they do the bidding for, also found themselves removed and silenced on platforms like Instagram and elsewhere.
The list goes on and on. If the US government had nothing to fear, it wouldn’t silence platforms critical of its policies. But of course, the world is changing, and fast, with growing economic powers around the world competing and challenging US hegemony, while at the same time the global means of communication and information sharing reflects the fact that the world is also becoming much smaller, and more interconnected than ever, fast.
Ultimately, the unjustified clamp down by the US government on platforms it doesn’t like should alarm journalists from all over the world, and anyone who says they consider free speech to be important. And the US government should also realize that moves like this, do not do its reputation any good at all. People see what’s happening and will find the means to find the information they seek, regardless of censorship.
and also from Iran:
(* A P)
Film: US seizes Press TV Website
The United States has abruptly seized the websites of Press TV and 33 outlets in total, belonging to Iran and its allies, in an outrageous attack against the foreign press. US President Joe Biden used emergency powers and sanctions imposed by Trump against Iran, to seize the .com domains of 33 foreign news sites.
What do these sites all have in common? They are Muslim, Arabic, Persian and form part of the Axis of Resistance. They go against the US narrative, hence why they were targeted. This brazen act of piracy and authoritarianism constitutes one of the most serious affronts on journalists and foreign media in recent times.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/06/28/661026/US-Seizes-Press-TV-Website
(** B P)
Saudi operatives who killed Khashoggi received paramilitary training in US
Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the United States the previous year under a contract approved by the State Department, according to documents and people familiar with the arrangement.
The instruction occurred as the secret unit responsible for Khashoggi’s killing was beginning an extensive campaign of kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, to crush dissent inside the kingdom.
The training was provided by the Arkansas-based security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. The company says the training — including “safe marksmanship” and “countering an attack” — was defensive in nature and devised to better protect Saudi leaders. One person familiar with the training said it also included work in surveillance and close-quarters battle.
There is no evidence that the American officials who approved the training or Tier 1 Group executives knew that the Saudis were involved in the crackdown inside Saudi Arabia. But the fact that the government approved high-level military training for operatives who went on to carry out the grisly killing of a journalist shows how intensely intertwined the United States has become with an autocratic nation even as its agents carried out horrific human rights abuses.
It also underscores the perils of military partnerships with repressive governments and demonstrates how little oversight exists for those forces after they return home.
Such issues are likely to continue as US private military contractors increasingly look to foreign clients to shore up their business as the United States scales back overseas deployments after two decades of war.
The State Department initially granted a license for the paramilitary training of the Saudi Royal Guard to Tier 1 Group starting in 2014, during the Obama administration. The training continued during at least the first year of former President Donald Trump’s term.
Louis Bremer, a senior executive of Cerberus, Tier 1 Group’s parent company, confirmed his company’s role in the training last year in written answers to questions from lawmakers as part of his nomination for a top Pentagon job during the Trump administration.
The administration does not appear to have sent the document to Congress before withdrawing Bremer’s nomination; lawmakers never received answers to their questions.
In the document, which Bremer provided to The New York Times, he said that four members of the Khashoggi kill team had received Tier 1 Group training in 2017, and two of them had participated in a previous iteration of the training, which went from October 2014 until January 2015 – by Mark Mazzetti, Julian E Barnes and Michael LaForgia
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/us/politics/khashoggi-saudi-kill-team-us-training.html = https://bdnews24.com/world/middle-east/2021/06/23/saudi-operatives-who-killed-khashoggi-received-paramilitary-training-in-us
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
Two new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,908 in total
The committee also reported the recovery 6 coronavirus patients in Taiz (5) and Hadramout (1), in addition to the death of two patients in Hadramout and Lahj.
1,490 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33235
(A H)
One new case of COVID-19 reported in Aden
The committee also reported the recovery 14 coronavirus patients in Taiz and the death of one patient in Hadramout.
1,242 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33227
(A H)
No new cases of COVID-19 reported
The committee also reported in its statement the recovery ten coronavirus patients; Taiz (9) and Lahj (1), in addition to the death of one patient in Hadramout.
1530 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33221
(A H)
7 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,898 in total
The committee also reported the recovery five coronavirus patients and the death of one patient.
1,400 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33215
(A H)
6 new cases of COVID-19 reported, 6,898 in total
The committee also reported the recovery 10 coronavirus patients. No death has been recorded.
1,554 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33205
(A H)
3 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Aden, Hadramout
The committee also reported the recovery 22 coronavirus patients. No death has been recorded.
1,572 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus were carried out on the same day, the statement added.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33198
(B H)
Malaria and dengue in Hodeidah city, Yemen: High proportion of febrile outpatients with dengue or malaria, but low proportion co-infected
Background: The emergence of dengue in malaria-endemic countries with limited diagnostic resources, such as Yemen, can be problematic because presumptive treatment of febrile cases as being malaria is a common practice. Co-infections with dengue and malaria are often overlooked and misdiagnosed as being a mono-infection because of clinical similarities. In Hodeidah city, Yemen, the capacity to conduct the diagnosis can be aggravated by the war context.
Conclusions: Mono-infection with malaria or dengue can be detected among about one-third of febrile outpatients in Hodeidah, while almost 5.0% of cases can be co-infected. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics cannot easily distinguish malaria patients from dengue-infected or co-infected ones, reinforcing the necessity of laboratory confirmation and avoidance of treating febrile patients as being presumed malaria cases.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34170955/
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A J)
Daily Yemen War Map Updates
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-27-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-26-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-24-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-23-2021-map-update/
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-june-22-2021-map-update/
(* B P)
Prisoners tell stories of torture in Yemeni prisons
On eve of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, former prisoners recall torture and psychological costs in Yemen
Haitham al-Shehab, 30, a journalist who spent nearly 2,000 days in a Yemeni prison controlled by Houthi rebels, said he was frequently subjected to “beating with batons, showers with cold water, and electric shocks.”
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which is observed on Saturday, al-Shehab said that in addition to the daily dose of torture, he was also threatened to be held in a weapon dump, which was targeted frequently by Saudi-led coalition fighter planes.
“I was tortured, wherein my hands were tied behind my back and suspended by a rope attached to my wrists. My hands felt as if they were almost separated, they got swollen and very painful,” he said.
Abducted by Houthi rebels in June 2015, Shehab was among the other four journalists released under a prisoner exchange agreement in October 2020. The deal brokered by the UN between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi allowed the release of over 1000 prisoners.
Long periods of physical torture are aimed to destroys the prisoner's psychology and often result in death or malfunctioning of vital organs.
Narrating harrowing details of the Houthi-run prison, Shebab said that he was soon diagnosed with diabetes, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and joint inflammation inside the prison.
“Some prisoners were tortured to the point that they had to cut off one of their legs. Sick prisoners were intentionally subjected to wrong surgeries so the people in charge of the prisons kept performing the operations again and again,” he said.
Since the beginning of the Yemeni multi-sided civil war in late 2014, the Houthis have targeted journalists.
“For several times, I was hung to the ceiling of my cell. I was beaten with cables, and they used to burn a plastic water bottle and let its sizzling drops drip on my body,” said another Yemeni victim of torture, who preferred to stay anonymous for the safety of his family, who is residing in Aden, southern Yemen.
He was arrested in October 2016 by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and imprisoned in five prisons, including a prison located inside the house of a military commander in Aden, and the notorious Beir Ahmed prison. He was released in July 2018.
Beir Ahmed is an informal prison located in a military camp built and controlled by the UAE-backed STC forces since July 2015. According to local and international reports, prisoners at Beir Ahmed have been subjected to torture and sexual abuse.
“After 21 months in prison, I was acquitted and released, but I had to leave Yemen after I saw some released prisoners were arrested again without any charges,” he added.
The scars on his body and unstable psychological health tell the story and experience he went through in the prison.
“I intend to take legal measures against those who tortured me, and I am currently in Istanbul to meet with an international law firm, where I am going to make my statement next week,” he said.
Torture against women
Sonia al-Ghobash, 31, divorced, was detained and tortured because she had taken to the social media platforms to criticize the non-payment of salaries by the authorities in the Houthi-controlled areas.
“After my detention in March 2019, I was subjected to all forms of physical and psychological violence, such as electric shocks, kicking and slapping, flaying my skin and sticking nails in my belly and back, and forcefully removing the nails of my right foot,” she said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/prisoners-tell-stories-of-torture-in-yemeni-prisons/2285932
and
(* B P)
On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
Over more than seven years of war in Yemen, even though the warring parties represent multiple, different authorities, they share the same unlawful behaviors, including torturing detainees and subjecting them to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
In June 2020, Mwatana for Human Rights issued a report, “In the Darkness“, which sheds light on the incidents of arbitrary detention from May 2016 to April 2020, and the practices associated with, such as enforced disappearances, torture, and deaths in detention centers. The report shows the involvement of all parties to the conflict in these hideous behaviors.
Forms of Torture and other inhuman treatment
The report named unofficial detention sites, where people are subjected to various forms of torture and inhuman, cruel and degrading practices, including pulling out nails, severe beatings with sticks, wires, butts of weapon, kicking, electrocution, sexual humiliation, threats of rape, sleep deprivation, hanging from the ceiling, body cavities searches, forced and humiliating nudity, torture by burning with fire.
Also; Banning the use of toilets, using loudspeakers to make noise to prevent sleep, withholding food and water, burning with cigarette butts, denial of performing religious rituals, forcing them to prostrate to the flags of countries, hitting their limbs with hammers, forcing them to drink urine, and burning their genitals.
Since 2016, Mwatana has documented 344 cases of torture and 66 deaths in detention centers. The internationally recognized Yemeni government bears responsibility for 65 incidents of torture, and 14 deaths in detention centers, while Ansar Allah group (Houthis) bears responsibility for 138 incidents of torture, and 27 deaths in detention centers. And the UAE forces and UAE-aligned armed groups are responsible for 141 incidents of torture, and 25 deaths in detention centers.
https://mwatana.org/en/victims-of-torture/
Film: https://twitter.com/MwatanaEn/status/1408855078551785472
(* B H K P)
Yemen stalemate deepening its long-ignored human rights crisis
'A pandemic of impunity in a tortured land'
The latest peace talks in Oman have fallen apart, and for Yemenis, that means going back to square one. Escalations in Marib have worsened the dire humanitarian situation and the suffering of civilians in a conflict that has entered its sixth year.
All parties are hostile to human rights and “show no regard to international law or the lives, dignity and rights of the people of Yemen,” read a statement accompanying a 2020 report from a group of international and regional experts.
The war has plunged the already impoverished, closed nation into further chaos and lawlessness, making women, and young people more vulnerable to multiple forms of exploitation and abuse. The population lives in a climate of fear and insecurity because of shelling and repressive local authorities.
A pervasive culture of unaccountability perpetuates the cycle of impunity and violence.
The scale of violence is likely to be higher because of underreporting. Dissident and progressive voices are censored or, because of social pressure, self-censored.
The war has not only worsened daily life and exhausted coping mechanisms but has also put human rights on hold. The collapse of the economy and the repressive environment has caused the shutdown of local media and civil society organisations advocating for human rights.
As other conflicts have shown, there cannot be peace without justice. To bring an end to the conflict that has decimated the population, the UN experts urged the Human Rights Council to ensure that human rights in Yemen are high on the agenda. As Jendoubi stressed, “The international community has a responsibility to put an end to this pandemic of impunity, and should not turn a blind eye to the gross violations. After years of documenting the terrible toll of this war, no one can say, ‘We did not know what was happening in Yemen.’ Accountability is key to ensure that justice is served to the people of Yemen and to humanity.”
Military actions having failed. Ending a war entrenched in a complex regional geopolitical stalemate requires a new strategy that emphasizes diplomacy over arms, with human rights high on the agenda.
https://globalvoices.org/2021/06/25/yemen-stalemate-deepening-its-long-ignored-human-rights-crisis/
(B K P)
From our @QuincyInst panel on U.S. complicity in Yemen
@BrookingsInst's Bruce Riedel: "I don’t see any reason why US combat troops need to be in Saudi Arabia. If they’re protecting against Houthi missiles, they’re not doing a good job, nor are they balancing against Iran..."
Bruce Riedel: Saudi Arabia has been our partner for 75 yrs.. [Under MBS] the Saudis have been drunk driving, we should tell them it's time to pull over & change drivers"
@QuincyInst's @tparsi: "Perhaps the problem has been that we are driving drunk as well"
@MwatanaEn's @RAlmutawakel: "I'm not ready to say the Biden administration's approach has failed, this scares me... The Biden administration should condemn human rights abuses and international humanitarian and human rights law violations committed by all warring parties"
https://twitter.com/AnnelleSheline/status/1407746516006096901
(A P)
#Yemen: infighting within Southern Transitional Council after fresh clashes broke out on Wednesday in #Aden; infighting within Houthi group amid assassinations of leaders and accusations of government corruption in Sanaa; infighting within internationally recognised government.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1407792552640663556
(* B P)
Arabia has lost its cards in Yemen: analyst
“Saudi Arabia is looking for a way to exit from this war, which entered this year its seventh,” Talib al-Hassani tells the Tehran Times.
“Saudis have lost more cards facing more military and economic pressures, and this means that time is not going in their favor, but rather in the interest of Yemen,” al-Hassani adds.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: How do you see Saudi Arabia's position on Yemen after the Yemenis showed that they are able to respond to the Saudi aggression? Is Saudi Arabia in a position of strength?
A: Saudi Arabia is looking for a way to exit from this war, which entered this year its seventh.
Meanwhile, Saudis have lost more cards facing more military and economic pressures, and this means that time is not going in their favor, but rather in the interest of Yemen.
The decision to end this catastrophe will not be in hands of Saudis, as the war decision was. The United States of America is a major partner in decision-making, and therefore today they are partners in the search for safe exit from Yemen.
These partners in war after their failure have no card on the negotiating table, unless embargo, economic sanctions and further restrictions.
All the Saudi or American initiatives that have been put forward since Biden came to power are based on negotiating with Sana’a over two options:
lifting the siege in exchange for stopping targeting Saudi Arabia and freezing military operations inside Yemen, including the process of restoring the city of Marib in eastern Yemen, which is the last stronghold of the Saudi-led coalition in northern Yemen, or continuing embargo and more sanctions.
Sana'a has rejected this deal in whole and in detail and stipulated the lifting of the siege without expecting something in return, as well as the withdrawal of the Saudi and Emirati forces and all foreign forces from the south of the country.
Q: What will be the fate of the peace negotiations between Yemen and Saudi Arabia? Who are the mediators in peace talks?
A: Negotiations still have a long road to reach results. It was clear that the Omani delegation that went to the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, to meet with officials was expected more than what it could carry out, and therefore hopes were opened wide to reach an end to the war on Yemen, lifting the siege, and opening Sana’a International Airport, which has been closed since 2017.
There are many reasons for this reliance on the Omani role, the first of which is the positive position of the Sultanate of Oman and its great efforts in playing the role of mediator between the various regional and international parties, as well as its embrace of the Yemeni national negotiating team, as it has been leading this role for years.
Among these reasons is the Yemenis’ confidence in Omanis, and hence some observers confused the mission of the sultanate’s delegation with the chaos of political analysis and deductions based on wrong information.
Especially since it coincides with a great regional and international diplomatic move, from which it was understood that the final touches are being put in steps to stop the war that has been going on for six-and-a-quarter years.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/462313/S-Arabia-has-lost-its-cards-in-Yemen-analyst
My remark: From Iran.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A K P)
YPC: Aggression coalition seizes new oil ship
The spokesman explained that the ship "RAGGIANA", which carries 8,867 tons of gas, was held by the aggression coalition, though the ship had undergone inspection procedures and had obtained entry permits from the United Nations.
This brings the number of fuel ships held by the coalition at sea to four ships, Al-Mutawakel added.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145657.htm
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(B H)
Yemen Friends: Video von unserem Hilfsaktionsprojekt im Juni 2021 im Jemen
Im Juni 2021 konnte Yemen-Friends dank Eurer Spenden und mit Hilfe der Sonderspende und der Zusammenarbeit mit Canvas Bridge , NachdenkSeiten (Jakob Reimann)und Jacob Carstens Stiftung ein weiteres Hilfsprojekt im Jemen durchführen. Wir haben 40 bedürftige Flüchtlingsfamilien in zwei verschiedenen Regionen in derHauptstadt Sana'a mit lebensnotwendigen Lebensmitteln versorgt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OmBHZQhAI
(B H)
Film: Salem from #Yemen explained what the #YemenCrisis has meant for his family. War is the main cause of #Hunger in Yemen. It has destroyed homes, livelihoods and families, leaving nearly 13 million needing @WFP food assistance to survive.
https://twitter.com/WFPYemen/status/1408420918662254597
(B H)
Film: This overcrowded hospital in Yemen is struggling to cope with treating severely malnourished children. Things are so bad that officials at Al-Sabeen Hospital have been forced to turn other kids away because there are no beds.
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1408334146410266627
(B H)
Film: Humanitäre Krise im Jemen
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=180861307324537
(B H)
Film: Hans Christoph Buch: „Ich würde gerne mit einer Hilfsorganisation in den Jemen reisen.“
Hans Christoph Buch ist als Schriftsteller die große Ausnahmeerscheinung der deutschen Literaturszene. In den 90er-Jahren hat er sich als Reporter in vielen Kriegs- und Krisengebiete herumgetrieben. Südsudan, Liberia, Tschetschenien - die dunkle Seite der Welt ist im vertraut. In d
(* B H)
HUMAN ACCESS
Human Access for Partnership and Development (HUMAN ACCESS) is a non-governmental, independent, non-profit, humanitarian, developmental, charitable, voluntary, and community-based organization. It was established in March 1990 by an elite of volunteers and social personalities as a voluntary non-governmental organization that implements its programs, projects and services according to periodic plans, a deliberate and renewed strategy, and a method of work based on the scientific methodology to be an effective link between donors and beneficiaries.
Implemented by HUMAN ACCESS and funded by WFP, The food aid project is a haven for more than 65,000 families in Lahj and Taiz governorates
65,067 beneficiary families
This success occurred in a country ravaged by a humanitarian crisis, which is among the worst regionally and globally, according to UN estimates, and with more than 80% of its population currently needs some kind of aid. Based on all of the above, saving lives has become a priority for HUMAN ACCESS.
One of the fruits of the association’s efforts is to feed thousands of families in two Yemeni governorates through the food aid project, which comes in light of the food insecurity and with the growing threat of famine looming on the horizon.
The food aid project targeted 65,067 families in Sala district of Taiz governorate, and eleven districts in Lahj governorate, with the aim of enhancing food security for these families by providing basic food needs.
It was not indiscriminate targeting, but according to precise criteria and a transparent mechanism for families suffering from acute food insecurity, and based on assessments carried out by the project, which included 3 main components: food aid, food vouchers, and cash assistance.
https://humanaccess.org/index.php/m/media-reports/098765433
(B H)
Yemen: Education Cluster Gap Analysis (January - May 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-gap-analysis-january-may-2021
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-coverage-and-gap-analysis-may-2021
(B H)
Yemen Nutrition Cluster: GAP Analysis (as of 31 Apr, 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-mam-plw-gap-analysis-31-apr-2021
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-iycf-gap-analysis-31-apr-2021
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-iycf-gap-analysis-31-apr-2021
(B H)
Yemen WASH Cluster - Humanitarian Dashboard (January - April 2021)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-wash-cluster-humanitarian-dashboard-january-april-2021-enar
(* B H)
Shelter Cluster Yemen 2020 End Year Report
2020 in Yemen was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected Shelter and Non-Food Items programs in terms of the type of interventions, cost, and timeliness of implementing certain activities. Further, following the recommendation of the Shelter Cluster, many partners adapted their Shelter and Non-Food Items distributions using responsible prevention measures, including physical distancing but with an associated cost. The fuel embargo generated inflations on certain items in addition to the transportation costs. At last, the flare-up of armed violence paired with the exceptional food season led the cluster to increase targets for the newly affected population.
The Shelter Cluster response strategy for 2020 was focused on providing safe, appropriate shelter and essential household items to highly vulnerable families. Despite the operational constraints, the Shelter and NFI Cluster assisted 2,365,626 IDPs, returnees, and vulnerable host community members (532,581 women, 520,286 men, 657,726 girls, and 655,033 boys), representing 79 per cent of the 2,987,991 people planned to be assisted in 2020.
The response delivery modality varied based on the context in different locations, 63 per cent through In-kind distributions, 36.5 per cent cash, and 0.5 per cent voucher.
The exceptional rainy season and flooding in 2020 affected 62,508 HHs, of which 52,509 HHs were identified in need of Shelter/NFI support. The assistance so far reached 25,600 HHs (49%). This assistance had the secondary effect of drying almost all contingency stocks and leaving 26,856 HHs unassisted.
In 2020, 90% of the assistance was dedicated to emergency aid, when 9% was for transitional shelter solutions and only 1% for durable solutions. These percentages revealed how the situation is stranded in an emergency mood.
Gaps in Shelter and Non Food Items are still tremendous due to several factors:
a) The low funding level is not able to match the overall needs. [31% of funds in 2020, 79% of achievements compared to the total people targeted in the HRP].
b) The affected population is pending assistance in some instances for several years, creating a considerable backlog that is challenging to cover in the actual situation.
c) Addressing needs in the mid or long-term requires a more conducive environment, especially for the housing, land, and property situation coupled with substantial investment. The emergency assistance must be renewed almost every year, creating a significant caseload for recurrent aid.
It is evident that any mid-term or long-term solutions should be linked to the improvement in the operational context. Aside from the needs related to armed violence, Housing Land and Property issues is a key blockage, restricting even implementing transitional shelter on a large scale.
Despite the effort to sensitize authorities, Land issues remain a driver of the conflict and do not allow to tackle shelter needs from several years perspective.
Further, funds are mainly channeled to large international organizations that faced administrative and access impediments. Small local organizations with a better knowledge of the ground are usually left behind and cannot fully contribute even if they have access to the hard-to-reach areas. The accountability of both types of partners is impeded and can be tackled only with more efforts in capacity and changes for accessing assistance. The response was also challenged with the lengthy approval processes, delaying the project's implementation.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/shelter-cluster-yemen-2020-end-year-report
(* B H)
Violence Against or Obstruction of Health Care in Yemen in 2020
In April 2020, An Nasr Hospital in Yemen’s Ad Dhali governorate was attacked twice in one week by unidentified perpetrators. On April 2 armed men fired machine guns at and threw two hand grenades into the hospital, injuring two civilians.1 Two days later another hand grenade of unidentified origin was thrown into the same hospital, injuring two more civilians and forcing the hospital’s management to close the hospital in protest over the attack.
OVERVIEW
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) identified 81 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in Yemen in 2020, compared to 35 such incidents in 2019. In these incidents health facilities were destroyed and damaged and health workers were killed and injured. Years of ongoing war have left only half of Yemen’s health facilities functional.
This factsheet is based on the dataset 2020 SHCC Health Care Yemen Data, which is available on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/violence-against-or-obstruction-health-care-yemen-2020
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen: Help communities access water and sanitation services (May 2021)
In Basateen, UNHCR works to increase community access to water and sanitation services.
UNHCR leads clean-up and recycling projects to promote good environmental and hygiene practices and help communities strengthen their livelihood and resilience.
Located on the outskirts of Aden, Basateen hosts over 70,000 vulnerable refugees - mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia, returnees from the Gulf countries and Yemeni families.
In this poor neighbourhood, families live in dire conditions in makeshift shelters, with little to no water and sanitation services
(B H)
UNHCR Sub-Office Aden: UNHCR Presence and Population of Concern (07 April 2021)
(B H)
More than 22,000 Yemenis have been displaced due to fighting in Marib
In a press conference held on Friday in New York, Stephane Dujarric spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said more than 22,000 Yemenis have been displaced since last February when the Houthi rebels launched a full-scale offensive to capture Marib city, the last government’s major stronghold in north Yemen.
Dujarric warned that more than half of the country’s population is facing food insecurity, with five million people on the verge of starvation.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/28260
(B H)
IOM Yemen: Situation Report May 2021
With Yemen entering its rainy season, heavy rains continued to cause severe flooding in the first week of May, directly impacting 6,855 households. Most of the affected people were internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are already living in inadequate shelters. The largest impacts of floods were experienced in Aden, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Lahj, Abyan, Dhamar, Ma’rib and Al Bayda governorates.
Two-thirds of Yemen’s population remain in need of humanitarian assistance after seven years of conflict. The situation is aggravated by a weakened economy with the Yemeni currency continuing to depreciate and rising inflation
The situation for IDPs continued to be challenging throughout May. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) estimated that 3,570 people were displaced during the month, bringing the total number of displaced so far in 2021 to 46,312 people . In Ma’rib, the displacement crisis shows no sign of improving, with fighting concentrated across northwest, west and south-west of the city, affecting people in Sirwah district the most. As of the end of May, over 2,650 households (HHs) were displaced in Ma’rib since the start of this year, making a total of nearly 21,545 displaced households since January 2020 when the escalation at that frontline began
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-situation-report-may-2021
(B H)
Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 17 – 24 June 2021
During the reporting period, UNHCR distributed 2,700 non-food items (NFI) during the reporting period, benefitting some 16,200 individuals in Amanat Al Asimah, Ibb and Al Hudaydah governorates. UNCHR and partners also provided protection services at community centres and through mobile teams, including protection assessments, legal assistance, psychosocial support, cash assistance, case management and awareness sessions benefitting some 28,800 displaced Yemenis.
Activities also included recreational activities for children at community centres supported by UNHCR.
Between 6 - 17 June, UNHCR's partner, Rawabi Al-Nahda Development Foundation (RADF) in Hajjah governorate conducted community awareness raising campaigns focused on natural disaster reduction
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-17-24-june-2021
(* B H)
"Lost Dream" is a heartbreaking short documentary film that shows the suffering of IDPs in #Marib, #Yemen. It is about a child who fled his house with his family after #Houthis overran their village.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4l_qjGWxa8&t=4s
Clip: https://twitter.com/malshuwaiter/status/1408186515327442945
(* B H)
Improving living conditions of displaced families in Yemen: Mapping service gaps to enhance response to the needs and vulnerabilities of IDP communities
Living conditions of displaced families in hosting sites is a key priority for the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster team, led by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and its partners, including REACH. In order to do so, the Cluster has been working extensively to provide mapping on the state of services and gaps across sites hosting IDPs to allow for a targeted response based on the needs and vulnerabilities of IDP communities as reported by them directly.
Yemen continues to face the dire consequences of an unrelenting conflict with two out of every three Yemenis (20.7 million people) being in need of humanitarian assistance and over 4 million people having been internally displaced due to violence. With an additional 10 frontlines having emerged in 2020, and more than 27,000 families displaced throughout the year, the humanitarian situation for families displaced internally is increasingly concerning.
An estimated 1.2 million IDPs have settled in 1,750+ settlements, most of them improvised and lacking access to adequate shelter and basic services, such as healthcare, education, water, sanitation and hygiene. In Yemen, IDPs often live in overcrowded conditions, and almost half of the camps are located close to active conflict areas.
Living conditions of displaced families in hosting sites is a key priority for the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster team
https://www.reach-initiative.org/what-we-do/news/improving-conditions-in-yemen-mapping-service/
(B H)
UNHCR Yemen post cash distribution monitoring - April 2021
As part of UNHCR’s interventions to ensure that extremely vulnerable displaced Yemeni families at risk of famine have the necessary means to buy food and other essential items, in April 2021 alone, UNHCR assisted 47,458 IDP families (some 300,400 individuals) with multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) in 18 governorates. This assistance has been made possible through the generous support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates via the Famine Relief Fund, as well as the United States of America and the Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani AlThani Humanitarian Fund. The programme targets in particular displaced families (IDPs) residing in districts classified as highly food insecure (IPC4+). Of note, UNHCR’s extensive programme specifically aimed at addressing IDPs’ needs makes it possible to target families who because of their displacement are four times more at risk of hunger than the rest of the Yemeni population. In this respect, within the IDPs, eligible families are selected according to their socio-economic vulnerability, demographic profile and protection risk profiles. The selected households countrywide receive a disbursement of YER 122,000 to 141,000 (around USD 200), based on the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB) monthly transfer value set by the Yemen Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG). The latter considers the average household basic survival needs and in-country inflation. Following the distributions to the selected families, UNHCR has conducted an extensive post distribution monitoring (PDM) exercise to understand their expenditure patterns and evaluate the impact of the assistance provided on their capacity to be freed from hunger.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-post-cash-distribution-monitoring-april-2021
(B H)
Rights groups criticize official, UN neglecting Yemeni child abduction in Libya
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25753.html
(B H)
Yemen — Rapid Displacement Tracking Update (13 June To 19 June 2021)
From 01 January 2021 to 19 June 2021, IOM Yemen DTM estimates that 6,292 households (HH) (37,752 Individuals) have experienced displacement at least once.
Between 13 June 2021 and 19 June 2021, IOM Yemen DTM tracked 153 households (918 individuals) displaced at least once. The highest number of displacements were seen in:
https://dtm.iom.int/reports/yemen-%E2%80%94-rapid-displacement-tracking-update-13-june-19-june-2021
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Deputy Prime Minister: The case for ending blockade on Sana’a Airport is purely humanitarian
Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence and Security Affairs, Jalal Al-Ruwaishan, has stressed that the growing problem with regard to Sana’a Airport is a humanitarian one, and has nothing to do with the political or military situation.
He said that “the forces of aggression should know that the continued closure or opening of the airport has nothing to do with the people’s steadfastness and has no effect on the military and security situation.”
(A P)
Parliament approves reports of Committees on Water, Environment, Finance
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145640.htm
(B K P)
866 Houthi abuses against tribal chieftains documented
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms unveiled on Saturday it had documented 866 Houth abuses against tribal chieftains in 13 Yemeni governorates in the period spanning from January 1, 2016 to March 3, 2021.
The abuses varied widely including murder, physical elimination, dragging the body of the slain, wounding, burning corpses, torture, blowing up houses, seizure of properties and forced displacement of the tribal figures.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33224
(A P)
Sana'a court upholds sentence death against Aghbari killers
Sana'a-based supreme court on Saturday upheld death sentence against four people convicted of killing Abdullah al-Aghbari in August 2020.
The upheld ruling also sentences the fifth convict to 5 years in prison and stipulates for multiple blood money to be paid to the victim's family, Aghbari advocate wrote on Facebook.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25810.html
(A P)
31 tons of hashish, 17,000 Captagon pills in Sana’a, Sa'ada destroyed
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145528.htm
Photo: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-06/26/c_1310029642.htm
(A P)
@AnnelleSheline: As I explained on @AlJazeera, Lenderking, Biden & the UN seem to realize that maintaining maximalist demands on the Houthis will not get them to negotiate It is imperative that they bring all Yemeni stakeholders to the table, esp. civil society groups Not just the ppl w/ guns
Many fail to recognize the power of nationalism In Yemen, the Saudis & US have underestimated the extent to which their bombing & blockade only serves to reinforce the Houthis' narrative that they are defending Yemen from foreign aggression Yemeni sovereignty must be restored
Why is the US prepared to go to war w/ China over islands in the S. China Sea, yet has said nothing re: the UAE's seizure of the strategic islands of Socotra & Mayun, as well as the Saudi presence in al-Mahra, areas the Houthis do not control The US must insist they withdraw
https://twitter.com/AnnelleSheline/status/1408512909483909120
(* B P)
US, Israeli Policies Drive Houthi – Hezbollah Defense Pact as Yemen Feel Palestine’s Pain
Thanks to Israel’s recent onslaught in Gaza and to the freshly provocative US policies in the region, the Houthis have joined ranks with Hezbollah and armed Palestinian resistance in a defense pact that promises to change the strategic reality in the region.
In fact, this year’s Sarkhah gained unprecedented momentum, and attracted a slew of young new recruits like Zaid, thanks to Israel’s recent onslaught in Gaza and to U.S. policies in the region, namely President Joe Biden’s broken promise to end the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen. “At a time when we hoped Biden would alleviate our suffering, we are shocked today that he is instead doubling it!!” Zaid shouted to a vociferous crowd of protesters. “Yes, death to America!” followed. On Thursday, the United States added new sanctions to 12 local currency exchanges, in a move that could have severe humanitarian implications according to Yemeni economists.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said “ the United States will continue to apply pressure to the Houthis, including through targeted sanctions.” The move came after an official Omani delegation left Sana’a,
The Jerusalem Formula
American policies in the region have indeed been counterintuitive in light of ostensible U.S. goals and in fact have prompted a sharp turn towards the so-called resistance, comprised of Iran, Hezbollah and certain elements in Iraq and Syria that are opposed to U.S. policies in the Middle East. It is in that context that Ansar Allah recently announced their intent to join an initiative that would see the group challenge the military might of the United States and Saudi-led Coalition in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait with a sophisticated arsenal of ballistic missiles, drones, mines, and high-speed gunboats as part of the so-called Jerusalem (Al-Quds) Formula.
The formula, which was spearheaded by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and has already been embraced by Palestine’s armed resistance, would also meet any hostile military action by Israel with a collective response by all of the aforementioned parties, risking an all-out war in the region, the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-israel-policies-drive-ansar-allah-hezbollah-closer-alliance/277723/
(A P)
Fierce clashes erupt in Sana'a: Reports
Fierce armed clashes have been heard in the capital Sana'a, local sources told Almashehad Alyemeni news website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47471
(A P)
Tribesmen from Arhab (Sana'a outskirt) exchange accusations with Houthis after members of the tribe killed on the militia's side in Marib were killed and their bodies were abandoned in the battlefield, unlike other fighters whose bodies were recovered by the milita. The tribesmen accuse the Houthis of physically eliminating their fellow clansmen./Almashehad Alyemeni.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47472
(* B P)
Model Entisar Al-Hammadi detained by Houthis 'for challenging the social norms of Yemen’s society'
The New Arab Meets: The family and acquaintances of Yemeni model and actress Entisar Al-Hammadi, kidnapped by Houthi authorities as part of a concerted effort to prevent her creative expression. From her brother, we learn more about her detainment.
Entisar Al-Hammadi was detained in February by plainclothes personnel in Sanaa, where the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control the Yemeni capital are enforcing a morality campaign.
According to rights group Amnesty International, the 19-year-old was "interrogated while blindfolded, physically and verbally abused [and] subjected to racist insults". She was also "forced to 'confess' to several offences, including drug possession and prostitution", the London-based rights group said.
Khaled Al-Kamal, Entisar’s lawyer, said that during her detention, rebels “woke her up in the middle of the night” and drove her to several houses. He added they were “asking her if she used to work there as a ‘prostitute’”.
Amnesty also revealed that her lawyer had learned of "plans to subject her to a 'virginity test' within days" from "a member of the prosecution team".
Nasr, the only brother of Entisar, said his family did not know about her kidnapping. "We heard [about Entisar's detention] after they [media] published the news," the 12-year-old said. "I had last seen Entisar on the day of Eid [Al-Fitr]," he added.
Nasr said his mother's health situation has deteriorated after she heard the news of Entisar's detention.
Speaking more about the rebel's accusations against her, the neighbour stated that there was nothing substantial in them and that they were false. "Entisar was supporting her mother with household expenses and house rent. Her father is blind and lives in Eriteria. The mother has only Entisar and her young son Nasr who is sick."
Entisar regularly appeared in photographs online, including in social media posts, without a headscarf defying the strict societal norms in Yemen.
“She is being punished by the authorities for challenging the social norms of Yemen’s deeply patriarchal society which entrench discrimination against women,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for MENA at Amnesty International.
Local media and neighbours said Entisar took part in two drama series broadcasted on two Arabic domestic channels last year as an actress.
The public prosecutor prevented Al-Hammadi's lawyer from accessing her file, and a gunman then threatened him on April 27 telling him to drop the case, Amnesty added calling for the 19-year-old's immediate release from prison.
The Houthis, Amnesty said, "have a deplorable track record of arbitrarily detaining people on baseless charges – to silence or punish critics, activists, journalists and members of religious minorities"
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/features/entisar-al-hammadi-punished-challenging-social-norms
(A P)
Iran-backed Houthis prevent "singing" at weddings in Sana'a province, and direct to raise Quranic awareness and promote traditions of the religious identity, according to a memo from the Houthi governor of Sana’a (document)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1407464369630420998
(B P)
Ashbal Almasirah in #Yemen: Children recruited by the Houthis ranged between 7 and 14 years old. They receive a special educational and intellectual curriculum, and owe allegiance to their leader, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi. The experience is inspired by the cubs of #ISIS
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1406717023908941827
(A P)
Parliament approves Govt's request on spending plan for 2021
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3144966.htm
(A P)
Al-Houthi: Preventing Hajj is the largest missile targeting Makkah
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145024.htm
(A P)
Houthi official admits killing Hassan Zaid, family demands protection
Family of the late Houthi minister, Hassan Zaid, has said they receive persistent threats from a Houthi influential official admitting involvement in killing their father last October in the Houthi-held city of Sana'a.
Zaid family called on the Houthi security and judicial authorities to provide them with necessary protection against the "daring threats that need to be taken seriously."
Sakina Hassan Zaid posted a scanned letter in which a Houthi affiliate admits that he issued death sentence against her father, as part of tens of letters of threats she and her brother receive for months.
The late minister of youth and sports was killed for "denying one of Allah's rulings", the man says in a letter, without further details on that ruling.
On 27 October 2020, unknown gunmen stopped Zaid while driving in Haddah Street with his daughter and opened fire at their car, leaving the minister dead and Sakina wounded.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25739.html
(B K P)
Film: The Houthis intensify their campaigns to recruit marginalized children in #Yemen, taking advantage of their need for food. “The marginalized are known as Yemeni citizens with black skin, who live miserable lives in shantytowns and tents, and suffer from racial discrimination”
https://twitter.com/abduhothifi/status/1407794998712676358
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(* A P)
STC halts contacts with government over peace deal
Southern Transitional Council (SCT) has suspended contacts with the government over implementation of a Saudi-brokered peace deal sealed between both sides more than a year ago.
The STC has directed its representatives at talks on implementing the deal, formally dubbed the Riyadh agreement, to stop all forms of direct contact with the government side in protest against what it called “practices of terror, intimidation and aggression” by Muslim Brotherhood militias in the south-eastern governorate of Shabwa.
The council accused the Islamist militias of cracking down on a rally Saturday in Shabwa controlled by government forces.
An SCT spokesman warned that these “aggressive practices” undermine the Riyadh agreement.
The council demanded the Shabwa issue top the agenda of implementing the deal before contacts could resume with the government side.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33237
(A P)
[Separatists at] Shabwa calls on Coalition for firm stance against Brotherhood's violations
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33230
(A P)
Burning-193-kilos-of-hashish-in-aden-the-capital
https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/burning-193-kilos-of-hashish-in-aden-the-capital/
(A K P)
Statement-by-official-spokesman-of-transitional-council-about-siege-and-targeting-the-regions-of-abadan-and-jebbah-in-nisab-district-of-shabwa
(A T)
At least one mercenary killed in Aden explosion
At least one recruit was killed and two others wounded in a powerful explosion in Khormaksar district in the southern port city of Aden, local sources said on Sunday.
According to local sources, the explosion took place inside at the Al-Nasr camp belonging to the UAE-backed Southern Traditional Council (STC) militias.
Unknown assailants planted an improvised explosive device in the fuel tank of the camp al-Nasr Security Belt station the sources explained.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/2021/06/27/at-least-one-mercenary-killed-in-aden-explosion/
(A P)
Yemen FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemen Is on the Brink
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak admitted that Yemen is on the brink of collapse, however, he expressed his belief that the legitimacy succeeded in securing livelihood in liberated areas, including Shabwa, Hadramawt, Marib, and Mahra, despite challenges.
In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, bin Mubarak described the Houthi group as a “movement of violence.”
The minister said there are several opportunities for peace, stressing that the main challenge is to end the war.
Asked whether he believes Yemenis are heading towards peace or civil war, the minister indicated that there are several conflicts, but Yemenis will not allow a scenario similar to that of Somalia.
Asharq Al-Awsat asked bin Mubarak about the Omani mediation, as its results remain unclear to date, he asserted that all peace efforts are appreciated, noting that they have not been informed about the meeting with the Houthis.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3049896/yemen-fm-asharq-al-awsat-yemen-brink
(A P)
Infighting renews amongst UAE-backed militia in Aden
Reports are coming up that the Support Forces and Security Belt Forces, two factions with the UAE's STC militia, have started exchanging fire in Yemen's southern port of Aden. Last Wednesday saw fierce showdown that ended up in the division of the city amongst the two factions that once drove out the government from Aden with UAE support.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47509
(A P)
Mass protests and sit-ins in Al-Mahra Governorate, Yemen, calling for the expulsion of the Saudi forces, which have become a military occupation and control of the governorate, and threatening a peaceful escalation
The people and tribes of Al-Mahra in southern #Yemen called for US international pressure to expel the Saudi forces,bring peace and stability, prosecute those involved in crimes against humanity, and close secret prisons
The airport of Al-Mahra Governorate, the port, and all border crossings have become bases and military operations for Saudi Arabia, which is a great danger that threatens the life of society and the state
https://twitter.com/anesmansory/status/1408904638263435273
https://twitter.com/anesmansory/status/1408886414515871745
https://twitter.com/anesmansory/status/1408886860068364295
(* A P)
Yemeni gov't-STC new crisis looming in Shabwa
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has called for a rally in the southern governorate of Shabwa against the official government, heralding a new crisis between the two partners.
The government "imposes blockade Abadan and Jebah in Nisab district in Shabwa and targets the two areas with artillery and tanks shells," the STC said, "in an attempt to foil a peaceful rally."
STC spokesman labeled government troops as terrorist militias occupying Shabwa, warning against complications of "this blatant aggression," for which the government would be fully responsible.
The STC negotiating delegation "will adopt a stance.. if the militias keep on their attempts to suppress the peaceful event in Shabwa," Ali al-Kathiri added in a statement.
For their part, Shabwa local authority accused the Emirati-backed STC of military escalation by deploying tens of gunmen to Abadan under the pretext of staging a rally on Saturday.
STC armed men started erecting tents and writing signs calling for rebellion against the State and local authority's departure, sources in Shabwa local authority said.
By mobilizing armed groups and sending them to Abadan, the STC blatantly violates the Riyadh Agreement, and seeks to destabilize security and create chaos in the secure governorate, security source said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25804.html
and
(* A P)
STC stages rally despite gov't objection
Tens of Southern Transitional Council (STC) supporters on Saturday staged a rally against the official government in the southern governorate of Shabwa.
The rally was staged in Soqam instead of Abadan area in Nisab district following government objection, as the Emirati-backed STC late on Friday "deployed tens of gunmen" in the district.
"Shabwa will remain southern, rejecting the hated occupation and [Muslim] Brotherhood authority," the organizers said in a statement.
They called for the Shabwani elite forces to return to the governorate as soon as possible.
Funds will be raised from traders, businessmen and the STC so as to make Shabwa join STC control, the statement said.
The government "imposes blockade Abadan and Jebah in Nisab district in Shabwa and targets the two areas with artillery and tanks shells," the STC said Friday, "in an attempt to foil a peaceful rally."
For their part, Shabwa local authority accused the Emirati-backed STC of military escalation by deploying tens of gunmen to Abadan under the pretext of staging a rally on Saturday.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25805.html
and by STC: http://en.adenpress.news/news/33230
and
(* A P)
STC halts direct talks on Riyadh Agreement
Military siege imposed on peaceful protest in Shabwa
The local leadership of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Shabwa governorate condemned in a statement issued on Saturday, the military siege imposed on Nisab district by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood-linked authorities to prevent a peaceful demonstration called for by the STC.
According to the statement, Abdan, the area where the demonstration was supposed to be held, turned into military barracks with dozens of armored vehicles and tanks along with hundreds of Brotherhood-linked gunmen armed to the teeth.
In response to the escalation of the pro-legitimacy militias, the STC suspended its direct consultations with the Yemeni legitimacy to implement the remaining terms of the Riyadh Agreement until fully addressing the situation in Shabwa.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33222
(A)
Aden-Mumbai Flights to Resume Next Week
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33228
(A P)
Yemen's president Hadi headed to the U.S. for usual medical checkups - SABA
Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi headed on Saturday evening to the United States for his usual, periodic medical checkups, the state news agency (SABA) reported.
(A P)
Any return of the government to Aden before the implementation of the security and military provisions of the Riyadh Agreement will be an egregious mistake, says Yemen's Dep. Information Minister Dr. Mohammed Qayzan./Bani Yemen
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47472
(A P)
The UAE has offered to pay the residents of Mayoon island financial amounts to leave it, but they refuse, the former governor of Taiz has revealed./Newsline website.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47472
(A)
Alexandria Airlines operates its first flight from Cairo to Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33216
(A P)
MP: Parliament could withdraw confidence from Yemen government over Mayyun base
Member of Yemen's Parliament Ali Al-Mamari has hinted the Parliament could withdraw confidence from the government if it does not provide clarifications over the construction of a military base on Perim Island, locally known as Mayyun.
The government's replies to my queries over the base were late and unclear, he told Aljazeera TV on Wednesday, pointing out that he is still waiting for clarifications from the government not from the Saudi-led coalition.
The government has also failed to give clarifications over the situation on Socotra Archipelago under the pretext of being busy with Saudi-sponsored talks in Riyadh with the southern transitional council, he said.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25778.html
(A T)
[Separatist] SBF commander survives assassination attempt in Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33213
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-25779.html
(A P)
5 convicted of killing popular resistance commander sentenced to death
The West Taiz Court on Wednesday handed down death sentences to five persons after convicting them of killing Col. Radhwan Al-Odayni, the commander of the Osbah Brigade, which was one of the popular resistance brigades supporting the government forces against the Houthis.
It ordered to execute them by firing squad, a judicial source said, without giving their names or when they will be executed.
Al-Odayni was shot dead in the Al-Jomhouri Neighbourhood in downtown Taiz city in June 2018.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25768.html
(* A K P)
'Sheikk Othman is awaiting fiercer confrontations in coming hours: Milit. sources': Press Summary
Military source: Shiekh Othman (the downtown of Aden) is awaiting fiercer confrontations in the coming hours as the Support Forces are preparing to capture the area which is now under control of the Security Belt [both are UAE-backed militias]." /Yemen Voice website.
The commander of the Security Belt forces in Shiekh Othman Akram Almashreqi vowed to repel commander Nabil Al-Mashwashi's Support Forces. He affirmed that "whoever tries to storm Sheikh Othman, his forces will be broken apart in the same way the British forces and Houthi militias were broken by the people of Shiekh Othman." /Voice of Yemen website published this under the title "A declaration of the secession of Sheikh Othman."
Twenty one people were killed and injured in Wednesday's Aden confrontations./Almashehad Alkhaleeji website.
Fierce confrontation raged between the Support Forces and the Security Belt Forces [both are UAE-backed militias] in Sheikh Othaman (downtown Aden) on Wednesday. Sources said the two paramilitary forces used light and medium weapons including RPGs spreading panic amongst the city's residents. Local sources said the clashes erupted as the Support Forces seized one of the security outposts in Shiekh Othman town. Other sources attributed the start of the clashes to the Security Belt Forces' seizure of some members of the Support Forces who were wandering the streets carrying arms despite a ban. Civilian casualties fell. Stores and shops were closed, panic spread./Newsline website.
Yemen's temporary capital Aden is seeing a cautious calm after bloody confrontations between different factions within the UAE-backed STC militia/Multiple websites
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47472
(A K P)
Fighting between separatist brigades kills two in Yemen's Aden -sources
Clashes between brigades of the main southern separatist movement in Yemen killed two fighters and wounded 15 people, including civilians, in the port city of Aden, security sources said on Thursday.
Repeated gunfire was heard on Wednesday night in Aden's densely populated district of Sheikh Othman, residents told Reuters. A fire broke out at a building of the education ministry in the area.
The fighting, which raged for two hours, erupted when one of the brigades manning a checkpoint attempted to disarm another convoy, the sources said. They said it stopped when STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, ordered both sides to withdraw.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-aden/fighting-between-separatist-brigades-kills-two-in-yemens-aden-sources-idUSKCN2E00WN = https://uk.news.yahoo.com/fighting-between-separatist-brigades-kills-091432513.html
Film: https://twitter.com/aalnaasi/status/1407739002757783553
and
(A P)
Panel formed to probe deadly clashes between UAE-backed separatist groups
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25777.html
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47508
(A K P)
Tribes drive out UAE's militiamen from southern Yemen province
Tribes have driven out forces affiliate to UAE's STC militia contesting the legitimate Yemeni government's authority from the country's southern province of Lah, media outlets report.
The province's powerful tribes of Al-Sabbayha engaged in clashes with the STC militias after they started recruiting local young people to form a new paramilitary camp in the pro-government province. The tribes forced the militiamen out and vowed in a statement to drive out the rest of the STC militias from the province.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-47453
(* A K P)
Pro-Hadi brigades defect to [separatist] southern forces in Tor al-Baha
Military units of Tor al-Baha brigade have defected from the Yemeni army to the pro-Southern Transitional Council armed forces, military field sources revealed on Tuesday.
The defected brigade created new military sites after having taken full control of the strategic border area of Dhanoba in the southwestern parts of Tor al-Baha.
A few days ago, an entire brigade of Hadi's forces joined the southern armed forces in Tor al-Baha.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33202
(A K T)
HEF raid al-Qaeda's hideouts in Hadramout
[Separatist] Hadrami Elite Forces (HEF) launched a series of raids on locations and houses used as hideouts and arms caches by the terrorist cells of al-Qaeda in Ghail Ba-Wazir district of Hadramout.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33201
(A E P)
Yemeni-Saudi investment cooperation discussed
Minister of Planning and Cooperation Dr. Wa'id Badeeb and his Saudi counterpart Faisal Ibrahim discussed on Tuesday, aspects of cooperation and relations between the two countries.
The talks dealt with exchange expertise, capacity-building and partnership between private-owned businesses in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/33200
(A P)
STC president calls for building strong south Yemen army
The president of the southern transitional council Aidarous Al-Zubaidi on Monday stressed the importance of building a strong, skilled army of south Yemen.
At a meeting with the commander of the council's support and logistics brigades Brig. Gen. Mohsin Al-Wali, he urged to do more to defend accomplishments of the south and face any conspiracies targeting its fair cause.
Observers said the timing of Al-Zubaidi's remarks send a clear message that the council is refusing to finalise the implementation of the Riyadh agreement, particularly terms for the council's militias to be inducted into the security and armed forces.
https://debriefer.net/en/news-25733.html
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp7 – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-748b-yemen-war-mosaic-748b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-747-yemen-war-mosaic-747
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-747 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-747:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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