'Bloodshed must stop' in Yemen - UN rights chief

[News_Editor]

'Bloodshed must stop' in Yemen - UN rights chief

2011-05-31 21:13:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday condemned the increased use of force against anti-Government protesters in Yemen, as reports say that more than 50 people have been killed since Sunday in the city of Taiz and hundreds more have been injured.

The Yemeni Army, Republican Guards and other Government-affiliated elements reportedly destroyed the protest camp in Horriya Square in the city of Taiz using water cannons, bulldozers and live ammunition, according to unconfirmed reports received by the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which has warned that escalating violence in Yemen could push the country to the brink of civil war.

In addition to the deaths and injuries, at least 100 people are believed to have been arrested over the weekend in Taiz, while dozens remain unaccounted for. Further reports said violence has also caused civilian casualties, including children, and mass displacement in the southern coastal town of Zinjibar.

On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay called on the Yemeni Government to investigate cases of disappearances and the reports of ill-treatment, torture and killings, and to bring perpetrators to justice.

"Such reprehensible acts of violence and indiscriminate attacks on unarmed civilians by armed security officers must stop immediately," Pillay said. "I urge all sides to cease the use of force and I remind the Government of its responsibility to ensure that the fundamental human rights of its citizens are protected."

Pillay also voiced concern regarding the difficult access to emergency medical treatment, as Yemeni security forces reportedly occupied Al-Safa hospital in Taiz and that the field clinic in Horriya Square had been burned.

"Adequate humanitarian access must be provided to all who need it – the Government is obliged to ensure this," Pillay said, adding that medical staff and facilities must never be targeted by security forces.

Last week, OHCHR had called on the Government to stop its deadly crackdown amid the renewed fighting which began after Yemen's President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, refused for a third time to sign a deal to transfer power amid the pro-democracy protests that began earlier this year.

The High Commissioner noted that the humanitarian situation in the capital, Sana'a, – where security forces reportedly continued to use force to disperse protesters – also remained difficult.

"Further violence will only yield more insecurity and move the country further away from a resolution to this political crisis," Pillay unerlined. "I urge all parties to continue efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to this conflict. The bloodshed must stop."

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