BCHR and Arab NGOs:Yemeni Authorities to Stop Their Arbitrary Practices against Human Rights Defendants

Yemeni Authorities to Stop Their Arbitrary Practices against Human Rights Defendants and to Immediately Release Ali Al-Demely

Statement from 30 NGOs in 11 Arab Countries

The undersigned organizations expressed their great discontent about the arrest and detention of Mr. Ali Al-Demely by the Yemeni Authorities on Monday, October 9th, 2006, while he was heading to Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in an event on rights and freedoms. Mr. Al-Demely is a Yemeni human rights defender. He is the executive director of the Yemeni Organization for Defense for Rights and Democratic Freedoms.

Yemeni Authorities to Stop Their Arbitrary Practices against Human Rights Defendants and to Immediately Release Ali Al-Demely

Statement from 30 NGOs in 11 Arab Countries

The undersigned organizations expressed their great discontent about the arrest and detention of Mr. Ali Al-Demely by the Yemeni Authorities on Monday, October 9th, 2006, while he was heading to Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in an event on rights and freedoms. Mr. Al-Demely is a Yemeni human rights defender. He is the executive director of the Yemeni Organization for Defense for Rights and Democratic Freedoms.

Noting worthy is that the arrest of Al-Demely took place at a time when Yemen was overwhelmed by the promises made by the President Ali Abdullah Saleh under the dome of the parliament after winning the recent elections, where he emphasized that he would entrench democracy, enhance freedoms and promote respect for human rights. Such arrest reveals the credibility of such election-time commitments.

The undersigned organizations; condemning the arrest and detention of Mr. Al-Demely by the Yemeni authorities, demand from such authorities to immediately release Mr. Ale-Demely, and ensure his freedom of movement, as specified in the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as to be abide by the international human rights instruments and covenants ratified by the Yemeni government and the UN declaration on human rights defenders adopted in 1998. The organizations also demand for compensating Mr. the Demely against the moral and physical harms he has been subjected to as a result of the arbitrary coercive measures taken by the Yemeni authorities against him.

The undersigned organizations:

– Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.
– Habi Center for Environmental Rights (Egypt)
– Syrian Organization for Human Rights.

– The Arab Organization for Penal Reform (Egypt).
– Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies.

– Association for Democracy Development (Egypt).
– The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and the Humans Right in Tunisia.

– Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development.
– Khartoum Center for Human rights and Environment Development.
– Amel Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture.
– Al-Haq – Ramallah , Palestine .
– Land Center for Human Rights (Egypt).
– Bahrain center for Human Rights.
– Amman Center for Human Rights Studies.

– Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.
– The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement

– Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners (Egypt).
– The Association for the Defense of Right and Liberties “ADDL” (Lebanon).
– Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance.
– Al-Nadim Centre for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence (Egypt).
– Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections.
– The Association For Human Rights Legal Aid (Egypt).
– Iraqi Social Education Team.

– The Yemeni Organization for the defense of Human Rights and democratic freedoms.

– Babylon organization for human rights.
– Bahraini Youth Society for Human Rights.

– Palestinian center for Human Rights.

– The Libyan League for Human Rights.

– The Tunisian association for democratic women.

– The Egyptian association against torture.