Should the US Grant Saleh a Visa?

A recent buzz among tweeps following Yemen news has been the issue of Honorary President Ali Abdullah Saleh's plans to travel to the US. In a Press conference, Saleh declared that he is fine and doesn't need any medical treatment, he plans to travel to the US to be away from Yemen during the elections. (An election with one presidential nominee, since the parliament with 80 members present only decided to close presidential nominations and recommended Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi as the only candidate!) When asked asked later on, in the same Press conference, by a reporter why he would be going to the US, he replied that he would be going for medical tests and possibly undergo some surgery.

Just as confusing as his remarks was also the confusion regarding whether he was granted a visa to the US or not. @gregorydjohnsen tweeted:

NY Times editorial board says give Salih a visa nyti.ms/tmSE1M Washington Post says no visa wapo.st/sa8ep0 #Yemen

The US State Department's official account on Twitter clarified that the request was still being reviewed:
@StateDept:

Despite contrary reports, US is still considering Pres. #Saleh's request to enter US for sole purpose of seeking medical treatment. #Yemen

A US presidential official said that Yemen's president Saleh could be granted entry to US but only for “legitimate medical treatment”. And many US editorials were justifying the reasons and perhaps paving the way for the State Department granting him access to the US, while a few highlighted how this could damage the US' image.

@alruwaishan tweeted the Atlantic's point of view:

Why Obama Shouldn't Let #Yemen's President Come to the U.S. - The Atlanticbit.ly/uwJlRt #Saleh via @AddThis

The article notes:

Saleh's presence in the United States would be perceived as confirmation that he is America's man, and was remaining so no matter how much he had been rejected by his own countrymen. The United States would thus share in whatever opprobrium or hatred was directed at the former strongman. Any suspicion that Saleh was continuing to manipulate events in Yemen from afar would be accompanied by the belief that the United States was intentionally letting him do so. These perceptions would foster the image of the United States being on the wrong side of the popular tide that is the Arab Spring.

@WomanfromYemen, a Yemeni/American activist living in Yemen, tweeted her objection to Saleh's visit:

its hard for me to say im against any person receiving medical treatment even if it's a dictator, but (1/2) #yemen

For #saleh it appears not necessarily about medical treatment (that he can get anywhere else) but to save face & flex muscles (2/2) #yemen

@YemenPeaceNews tweeted:

Height of irony: US officials admit to being duped by Saleh on AQAP intel, and at the same time they're validating his visa request. 1/2

What Atlantic and NYT miss: moving Saleh to US as a free man, w Ahmad Ali and other kids still in #Yemen , would NOT improve situation. 2/2

Many Yemenis say the US doesn't care about democracy in Yemen and that it stands firmly behind the brutal regime and Saleh and that all the State Department statements stating otherwise are mere rhetoric.

@Snemyllas, a supporter of Yemen's revolution from the Netherlands, tweeted what many Yemeni strongly felt:

@Yemen4Change @weddady @JNovak_Yemen It shows #US doesn't give a damn about Yemenis, that's what counts. The ICC should be his destiny.

@Yemen4Change, a Yemeni/American living in the US, tweeted:

@Snemyllas The #US is trying to repaint its image n the MiddleEast & granting #Saleh visa is step backward 4 the #US @weddady @JNovak_Yemen

@SummerNasser, a Yemeni/American activist living in the US who also rejects the visit, tweeted news reports on what could be the consequences of the visit:

U.S. decision on #Yemen risks worsening violence edition.cnn.com/2011/12/27/wor…

Yemeni-Americans or Yemenis living in the United States who have been brutalized by the Yemeni regime are in the process of filing a civil suit against Saleh said @alruwaishan:

Group Seeks to Bring Lawsuit Against #Yemen’s President When He Visits #USA for Medical Treatment undispatch.com/group-seeks-to… #Saleh

Mauritanian activist Naser @weddady says it all in his tweets:

Let's put it this way: Saleh is the last guest the US needs, lawsuit-prone, walking security risk, and a moral nightmare. #NoVisaForAli

A final question worth answering, had Mubarak, Gaddafi, or Bashar Al Assad requested a visa during the turmoil and killings going on in Egypt, Libya or Syria, would the White House have considered letting them visit the US, even if under medical grounds? I am sure the answer would be NO! Why is it any different when in comes to Saleh or Yemen?!

* This post was first published in Global Voices on Dec 30th, 2011

The Amazing Life March

Yemen's revolutionaries are not deterred nor did they give up on their demands despite the signing of the strongly rejected Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative proposed in April and finally signed by Saleh on November 23rd, providing a so called mechanism for him to “relinquish” power. They went out on a 264km march on foot from the city of Taiz in the south to the capital Sanaa in the north to send a message to the world, the UN, US, the GCC and Saleh that they reject the newly formed unity government and are determined to demand that Saleh, who was granted immunity from prosecution for his involvement in an 11-month crackdown on protesters demanding democracy, gets punished for his crimes.

@marimehdi tweets how the martyrs are never forgotten:

#LifeMarch #Taiz2Sanaa ppl r marchin on a distance of 260km 4 tell da world they can't forget their martyrs as #GCCdeal & Saleh wants #Yemen

James Gurdan points in his blog The Trench the protesters' view:

“These GCC states are not at all competent to deal with popular requests for liberty and freedom, not to mention democratic government, because they themselves are mostly despotic regimes,” observed Yemen’s Coordinating Council of the Youth Revolution of Change (CCYRC). “They themselves would never welcome such requests from their own people, let alone be ready to accommodate such demands by people in neighboring states.”

The Life March continues to Sanaa. Photo credit: The Life March Blog

The march includes men, women and even a few handicapped, reportedly seems to have started with 700 men and 18 women. It left Taiz on foot on December 20th and passed by many villages and towns. Along the way, the marchers were greeted by fireworks and cheered by chants, welcomed and offered shelter and food and joined in each city by protesters on their way to Sanaa, swelling their numbers.

@Abe_Alansy proudly tweets:

Very proud of my people, Yemeni People are showing the world powerful examples of peaceful struggle. #Yemen #LifeMarch #SupportYemen

@wsaqaf adds:

Life March of 260km+ from #Taiz to #Sanaa a reminder of resilience & perseverance of #Yemen people. Proud of being a #Yemeni!

This video posted by Almobdieen shows the march as it left the city of Taiz on the 20th of December.

@crazyyafai tweets:

#Lifemarch left #Taiz knowing many dangerous routes & terrain land & undeveloped roads ahead of them but freedom couldn't stop them. #Yemen

This next video posted by Almobdieen shows the difficult terrain from Taiz to Ibb:

The procession also includes a kitchen and medical unit. However, generous banquets of breakfasts, lunches and dinners were offered in each city they stopped in, as shown in this video, also posted by Almobdieen:

The impressive march and powerful chants on the outskirts of the city of Dhamar, half way en route to Sanaa from Taiz, shows the resilience and power of the people. This feeling is captured in this video posted by moathdamar:

The people of Yemen proved to be people of resilience and steadfastness and keep impressing the world with their civil peaceful resistance in their struggle for freedom, democracy and building a new Yemen.

An impressed and hopeful @Dilmunite tweeted:

You people will have trouble believing it… but #Yemen might be one of the star surprises of this year, against all odds. #LifeMarch

As impressive as the march has been yet there has been a disappointing and evident lack of media coverage to the historic 264km Life March, which is the longest since Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March in 1930 which was 390km long.

@Yemen4Change wonders:

How come #LifeMarch is NOT being covered the way it should? #Yemen

..while @wsaqaf tweets in dismay:

Shameful Arab & Intl #media blackout of the ‘Life March' of #Yemen protestors crossing 260km+ walking from #Taiz to #Sanaa

Blake Hounshell @blakehounshell Managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine tweets:

Tens of thousands of Yemenis marched peacefully from Taiz to Sanaa — 260 kilometers — and got zero coverage. #LifeMarch

Yemeni are heroically writing their own history and are making sure that the world gets to see it while it is written despite the mainstream media blackout throughout the revolution, with the use of social media, such as blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Storify and, of course, Twitter.

@NasserMaweri tweets:

Let's all participate in the #LifeMarch by covering every event in it..No media coverage so let's keep #LifeMarch alive on #Twitter. #Yemen

@NajlaMo posted on her blog an update of the first three days of Life March here.

And @NotUntilHeFalls blogged also about the March of Life here.

@Abe_Alansy uses Storify to curate the story. The link is available here.

And finally, this is my Storify version of the march: The Amazing March of Life #Lifemarch.

Adel Mozip @shabadel set up an interactive map and website to follow the Life March:

A page documenting and following #LifeMarch in REAL-TIME & Interactive @Google Mapbit.ly/LifeMarch or lifemarch.supportyemen.org !!

After four days of walking a route full of steep mountain paths and difficult curves, a usually dangerous drive by car, the march of tens od thousands finally reached Sanaa today, December 24th. (video posted by: FreeDomTaiz)

The protesters were greeted with chants from the people of the capital and with security forces' heavy tear gas and live bullets who tried to disperse and stall their procession from reaching Change square. A number of deaths, the first victim a woman shot in the head, and some serious injuries were reported and the numbers keept increasing reaching 13 deaths by the end of the day.

@NajlaMo tweeted:

So far 2 killed and several wounded, some are trapped and some are kidnapped. #LifeMarch #Yemen

@wsaqaf wonders until when will the world turn a blind eye on Yemen:

At least 2 protesters in #Yemen's #LifeMarch killed today by Saleh forces & world remains silent

The march pumped life into Yemen's ongoing revolution and gave many Yemeni lots of hope and pride. It is a fine example of passive resistance and of Yemeni resilience and steadfastness.

* This post was first published in Global Voices on December 24th 

Karamah Has No Walls

Friday March 18th  is a very tragic day in Yemen's history, a date that is engraved in every Yemeni's memory, better known as Friday of Karamah, i.e Friday of Dignity. It marked a turning point in Yemen's revolution, the point of no return. Around 50 protesters were killed and close to 100 were reportedly injured according to witnesses and medical staff. The police had built a wall and filled it with tires and petrol and after Friday prayer immediately they set it on flames to block the protesters as Saleh's supporters posted on rooftops, allies and houses opened fire on the massive march and caused an unprecedented atrocious and brutal bloodshed. On that day many people, statesmen, diplomats, and soldiers defected and joined the revolution.

"I went to the front of the mosque & rather than seeing people pray I saw bodies", said a cameraman recounting what he saw on that day.

The tragic events of Friday of Karamah was greatly captured through the lens of three cameramen and recounts of eyewitnesses, in a powerful documentary appropriately called "Karamah Has No Walls." It is a collaborative work of Yemeni youth from the heart of Sanaa's Change Square, which successfully conveys to the viewer the emotions, fears and calamity of that bloody day. It is a profound humanitarian message that reflects the enormity of the plight, the magnitude of the suffering and the dimension of the sacrifices of the Yemeni revolution. It also resonates the resolute, steadfast and commitment of all Yemenis to the revolution and it's demands. Above all it is a powerful incriminating piece of evidence documenting one of the regimes' many brutal atrocities & crimes against humanity.

I had the privilege to watch the documentary and although I was not in change square on that day, nor in Yemen for that matter, I was transfered by the forceful images and felt very much present. The powerful documentary was emotionally overwhelming. It left me with a lump in my throat, a sharp pain in my heart and tears in my eyes. I pray for the martyrs who sacrificed their dear life on that day inorder for the rest of us to live a dignified life. Indeed dignity has no limits and it certainly has no walls. I congratulate, salute and thank the wonderful team that was behind this great production, especially my friend Sara Ishaq. "Karamah Has No Walls" is an outstanding documentary that recounts the story of the day that changed Yemen. It is a humanitarian outcry of Yemen's revolution that must to be heard and needs to be screened in every city of the world.

Related links:

Karamah Has No Walls Official Website

Karamah Had No Walls Facebook Page

Taiz is Bleeding

The 'Taiz is bleeding' poster

Yemen's third largest city Taiz has been the throbbing heart of the Yemeni revolution and for the past few months has also become its bleeding heart, especially since President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces intensified their violent attacks on the city since May 26, 2011. That day is known as the Taiz Massacre, when Freedom Square was attacked and protesters' tents in the sit-in area were set on fire resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Taiz has since become known as the city of resilience.

NajlaMo acknowledges that in her tweet:

Thank you #Taiz for starting and (will finish) what we should have started many years ago, you are the brave city and so is ur ppl. #Yemen

The revolution in Yemen continues despite the inking of the unpopular Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered deal. Marches still continue as forceful as ever, rejecting the deal, demanding the fall of the regime and Saleh's prosecution.

Nothing changed for the city of Taiz after the signing of the GCC initiative, on November 23, as the attacks on the city intensified and the indiscriminate shelling on the residential areas by Saleh's forces has continued.

According to the deal, all military forces would be withdrawn from the streets of the cities and retire to their barracks once a military committee is formed within five days of signing the initiative. This has not been the case. On the contrary, more military reinforcement are reported to have reached the city, an explicit breech to the deal.

The deal also calls upon Saleh to step down and transfer power to Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

This video posted by FreeDomTaiz shows the intensity of the violent attacks that Taiz is enduring every night for the past months:

The resilient people of Taiz shelled overnight, go out the very next morning in marches to condemn the violence they face daily, which destroys their homes, kills their loved ones and terrorizes their children. They take to the streets to express their steadfastness and commitment to the revolution. They chant “Taiz is free and will not kneel, even if a thousand cannons were fired.” (video posted by taizcitynet)

The following two videos show the attacks on the city even in broad daylight (both posted bymediacentersanaa):

Meanwhile, Yemeni activist Atiaf Alwazir raises a valid point highlighting the continued violence despite the signing of the deal and asks what are the ramifications of such a breech:

@womanfromYemen:

due to violence in #Taiz, will the #UN seek sanctions against violators of #GCC mechanism or seek a ban on military supplies to #Yemen ?

The GCC deal is perceived by many as a “License to Kill” for Saleh and his forces.@SupportBahrainRights expressed this in his tweets:

@WomanfromYemen GCC deal has legitimized crimes against humanity in #Yemen. @noonarabia @summernasser @Afrahnasser #Taiz #UN #No2GCCdeal

and @FahdAqlan adds:

In #Taiz .. nobody has immunity to be killed .. except the killers !! #Yemen #No2GCCDeal

@alruwaishan also criticizes the GCC deal and the West's silence towards the violence in Taiz. He tweets:

The West doesn't want to help, the GCC and it's deal are worthless, and the media is oblivious. #Taiz is burning.

@Ulfat points out:

How are #GCC responding to failure of initiative? If they're not condemning violence in #Taiz, they never intended it to succeed. #Yemen

She raises a question to two official UN Twitter accounts:

@UN_Spokesperson @UN_HRC All twitter reports out of #Taiz today indicate the violence is ongoing. What's your position on this? #Yemen

@bajaberyemen tweets the latest figures as reported by Yemeni local paper Yemen Post on December 3rd:

Death Toll Rises to 28 in Three Days in #Taiz #Yemen yemenpost.net/Detail12345678…

AinYemenEng tweets the total deaths since the GCC deal was signed:

#Yemen Ain News: Since the signing in Riyadh: 33 martyrs and more than 152 wounded since the signing of the gulf… fb.me/U0Ap9ksS

Currently, the formation of the unity government is pending the formation of the military committee, yet Saleh once again objects to the members chosen by the JMP (Joint Meeting Parties) to be part of the military committee.

@alguneid a Yemeni veteran activist, based in Taiz tweets the reason for the delay:

#Yemen won't have a cabinet till Opposition & Saleh side agree on Military Committee. Saleh, objects to #JMPs nominees akhbaralyom.net/news_details.p…

He @alguneid adds:

Hadi: Won't form Military committee, till opposition forms cabinet. Opposition: Won't form cabinet till Hadi forms committee.You're in #Yemen

While the politicians disagree and the military continue their attack on the city, civil society attempts to play a vital role to save the civilians being targeted. Activists in Yemen are organizing a Support Taiz Caravan loaded with medical supplies, which will include MPs that represent the city, as well as youth and foreign journalists. Donations within Yemen and abroad are being collected to support the besieged city of Taiz.

@YemenPeaceNews explains:

Donations for #SupportTaizCaravan starting to roll in. You too can help us save lives!bit.ly/nTCPem #SupportYemen #Yemen #Taiz #yf

Journalist Jeb Boone sums up the GCC deal in his blog. He articulates his point by highlighting what needs to be done:

For true change to take place in Yemen, both the old guard of day to day politics and the military must be removed, especially members of Saleh’s family. His party, the General People’s Congress, still holds the majority of parliament and may continue to do so after elections with the presence of Saleh loyalist able to make small tweaks to election results. Yemen must start fresh. Like Egypt and the NDP, Yemen’s GPC should be dissolved to allow for a new parliamentarian structure to be built from the ground up. Most importantly, the sons of a deposed dictator must no longer hold sway over the nation’s military. Unless policymakers in the US, EU, GCC, and UN are willing to help Yemenis dislodge Saleh’s presence from the country entirely, his power will be only nominally diminished.

Saleh's family still control the military, which is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians. The GCC deal did not change anything on the ground. The revolution continues through the peaceful marches across Yemen and so does the violence on civilians by Saleh's forces in many Yemeni cities. Yet Taiz seems to be paying the heaviest price. Tweeps have used the hashtags #Savetaiz and#TaizIsBleeding to draw attention to the city's tribulation.

@A_Al3ansy: sends an appeal through a picture saying ‘Taiz is under fire, stop the violence on it.”

#SaveTaiz #Taiz #Yemen #SupportYemen pic.twitter.com/qbF5CHNV

Image by @A_Al3nsy

* This post was first published in Global Voices on Dec 4th, 2011