16 February 2010

Yemen: URGENT - Azam Hassan enters an open-ended hunger strike

Yemeni prisons and detention centers are filled with hundreds of detainees who have no idea when they will be released or even if they will ever be tried. Many of these prisoners were either arrested on suspicion or often with no reason at all, as the Yemeni authorities continue to use loosely defined anti-terrorism laws to arbitrarily detain suspects in the fight against the so-called "War on Terror". Alkarama's most recent case involves Azam Hassan, detained since late October 2007, and who has been on a hunger strike since 25 January 2010 in protest of his deteriorating state of health.

Arrested by Political Security services in Al-Mansoura on 20 October 2007, Azam Hassan was then directly transferred to the Political Security Department in Al-Tawahi. Following his release after his original arrests in 2005 and 2006, Azam Hassan was made to sign monthly statements at the Political Security Department headquarters in Al-Mansoura and was subsequently arrested on such an occasion in October 2007.

Much like thousands of other detainees in Yemen, Azam Hassan has never been presented before a judge nor been subject to any form of judicial proceedings. Since he began his hunger strike, his ailing mother has also taken part in the hunger strike, in solidarity with her son, and is now bedridden after suffering an aneurysm.

Alkarama calls upon the Yemeni authorities to release Azam Hassan and to release or bring to justice all those Yemeni prisoners held without trial or legal proceedings.

Yemen - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Accessed on 09.02.1987
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Due on 30.03.2015 (6th)
Last concluding observations: 23.04.2012

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 05.11.1991
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Overdue since 14.05.2014 (3rd)
Last concluding observations: 17.12.2009

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 01.2014 (2nd cycle)
Next review: -

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

No