The UN Mission's country visit to Yemen comes at a time at which most of the country's main cities witness large-scale protests demanding justice, freedom, reforms of the system of government, as well as the end of tyranny and corruption.

Rachid Mesli, the legal director of Alkarama's Geneva office stated that: "The organization's office in Yemen has during the past weeks within a large group of lawyers and jurists participated in the preparation of a legal dossier, which has been submitted to the UN Mission and which contains lists of names of the victims of the deadly and systematic repression that the regime of the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh exercises against the peaceful demonstrators. These lists are further supported by official documents, photos and video clips."

He added that "during the process of observing and gathering information the legal dossier has been prepared in accordance to professional standards, as well as under the supervision of several local organizations, led by the Hud organization, the local partner of Alkarama. The dossier contains documentation of the regime's crimes against the peaceful demonstrators for the time period between 01 February and 01 June 2011."

Mr. Mesli expressed his hopes that the dossier will contribute to the disclosure of many facts that the general international opinion is still not aware of, especially in regard to the human rights situation in Yemen and the popular uprising that the country is witnessing. Mr. Mesli further stated that this uprising is part of developments that are currently taking place in the whole Arab region following the spring revolutions for freedom and justice.

The Mission is scheduled to end its country visit to Yemen on 06 July and will present a report on the findings of its visit to the Human Rights Council at its next session in September, including appropriate recommendations to the responsible authorities in Yemen and the international community.

The dossier, which Alkarama helped preparing, contains detailed information about the victims, including photos and video clips documenting the regime's crimes against the peaceful protestors, as well as a preliminary report about the crimes against humanity committed by President Saleh's regime. The report refers to a whole set of infringes upon human rights, among others extrajudicial killings, torture, detention and enforced disappearances, as well as attacks on medical personnel, etc.

The preliminary report asserts that the security services of the Yemeni Ministry of Interior (Criminal Investigation, General Security and Central Security) and the National Security Agency, supported by the Republican Guard, carried out brutal assaults against the protestors in 17 Yemeni governorates and cities, with Sanaa, Ta'izz, Aden, Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah, Al-Mukalla, Al-Bayda' and the Abyan governorate being the most affected.