This Thursday Human Rights Watch, a prominent rights organization, called on the Yemeni government to launch an investigation into last Sunday's events, when 13 Zaidi militants were gunned down by the authorities in the capital,
Sana'a after they tried to take by storm the Intelligence Agency headquarters.
The Houthis, a former Zaidi rebel group based in the northern province of Sa'ada now going by the name of Ansar Allah (the Party of God) marched on Sunday in Sana'a, demanding the immediate release of several of their men, all currently sitting in jail.
HRW said the group had hoped that the release of 17 political prisoners earlier this month following much public pressure would prompt the government to show lenience in their case as well.
Faced with a resounding no from the presidential palace, demonstrators turned violent. Eye witnesses recalled that far from being spontaneous, the attack against Yemen Intelligence Agency seemed to have been carefully planned and rehearse, with men being clearly aware of what they were doing, how, when and where.
Regardless, HRW slammed the coalition government for its lack of restraint.
“The Yemeni security forces’ brutal response to the pro-Huthi demonstration suggests that President Hadi’s security reforms have had little impact,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW Middle East and North Africa director . “It is now up to the government to show that it can conduct a serious inquiry into this deadly episode and prosecute all those responsible for unlawful deaths and injuries," she added.
Protesters already complained to HRW they suffered unjust and cruel treatment by the hands of the authorities, recalling the arrival of armored vehicles to break up their march. The security services used water cannons and tear gas under the crowd, technics men said are reminiscent of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's repressive crowd control tactics.
“We yelled out our basic human rights of free speech and the right to gather, and then said that we would not leave until the 10 prisoners were released,” a protester told HRW. He added, “I saw them, some in uniform and some in plain clothes, shooting protesters in the head and chest."
Video footage shot by a protester and posted on YouTube shows some protesters reacting to the shooting and water cannons, by throwing rocks and lighting fires with kerosene and gasoline in the square in front of the NSB headquarters.
Contradictory statements are already emerging on the events of the day with state officials claiming that security forces opened fire after protesters attacked the building with automatic weapons and grenades in an attempt to storm it, while protesters allege they were shoot at while trying to help the injured. Others recalled soldiers chasing protesters out of the square and down various alleyways, following some into a neighborhood graveyard and then firing at them with handguns.
With dozens of Houthis militants now in prison since Sunday, security experts have warned against yet another show down between the Houthis' militia and the government forces, an escalation of violence which could jeopardize political negotiations.
A Houthi spokesperson said Sunday evening that 24 protesters were in custody, but the current number could not be confirmed. "Yemeni authorities should ensure that any protesters still in detention are treated humanely and released if not promptly charged, "Human Rights Watch said, reminding Yemen officials of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officers state that law enforcement officials “shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms… In the dispersal of assemblies that are unlawful but non-violent, law enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, where that is not practicable, shall restrict such force to the minimum extent necessary.” Law enforcement officials should not use firearms against persons “except in self-defense or defense of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury.”
“The government owes it to the families of the dead and injured to conduct a credible investigation into this incident,” Whitson said. “This is an important test that will bear on Yemen’s future as a rights-respecting country.”
President Hadi issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that an investigative commission had been set up to look into the events.
Government sources told HRW that President Hadi had ordered on Wednesday for all remaining detainees to be release and all wounded protesters to be transported to Jordan at the government's cost for treatment.