Yemen MPs pass emergency laws

Ruling party in Sana’a assembly backs President Saleh’s move to suspend constitution, ban protests and allow tougher powers of arrest Yemen’s parliament has enacted sweeping emergency laws after the embattled president asked for new powers of arrest, detention and censorship to quash a popular uprising demanding he step down. The move significantly escalates the showdown between US-backed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and the movement that has unified military commanders, religious leaders and protesting youth behind demands that he quit immediately. The law suspends the constitution, allows media censorship, bans street protests and gives security forces 30 days of far-reaching powers to arrest and detain suspects. Its adoption was a virtual certainty because Saleh’s ruling party dominates the 301-seat legislature. The accelerating conflict has raised fears that Yemen could be pushed into even greater instability. Rival factions of the military have deployed tanks in the capital, Sana’a – with units commanded by Saleh’s son protecting the president’s palace, and units loyal to a top dissident commander protecting the protesters. Saleh, who has worked closely with a US offensive against the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, has already dramatically stepped up the crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, with his security forces shooting dead more than 40 protesters on Friday in Sana’a. On Tuesday he offered to quit by the year’s end, but the opposition rejected his offer. He also warned of civil war following the defection of senior army commanders to the opposition. Tribal leaders, diplomats, politicians, provincial governors and newspaper editors have also joined the opposition. Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years, has also called for a dialogue with the leaders of the youth movements leading the protests at a central Sana’a square which has become the movement’s centre. The defection on Monday of Major-General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a high-level regime insider who commands the army’s powerful 1st armoured division, has been seen by many as a major turning point towards a potentially rapid end for Saleh. Clashes broke out late on Monday between Saleh’s republican guard and dissident army units in the far east of the country. On Tuesday, republican guard tanks surrounded an important air base in the western Red Sea coastal city of Hodeida after its commander, Colonel Ahmed al-Sanhani, a member of Saleh’s own clan, defected to the opposition. The turmoil raised alarm bells in Washington. The US defence secretary, Robert Gates, said during a trip to Russia that “instability and diversion of attention” from dealing with al-Qaida was a “primary concern about the situation”. He refused to discuss whether Saleh should step down. Yemen Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Human rights Censorship Protest guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.