1st Armored Brigade, Islah violations against independent demonstrators continue

By Zaid al-Alaya’a

Source: Yemen Observer

Complains and denouncement of the 1st  Armored Brigade violations against demonstrators in the University area continue forums in the change square expressed their concern over these breaches of the defected army breaches against young and independent demonstrators. e and many f

Preparatory Committee for Revolutionary Forum express concern over continued abuses against them by the Armored Brigade. In a statement, the committee said that a military vehicle carrying plate number (1397) has intercepted on Wednesday, October 5, at al-Ribat street Mustafa Mansour, member of the political committee of the  Forum and member Hamza al-Muta’, beating them and firing live munitions on them.

Hamza has been seriously wounded on the shoulder and thigh and was rushed to the intensive care where he under went an operation. 

In other two separate incidents that happed last week, the soldiers of the 1st  Armored Brigade have also intercepted two young men from the Coalition of Youth Resilience Forum of al-Houthi loyalists started beating them on charges of belonging to the al-Houthis. The Brigade had also taken one of the young men to the Islah Party’s headquarter for interrogation, read the statement.

The recent attack included tearing signs carrying slogans of the Youth Resilience Forum as well as another incident in which a sign containing the martyr Jarralah Omer’s photograph has been torn. The Preparatory committee condemned the attacks and demanded an explanation for the contentious actions of the 1st  Armored Brigade and the Islah Party, asking them for controlling their elements and the prevention of further abuses for the sake of the unity of the revolutionaries. 

The Change Square’s organizational committee has demanded the formation of an independent revolutionary committee for enquiry, or they reserve the right for taking the appropriate responses.

Some prisoners that were in jail of the 1st  Armored Brigade said that there other elderly citizens still being held in the Science and Technology hospital and in detentions belonging to the 1st  Armored Brigade and the “Islah Party”, - the Muslim Brotherhood of Yemen. 

Rights groups have express concern over the abuses practiced by the 1^st Armored Brigade officers and soldiers, following the formation of a military council who is suspected of ordering the arrest of journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khiwani who was kidnapped and punished for allegation of breaking away from the group.

Young people in the change Square say that several of their fellows were injured. .

Hood organization has said that it received complaints of abuse from the protesters because of their activities in the sit in area, the last of them being firing in the air to disperse the young people who were gathering in front of VP’ house.

The Change council has also condemned the abuse and called all revolutionary forces to support the protests in the sixty street because it is an extension to the Change square, calling the prosecution to carry out  an inquiry  and  send those responsible to justice.  

Hood, the National Authority for Defending Rights and Freedoms condemned the incident considering it as a violation to peaceful gathering, adding that it is a disgrace for the army units who announced their support to the revolution, however the repeated 1st Brigade’s attacks against the protestors questions their attitude of whether they have joined the youth for supporting or crushing them. Skeptical attitudes aroused in terms of questions of the think-tank Abdulbari Taher who wondered whether the Brigade had joined the youth for protecting them or using them as human shields.

Residents of the al-Jamia’ area and areas next to Change square have called on Arab and International  civil societies, to protect them against the live munitions of the 1st Brigade and the Islah elements, citing the continuous, kidnapping, arrest and killing of their sons. They have made several marches and sent messages to the EU, UN and Saudi Arabia complaining of the JMP extremist’s abuses.