The detained youth were captured in December 2011, during the uprising against ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011. But their whereabouts were unknown for eight months. In August 2012, they surfaced in the Political Security Organization prison in the capital Sanaa and were later transferred to Sanaa Central Prison.

Yemeni tweeps launched a hashtag in English #FreedetainedRevyouth and in Arabic #الحرية_لمعتقلي_الثورة
. The Arabic hashtag translates to Freedom to the Detainees of the Revolution.

Atiaf Alwazir tweeted:

‏@WomanfromYemen: In #Yemen, while opposition parties got to power b/c of the revolution, some revolutionary #youth remain in prison #FreeDetainedRevYouth

Marwan Almuraisy wrote:

@almuraisy: Who can believe that 22 of the amazing young people who gave us sole of freedom still detained in prisons since 2yrs?! #FreeDetainedRevYouth

I noted:

@NoonArabia: In #Yemen, while those who killed & looted the country are free & enjoy immunity, the revolutionary youth are in prison #FreeDetainedRevYouth

Waleed Al- ammari added [ar]:

@waleedpro
الان عدد من شباب الثورة ينضمون الى الاعتصام في السجن المركزي حتى يتم الإفراج عن جميع شباب الثورة
#اليمن

A number of youth are joining a sit-in in front of Sanaa's central prison demanding the release of all the youth from the revolution

Yemen's Human Rights minister, Hooreya Mashhoor, joined 20 other leading youth activists who went on hunger strike and a sit-in on Saturday, June 1, at the central prison compound in Sanaa in solidarity with the detained young men.

Yemen's Human Rights Minister Hooreya Mashhoor joining the youth activists who went on hunger strike and a sit-in to demand the release dozens of activists held at the central prison compound in Sanaa.

In a video recorded phone conversation with the minister of Interior (posted by Mohammed Al-Yemeni on Youtube) Ms. Hooreya Mashhoor confirmed her commitment to free the detained youth. She told the minister “I am not a decor minister, I am a minister of the revolution who came from the squares.”

President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi demanded 48 hours for consultations with the cabinet and his advisers to resolve the matter.

Waleed Al-ammary tweeted in dismay:

@waleedpro:
معتقلون لاكثر من17500ساعة الرئيس هادي يطلب تمديد اعتقالهم 48 ساعة أخرى خارج اطار القانون
#FreeDetainedRevYouth
#الحرية_لمعتقلي_الثورة

Detained for more than 17,500 hours of President Hadi asked to extend their detention another 48 hours outside the framework of the law #FreeDetainedRevYouth

A cabinet decision in June 26, 2012, had ordered the release of all political prisoners detained in 2011, as well as anyone abducted that year who turned up in prisons and was never charged. In March, President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, also issued a decree ordering the release of those detained during the revolution. The Attorney General, Ali Ahmed Nasser al-Awash, a remnant from the Saleh era and a loyalist, kept ignoring those orders. Finally, on June 5, 2013, President Hadi ordered the attorney general to immediately release 19 of the 22 detainees, who were on hunger strike. Yet the Attorney General cleared the release of only 17 of the detainees and kept the remaining 2 for “allegedly” suspicion of involvement in an attack on former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the June 2011, in Nahdeen Mosque.

Activists accused the Attorney General of illegally keeping the remaining two detainees as a political bargaining chip to use them against the case of “Friday of Karamah” massacre in which former president Saleh and his men were accused of killing 52 protesters. They called for his dismissal using the hashtag #أقيلوا_النائب_العام and organized a march on June 5th to his office to close it down.

(video uploaded by محبة اليمن)

Activist and photojournalist Al Sharani Faroq tweeted:

@faroqperss:
إقالة الأعوش من اجل سيادةالقرارات الرئاسية. #أقيلوا_النائب_العام #الحرية_لمعتقلي_الثورة” #FreeDetainedRevYouth #Yemen

Dismiss Alawash for the rule of presidential decrees, dismiss the Attorney General.

This morning, June 6th, Photo Journalist Yusra Ahmed tweeted:

@YusraAlA
17 detainees released this morning.. congrats.. rest r still in central prison #FreeDetainedRevYouth

Yemen's Revolution's Youth and supporting activists pose in front of Sanaa's central prison after their release

More photos can be seen on photographer Nadia Abdullah's Facebook Album here.

Al-Ammary tweeted:

@waleedpro: إصرار النائب العام على عدم الإفراج عن ابراهيم الحمادي وشعيب البعجري يثبت ان الهدف ليس قضية النهدين وانما الثورة
#الحرية_لمعتقلي_الثوره

Attorney General's insistence on not releasing Ibrahim Al Hammadi and Shoaib Bajeri prove that the objective is not the case of the Nahdayn mosque, but the revolution

Many Yemenis are frustrated for the absence of law in Yemen, more so due to the apparent power struggle between President Hadi and Former president Saleh loyalists who do not comply to or execute presidential orders. Five revolutionary youth are still detained in Sanaa and 17 in Hajjah's prison and activist vow not to stop until they are all released.

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Alaa Isam, an activist and blogger from Aden, tweeted about the crime:

@AlaaIsam: Escorts to #tribal sheikh from Islah Party kill 2 young people from #Aden in one of the streets of #Sanaa #SouthYemen @hrw #NDCYE #YF #Yemen

Naji Alkadi tweeted:

@NajiAlkaladi: #pic of the two #Aden-is who were killed in #Sanaa city by a tribal sheikh escorts #Yemen @hrw pic.twitter.com/RQDdAb225M

He sarcastically tweeted a warning image [ar]:

@NajiAlkaladi
Be careful !
a tribal sheikh
! beside you
نطالب وزارة الداخلية في #اليمن
بوضع التحذيرات على سيارات المشايخ
#Yemen pic.twitter.com/THzbYwOwoK

We request the ministry of Interior in Yemen to put this warning on cars belonging to sheikhs

A sign waring other drivers, reads in Arabic “Beware, an armed sheikh on board” (Photo shared by @NajiAlkaladi)

Mohammed Fadhl a Yemeni who lives in Malaysia, tweeted [ar]:

‏@M_aljaal: #الشعب_في_مواجهة_المشائخ #اليمن #Yemen
من اجل هولاء وغيرهم الكثيرون
نعم ليمن بلا همجية وعنجهية pic.twitter.com/XnJg1jgZcX

The people facing tribal sheikhs, Yemen, for these and more others, yes to a Yemen without barbarism and arrogance

A poster demanding justice for the two killed youth. It reads in Arabic” nobody is above the law.” (photo shared by @M_aljaal

The National Dialogue Conference members hung their meeting for two consecutive days to protest the cold blooded murder of the youth caused by one of their participating members.

Adam Baron, a correspondent for several news firms, based in Yemen, tweeted:

@adammbaron:
Today, @ndcye was shut down early in protest of the deaths of 2 youths allegedly killed by the son of sheikh ali abdo rabbu al-awadhi #yemen

Journalist Nasser Arrabyee also tweeted:

@narrabyee: For the 2nd day, Yemen dialogue members not working to demand arrest & trial of Islamist leader's guards who killed 2 southerners n Sanaa.

Lawyer Haykal Bafana shared a cartoon by Yemeni cartoonist Rashad Alsamey, who sarcastically depicted the police's reaction to the murder of the two youth:

@BaFana3: Welcome to the “same old” #Yemen : Sanaa wedding convoy murders -”No, no. Thank God, the sheikh is safe.” v @albkyty pic.twitter.com/clvtmZXxUk

Cartoon by Rashad Alsamei reads in Arabic “There is nothing sir, these are just some youth the sheikh killed…no, no thank God, the sheikh is fine” (Photo shared by Ali Albikhyti

The cold blooded murder caused an outcry throughout Yemen, especially among activists who organized several protests in Sanaa and Aden to condemn the crime and demand justice for the families of the victims and put an end to sheikhs literally getting away with murder. Yemen is a tribal society and tribal sheikhs have a special social status and have been given rights and protection by the government. Many have exploited this privilege. Carrying weapons and being escorted by guards is also part of the tribal trait. Both are privileges which the youth are strongly fighting against and trying hard to to stir Yemen away from these practices in their aspiration for a civil state where everyone is safe and equal under the law.

Rasha Jarhum, a Yemeni human rights activist, who is based in Lebanon, said:

@rrj_934: We wanted a civil state, the revolution 2 yrs later z a joke, our youth r being killed by savages entourage of idiot sheikhs #yemen

She urged [ar]:

@rrj_934: اصمت اليوم ستكون الضحية غداً.. من اجل العدالة لقضية الشهيدين حسن وخالد.. نطالب بالقبض عن المجرمين #اليمن pic.twitter.com/YnaxmubXfE

Be silent today and you will be the victim tomorrow .. justice for the case of martyrs Hassan and Khalid.. we demand arresting the criminals

Yemen's Human Rights minister, Hooria Mashhour tweeted demanding the rule of law over tribal authority:

‏@Hooria_Mashhour: Tribes should not replace and/or function like the State Authorities to fulfill our dreams of building #CivilizedYemen

An organized protest march called the “Justice march for Hassan and Khalid” was held in the capital Sanaa, last Thursday, May 23rd, to condemn the brutal murder and demand justice for the families of the slain youth. Hana Alshowafi, a young activist who participated in the protest, tweeted a photo:

‏@Hanaalshowafi: #صورة من المسيرة الاحتجاجية المطالبة بتسليم قتلة #حسن_أمان و #خالد_الخطيب. #ٍصنعاء #اليمن
ذنبهما أن تجاوزا موكب #شيخ pic.twitter.com/7nqeM5nGtf

A photo from the protest march demanding handing in the murderers of #Hassan_Amman and #Khaled_Alkhateeb, their fault is that they over-took a convoy

A protest in Sanaa against the murder of the two youth, demanding the arrest of their murderers and handing them to justice. (photo shared by: @Hanaalshowafi)

Among the chants in the protest as tweeted by Hanan were:”hey civility where are you, where are you .. the Sheikhdom is between me and you” and “tailor make the constitution to be fitting for.. the son of the sheikh, and the son of the official”

Activist and photographer Hamza's Shiban (@7amzoh) uploaded photos he took of the protest in an album called “Justice march for Hassan and Khaled” on his Facebook page.

Blogger and researcher Atiaf Alwazir wrote a post in her blog in which she demanded that,”No one should be above the law!“

She wrote:

The main issue here is the ease at which corrupt powerful men, tribesman or others, can kill and steal, and get away with it. No one should be above the law, not a powerful tribesman, nor a rich businessman, nor a government official. Sooner or later justice will prevail.

“We will not respond arms for arms, or blood for blood …our weapon is the power of words” said Mohammed Aman on Facebook in response to the murder of his cousin.

So lets spread his words by demanding Justice and equality, after all isn't that what the revolution and the calls for a civic state were all about?

Sheikh Alwadi suggested to settle this the tribal way by offering blood money, but the families of the victims demand justice and rightly so.

Until writing of this post the culprits have not been captured nor presented to justice.

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The country of Yemen was formerly two separate states, the Yemen Arab Republic (formerly known as North Yemen) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (formerly known as South Yemen). But after a long and arduous effort from both sides, the two were joined on May 22, 1990 into the Republic of Yemen.

But that unity was jeopardized a couple of years later when power struggles and economic marginalization of the south prompted the region to demand its secession. A bloody civil war erupted in 1994, with the north overtaking the south, where most of the fighting took place, after three months. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people were killed in the conflict, and land in the south was confiscated by the north.

The separatist sentiment remains popular in the south, and so May 22 has become a thorny date for the country. Some in the south celebrate May 21 instead, which marks the day southern leaders called for independence from the north 19 years ago.

Southern Yemen rallies on May 21, 2013 in Aden calling for separation from the North. Photo shared by Twitter user @NajiAlkaladi

Protesters this year in the major southern city of Aden chanted slogans calling for secession and waved the flag of their former republic.

Journalist Nasser Arrabyee (@narrabyee) commented on the stark split between north and south during those two days in May:

‏@narrabyee: South Yemen celebrates angrily the 19th anniversary of disunity, north celebrates 23rd anni of unity, chaos in both!

Hussain Al-Yafai (@crazyyafai), a Yemeni student who lives between the US and Yemen, tweeted a photo of the march and explained the south's reasons for independence:

@crazyyafai: South Yemenis want separation from the North because 23 years of unity have done nothing but failure for both sides. #SouthYemen #Yemen

Meanwhile, there were no unification celebrations nor the customary parade in Yemen's capital city of Sanaa this year. President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi commemorated the day of Yemen's Unification with a formal address stressing the importance of the date.

Twitter account Yemen Updates (@yemen_updates) quoted from Hadi's speech:

@yemen_updates: Prz Hadi, in his May 22 anniversary speech says, “The national dialogue is set to fix the past mistakes associated with the national unity.”

Many Yemenis and especially southerners have criticized Hadi, who is from the southern province of Abyan, for failing to take any concrete action to salvage Yemen's unity in the face of the separatist mood in the south.

Summer Nasser (@SummerNasser), a youth activist and student based in New York, criticized the president's attitude toward the south:

@SummerNasser: If Pres. Hadi cares about the unity of our country, he shouldn't turn a blind eye to the South. Simple as that. #Yemen

Map showing North Yemen (in orange) and South Yemen (in blue) before 1990. Image shared by Twitter user @Droodkin

Faisal Al Yafai (@FaisalAlYafai), a writer and columnist, tweeted a link to his latest article, published in the English-language news website The National based in the United Arab Emerites, with a piece of advice for Hadi:

@FaisalAlYafai: If Hadi wants #Yemen to remain whole, he must take the possibility of southern secession seriously http://bit.ly/16EMKGQ

In the article, he argued that Hadi's lack of leadership was making the situation worse:

At the end of last year, Mr Hadi set up a tribunal to address some of the issues of reinstatement, promising to return to southerners property seized after the 1994 civil war. But it has moved slowly, while other events – such as drone strikes by the United States – continue to inflame the south.

By not making a genuine effort to fix legitimate grievances of southerners, Mr Hadi is making his task of steering Yemen through this political transition harder

He finally warned:

Whether Mr Hadi can make such an offer – and whether he can find anyone in the south to listen, agree and deliver the deal – remains an open question.

But Mr Hadi is running out of time. Whereas at the beginning of the year, he might have found factions within [southern movement] Hirak open to dialogue on greater inclusion in a Sanaa government, now public sentiment is hardening, moving towards autonomy and more.

Sana Uqba (@Sanasiino) a Yemeni writer and speaker based in London, argued in her piece entitled “Is there a new Yemen on the horizon?” published on news website Your Middle East, that the South are not ready for Independence:

The 1990 unification of South and North promised no less than paradise for both people and both people (with the exception of the elite of course) are yet to receive this. There is absolutely no doubt in mind that Yemen as a nation was oppressed by [President of unified Yemen Ali Abdallah] Saleh’s regime. But likewise, there is absolutely no doubt in mind that the people of South Yemen have indeed been a targeted victim for the past 23 years.

She adds making her point:

Nevertheless I as a Southerner, and as many Southerners believe, this is no reason to sever a tie of brotherhood… how can one group with numerous leaders who all chant diverse slogans and have no plan possibly lead and rebuild a broken nation full of broken people?…The hurtful truth is, the South is not ready to become its own nation again and Southerners refuse to accept this.

Some northerners still refuse to acknowledge the south's grievances choose to ignore their calls for separation, and some southerners refuse to admit that both sides of Yemen were subject to bad governance under President Saleh's 33-year rule.

In order to save Yemen's fragile unity, the country needs to urgently and seriously address the secessionist cause and rectify all transgressions by the former regime. Only through serious commitment and concrete action will the unity survive.

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Activist and researcher Atiaf Alwazir wrote a blog post entitled “Reading should be a right not a privilege” highlighting the importance of education for women.
She urged:

Let us all work together to demand concrete changes, and demand from the government to bring back the literacy program that it used to implement in the past. We also must make the rights to education and health care as top political priorities in the national dialogue conference (which began on March 2013 and is scheduled to end in August 2013).

Yemen's school aged boys and girls. Photo by Arwa Othman

Activist and chairperson of the Rights and Freedoms Working Group in the National Dialogue, Arwa Othman stressed the importance of education but also added in a post on her Facebook page [ar]:

ليس فقط الحق في التعليم كما تنص مواثيق حقوق الإنسان ، بل ويجب أن أن تتضمن المناهج المدرسية في الجمهورية اليمنية ( اليمن الجديد) هذه المواثيق .. وتدرسها كمادة أساسية ، لإشاعة ثقافة حقوق الإنسان التسامح ، التعايش ، السلام ، الحرية ، المواطنة ، المساواة ، عدم التمييز ، حرية الإختلاف ، حرية المعتقد ،…الخ) أي أحترام الإنسان بعيداً عن لونه ، وجنسه ، وديانته ، ولغته ، ورأيه السياسي ، ومبادئه ..الخ ..نتمنى أن نخرج من مؤتمر الحوار بهذا النص الدستوري احتراماً لحق الأجيال ..

Not only is the right to education as stated by human rights conventions, but we must also include in the school curriculum in the Republic of Yemen (The New Yemen) these charters .. and they must be taught as a core subject to promote a human rights culture, tolerance, coexistence, peace, freedom, citizenship, equality, non-discrimination, freedom of difference, freedom of religion, etc …) i.e respecting the human being regardless of his/her color, sex, religion, language, political opinion and principles ..etc. We hope to get out of this National Dialogue Conference a constitutional text which respects the right of future generations

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All Yemenis are against terrorism and condemn Al-Qaeda, yet are also against the violent and unethical use of predator drones in combating them. We are against the death of civilians, whom you refer to as collateral damage in the war against terror. We are against the long-term effects on their communities and their lives. We are against any extrajudicial killings.

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Crowds in Aden city on the anniversary of the declaration of war on southern Yemen (Shared on Twitter via @NajiAlkaladi)

Waving flags of a country that once existed while chanting slogans of independence, thousands assembled in former capital city Aden and other cities that used to make up South Yemen on 27 April 2013, to commemorate the day the north declared war on their people and as some southerners say ”occupied” their land in 1994.

The same day, the country's chief military advisor to the President issued a personal apology on Facebook to the people in the south for all “unjust wars” declared by former President Saleh's regime.

South Yemen was an independent socialist state that united with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Republic of Yemen, with Ali Abdallah Saleh as the President of unified Yemen. In 1994, a disgruntled south Yemen demanded its secession from the north due to multiple grievances including its economic marginalization, which resulted in the north taking over south Yemen after a three-month long 1994 civil war.

General Ali Muhsin, the current Military and Security Advisor to President AbduRabu Hadi, who came to power after the Yemeni revolution which paved the for Saleh's exit in 2011, wrote in a Facebook post on his public profile [ar]:

في ذكرى حرب صيف 94 نتوجة بالاعتذار والأسف لإهلنا في جنوب اليمن شخصيا ، كما اعتذرنا لكل الأطراف في اليمن عن كل ممارسات النظام السابق من حروب ظالمة ، والاعتذار الحقيقي قدمه الشعب اليمني لنفسه حين قام بثورة سلمية قضت على طموحات التوريث التي تسببت في ظلم الكثير من ابناء الشعب اليمني جنوبه وشماله .. ون

On the anniversary of the 94 war, we send out an apology and regret to our people in the south of Yemen personally, and all ​​parties in Yemen for all practices in the forms of unjust wars by the former regime; the real apology the Yemeni people presented to themselves when they had a peaceful revolution that eliminated the aspirations of inheritance which caused a lot of injustice to the Yemeni people, both in the north and in the south.

A New York-based human rights activist with Yemeni roots Summer Nasser (@SummerNasser) tweets:

@SummerNasser Ali Mohsen apologizes to the southern people for the war through FACEBOOK. Are you kiidddinnnggg meeeee #Yemen

Twitter user Hussein Al-Yafai (@crazyyafai), a student who lives between the U.S. and Yemen tweets:

@crazyyafai: General Ali Mohsen apologized today for waging a war on #SouthYemen, we want out land and resources back not an apology.

This video uploaded by YouTube user Radfan Almokafeh ردفان المكافح [ar] shows protesters coming out on the streets to mark the nineteenth anniversary of the day the north declared war on the south  on April 27, 1994:

Al-Yafai who describes himself as a lover of human rights in Yemen adds:

@crazyyafai: On this date: April 27 1994 The northern regime declared war on #SouthYemen & turning the beautiful unity into an occupation

@crazyyafai: The results of the war were the occupation of #SouthYemen , taking all of its resources as spoils of war.

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Farea Almuslimi is a 23-year-old activist and freelance journalist who comes from the village of Wesab, in Dhamar province, which was hit by a US drone strike on April 18, 2013.

Almuslimi was the last person to testify among the six witnesses chosen by the Senate, but he gave the most heartfelt and powerful testimony, describing the suffering that drone strikes inflict on ordinary people’s lives and their impact on his village and Yemen:

What violent militants have previously failed to achieve, one drone strike accomplished in an instant. There is now an immense anger towards America in Wesab. This is not an isolated instance, the drone strikes are the face of America to many Yemenis.

Farea Almuslim, the first Yemeni to testify at the Drone Wars Senate hearing

In his written testimony he said:

“Instead of first experiencing America through a school or a hospital, most people in Wessab first experienced America through the terror of a drone strike.

Almuslimi, who attended a year at a high school in the US on a state department scholarship, added:

For me personally, it is deeply troubling, astonishing, and challenging to reconcile that the very same hand that taught me English, awarded me scholarships, and dramatically improved my life is the hand that droned my village, terrified my people, and now makes it harder for them to believe the good things that I tell them about America and my American friends. It is especially frustrating to me because all the United States needed to do was identify Al-Radmi as a target, so that he could’ve been arrested without the injuries, destruction, and death caused by the drone strike.

(video uploaded by Senator Durbin)
The full script of his testimony is here.

The full session of the hearing is here.

Having a Yemeni testify at the first-ever public congressional hearing on Obama’s secret drone and targeted killing program was a positive step, yet many Yemenis and Americans were disappointed from the overall hearing.

Anonymous tweeted:

@AnonyOps: After watching the Senate hearing on drones today, we have concluded that Lindsey Graham is totally ok with being a war criminal #dronewars

Jeb Boone, a GlobalPost correspondent, was expecting from Almuslimi a tougher tone in addressing the Senate. He tweeted:

@JebBoone: Expected @almuslimi to give senators a firm scolding at #DroneWars hearing. Instead, he offered a moving plea on behalf of #Yemen. Noble.

Kevin Gosztola tweeted in disappointment:

@kgosztola: Montage of questions asked at Senate subcommittee hearing on #dronewars is incontrovertible proof senators were pathetic #inners

@kgosztola: Too much abuse, corruption, criminality & covering up for one hearing on #dronewars to fully address. Only few senators care to address

Sign held by Amnesty International members outside Senate drone wars hearing bulding via @andreaprasow

Some of the Senators seemed to dismiss Almuslimi's testimony, or as Senator Lindsay Graham, claimed to know more about Yemen, some even moved on to ask more hypothetical questions rather than acknowledge the damaging impact on human lives on the ground.

John Knefel, writer and independent journalist, tweeted:

@johnknefel:Even when a Yemeni is before Congress, most act like he doesn't exist. #dronewars

CODEPINK tweeted:

@codepink: Senator Graham “applauds Obama administration for responsible use of drones abroad.” I think I'm going to be sick. #dronewars #nodrones

Jameel Jaffar, legal deputy at ACLU, tweeted:

‏@JameelJaffer: Turns out Obama admin *did* send a representative to this hearing. It's @LindseyGrahamSC!

Jeremy Scahill, an investigative journalist and author of the book “Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield“, tweeted:

@jeremyscahill: This hearing on drones is a great illustration of how absolutely pathetic the US Congress is. #dronewars

Gregory Johnsen, author of the book “The Last Refuge: Yemen al-Qaeda and America's War in Arabia”, tweeted:

@gregorydjohnsen 23 Apr
This hearing, for me, illustrates the intellectual shallowness of what passes for a “drone debate” in the US.

Tom Junod, a writer, tweeted:

@TomJunod:
At yesterday's Senate hearing on drones, all witnesses spoke in abstractions, except the one who offered actual human witness, @almuslimi.

Muna, a Yemeni activist, tweeted:

@ArabsUnite: Truly thankful for the contribution of @almuslimi I'm glad that we have had a humane although chilling account of drones #Yemen #dronewars

Mohammed Al-Asaadi tweeted:

‏@alasaadim: #Dronewars are signs of arrogance and inhumanity. We are all against #drones and out of law killings in #Yemen, #pakistan, #somalia etc.

Noor Mir the Pakistani-American anti-drone campaign coordinator at CODEPINK and Rooj Alwazir, a Yemeni-American activist and organizer with SupportYemen both present at the hearing co-wrote a powerful piece entitled “DRONE WARS: How White Privilege Obscures Real Dialogue”:

Farea spoke beautifully and passionately when he was afforded the chance about the dangers of drones in creating more enemies than friends, but was not allowed to analyze or explain his statement any further, curtailed by a reliance on legal jargon and reining in executive authority. We are thankful for him being there, but we are distressed that the Subcommittee’s treatment of his presence was just that– a cold, removed, and uninvolved treatment markedly different from their involved and lengthy conversations with the remaining witnesses. Why invite a Yemeni to speak about the human costs of drone wars and then cast a shadow of doubt and ignorance over his experiences by adopting a presumptuous tone?

According to many, the US drone strikes, in cooperation with Yemen's government, are a constant terror in Yemeni villages and lives, used under the pretext of fighting “terrorism” instead of capturing the identified suspects. Both governments are accountable for the human cost of this policy and its long-term impact. Drone war debate in the US finally made some progress, at least a Yemeni and human perspective was heard, which made Yemenis proud. Yet many people in Yemen, after viewing the Senate hearing and reactions to the Boston explosions, were left with the feeling that their lives had no value, certainly not as much as American lives. This thought was cynically expressed in the following tweet:

@anatosaurus: When Americans are killed, it's a tragedy. When Americans kill, it's a strategy. #dronewars #p2 #dontbuyit

This Storfiy has more reactions to the Senate hearing.

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The development was debated tensely in the Saudi Twittersphere. Supporters cited its absolute necessity for the safety of the kingdom while opponents spoke about the tighter siege it will impose on the Yemeni people.

The US-Mexico border fence was one example that the supporters cited. Fahad al-Rsheed tweeted [ar]:

من حق أي دولة حماية نفسها من عصابات المخدرات وتهريب السلاح والمتسللين ،وأمريكا على سبيل المثال أقامت سياجاً مع المكسيك

@fahadccx: It is the right of any state to protect itself from drug and arm trafficking gangs. America, for example, has built a fence on its borders with Mexico.

On the other hand, some opponents said that the money could be better spent. Lawyer and activist Abdullah al-Nasri tweeted:

بتكلفة هذا السياج لنوظف العاطلين في الجنوب وعلى الحدود في حراسة الحدود ولندعم كل أعمال التنمية في اليمن لتعزيز الأخوة .

@alnasri1: With the same costs, we can hire the citizens of the Southern [Saudi] region to guard the borders, and fund development projects in Yemen to strengthen our brotherhood.

Others emphasized on the unity of the Arab nation. Abu Faisal tweeted:

سيكون مصيره كمصير”جدار برلين” إحفظوها جيدًا والأيام بيننا.!!

@Abuufaisal_1: It will have the same destiny as the Berlin Wall. Remember this!

Others had a humanistic perspective:

بهذا الفعل سنتجرّد من بقايا انسانيتنا.

@Mnor_: By doing this, we abandon what is left of our humanity.

هذا الفعل يعطي انطباع عن العقلية والمعالجة الأمنية البحتة لقضايا ذات عمق اجتماعي واقتصادي ألا يوجد مفكرين غيرالأمني ؟

@__Husam__: That is an example of a police mentality in dealing with issues that have significant social and economical effects. Do we have a non-police mentality?

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Last night, Yemeni activist and journalist Farae Al-muslimi, from the village of Wessab, in the province of Dhamar, broke the news of the US drone strike. He tweeted:

@almuslimi: An hourish ago while I was enjoying a friendly dinner with my American friends ( some r officials ) , US strike drone targeted my villag …

‏@almuslimi: I was so happy the last three months that US Strike drones were stopped in #Yemen. Didn't know they will relaunch to my village.!

The target of the US strike as reported by Saba state news agency was Hamid Radman al-Manea, known as al-Radmi, and four of his guards, while they were returning to his house. He was a former member in the republican guards, an elite forces led formerly by Saleh's elder son and was also suspected to be associated with Al-Qaeda.

Al-muslimi added:

@almuslimi: Al-radmi was away from wessab for years. last year he came back and became social figure known for solving social problems btwn ppl. #Drone

@almuslimi: Al-radmi was in continues contact with government officials, he prayed Maghrib wth th Gen secretary of the Local council tonight 1/2 #Drone

@almuslimi: the car of th local council gen secretary was exactly behind Al-radmi's car as thy both were coming from place thy solved problem in. #Drone

Many Yemenis wondered why were ‘suspected’ militant targets always killed by US drones. Since the suspect's location was known, they seldom questioned why they are not instead captured by Yemeni forces, interrogated and put on trial if proven guilty. Why wasn't there a “capture and interrogate list” instead of Obama's “kill list”? What was the motive behind their extrajudicial extermination? Were the so-called suspects really plotting against the US or did they have enemies in Yemen or Saudia Arabia who wanted them dead?

Almuslimi pointed to that in the following tweets:

@almuslimi: There was nothing easier than arresting Al-radmi if he is wanted. He was ACTUALLY with governmental official at the moment he was droned.!

@almuslimi: 3- Al-radmi was in a continues meetings with local council leadership and attended their meetings to solve problems and raise peoples needs

‏@almuslimi:5- No one ever [knew} even the security leaders, th governor, or anyone he was in the killing list.! a security source jst told me in the phone:1/2

@almuslimi: ” i wld have arrested him myself wn i jst saw him less than a week ago or even sent my weakest soldier to do so”. 2/2 #Yemen #Drones

Almuslimi, like many Yemenis who visited the US and enjoyed a US education, was devastated with the news of yet another US strike on his country and this time on his peaceful village. He tweeted:

@almuslimi
Wessab, my village, is no doubt th most peaceful ppls and one of th poorest areas in Yemen. congrats, u jst made violence attractive to them

@almuslimi: #USA taught me English 1 day & took my life frm super miserable 2 very promising. 2day, it droned my village. The most divided feeling ever

‏@almuslimi: I never thought perhaps at the moment i was cheering the glass with my close american buddy in Sana'a, his govt was droning my village.!

A protester in the US holding a sign condemning President Obama's policies, including the use of predator drones.

The current flawed US Counter-Terrorism policy using drone strikes was widely criticized and opposed in mass rallies across the US last week. In Yemen, it is certainly creating more animosity towards the US administration, even from many US educated youth such as Almuslimi himself, who wrote a powerful piece about this.

This policy, instituted by President Barack Obama, has allegedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent Yemenis, and unfortunately it does not differentiate among militants, ordinary Yemenis and US radio reporters.
Since the policy took effect, AQAP has been successful as never before. Those who have lost relatives to drone fire make up a whole new generation of AQAP recruits.
The drones have made it difficult, shameful and even dangerous to say “America can be befriended”, or “America is not an enemy”.

Yemeni President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi expressed his approval for the strikes last September during a visit to the US

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In solidarity they wrote:

Over 5,000 people have been murdered by U.S. drone strikes in the last few years, including a large number of children among the many civilians who have been slaughtered by these robotic killing machines…Join us at the White House for a march and rally on Saturday, April 13 to let the world know that the people of this country are demanding “Drones Out of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Everywhere!”

They tweeted:

‏@answercoalition:”Every time you go to kill someone with drones, you create hatred. Why do they hate us? Look at what you're doing!” #april13

@answercoalition: “We will not sit down as long as they kill in our name” #GeneralAtomics #Stopdrones #april13 #NoDrones pic.twitter.com/NekfiHbIm4

Yemeni activists, Summer Nasser, who travelled from New York, and Rooj Alwazir, who is in Washington DC, urged all Yemenis in the US to protest in front of the White House against US drones in Yemen. Rooj Alwazir uploaded a video of part of the speech by activist Bushra al-Maqtari, who also attended the march:

She also tweeted:

@Rooj129: When #Drones fly, people die! Calling it what it is, MURDER.

Other organizations such as CODEPINK also participated in the rallies.

In Washington:

Jenna Pole, an activist and photo-journalist tweeted: @BatmanWI: Protesting drones today outside of the White House. #nodrones http://twitpic.com/cj56hl

Crowds protesting drones outside the White House

Rooj Alwazir standing in front of the White House holding a CODEPINK banner

The march headed to the General Atomics Headquarters, who manufacture drones, as CODEPINK tweeted:

@codepink:Powerful picture taken in front of General Atomics headquarters in DC. #stopdrones @barackobama pic.twitter.com/TVP7MUFRMC

In Los Angeles:

TomG who was at the rally in L.A also tweeted a photo:

‏@IMTomG: at the #NoDrones rally in LA pic.twitter.com/PyBxaiqn82

In San Francisco:
David Colburn tweeted:

@davidcolburn: “Obama's Accomplishments” http://twitpic.com/cj4mfe #NoDrones protest in #SanFrancisco. #Drones #OSF #OO

A protestor in the anti-drones protest in San Farancisco holding a sign opposing drones and extrajudicial killings

In San Diego:

No Drones sign in neon overlooking a highway in San Diego

Jenna Pope shared a set of photos on her Facebook page and blog.

More tweets and photos can be found in this Storify.

Many activists in Yemen and Pakistan have publicly opposed the use of drones in their countries. Many American journalists and Middle East experts have also condemned the use of drones. HRW recently published a joint letter with human rights and civil rights groups expressing concern regarding U.S. drone strikes and targeted killings. It meant a great deal for people in the Middle East to see and hear average American citizens also voice their rejection.

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Carlos Latuff Cartoon of Saleh's published in 2011

Ibrahim Mothana happily tweeted:

@imothanaYemen: Now we can really call it military restructuring! #Yemen

‏@imothanaYemen: Wondering how the backlash to president's Hadi decrees will look like this time? #Yemen

Atiaf Alwazir commented:

@WomanfromYemen: Just b/c General Ali Mohsin will leave his post doesn't mean he wont have “influence” in #Yemen; Saleh also left his post.

@WomanfromYemen:
Many ppl excited about new Pres decree, yet hardly anyone assessed background of new Generals or potential impact on balance of power #yemen

Farea Almuslimi said:

@almuslimi: Finally Hadi does what hundreds of thousands of #Yemenis voted for him to do so; Decrease the source of headache in their lives for decades

@almuslimi: Today would have been totally perfect if Ali Mohsen was also sent abroad as a diplomat. I doubt #KSA wld have allowed #Hadi to do it though

Summer Nasser cautiously tweeted:

@SummerNasser: There is one thing I learned from Yemen's politics: never be too excited about anything. Instead, be neutral.

@SummerNasser: Why are you all so happy? He (Hadi) is OBLIGATED to fix the country. We make it seem like he's doing us a favor. #Yemen

Blogger Afrah Nasser tweeted:

@Afrahnasser: The new decrees do #Yemen no good at all. What Yemen needs is justice. For God's sake, why Yemen can't enjoy justice?!!

@Afrahnasser: The bloodshed #Yemen's uprising gone through should never be forgotten nor forgiven. Never. Let alone all the bloodshed we saw thro history.

Non-Yemenis Reaction:

Letta Tayler from HRW tweeted:

@lettatayler: #Yemen shakeup = new diplomatic immunity for 3 #Saleh kin: Tareq in #Germany, Ahmed Ali in #UAE, Amar in #Ethopia.

@lettatayler
Seems Ali Mohsen got what he wanted and already had from #Yemen shuffle but will Ahmed Ali enjoy running for prez from UAE?

Adam Baron, a freelance journalist, in Yemen tweeted:

@adammbaron: Many seem to see Ali Mohsen as gaining the winning hand in tonight's reforms; remains in country, saves a great deal of face. #yemen

He added:

@adammbaron
This, by the legendary Aretha Franklin, does a decent job of summing up what many in #Yemen are wondering right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HwF8VoyKU4 [Who's zoomin' who]

Laura Kasinof tweeted:

@kasinof: it used to be that Saleh’s foes were appointed to #Yemen embassies abroad. now reversal is happening and Salehs are appointed as ambassadors

Correspondent Elizabeth Dickinson tweeted

@dickinsonbeth:
Yemen pulls the classic ‘neutralize your rival by sending him on a cushy ambassador-ship abroad’ move http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/ousted-yemen-president-salehs-son-named-uae-envoy …

Journalist Iona Craig, who is based in Yemen, commented:

@ionacraig: So, big military changes overnight. Why are Yemen Presidential decrees released on US time? i.e. in middle of the night here. #justasking

Many of the Saleh's now not only enjoy domestic immunity but also diplomatic immunity. One wonders will the new diplomats be representing the “elected” president or the “leader”? As for Ali Muhsin, who remains in Yemen, many are cautious of his new role. And as usual with every presidential decree in Yemen, there is apprehension mixed with jubilation. One never knows who is really ousted and who is still in power, only time will tell. One can only hope that with these major changes, Yemen is finally going to experience more security and stability to rebuild it's economy.

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Anger march to protest electricity and water cuts in Yemen. Photograph shared on Twitter by @Alaalsam

(more…)

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According to Nasser, Alabsi is being interrogated for a report involving corruption in the treatment of those wounded in the Yemeni uprising.

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Human Rights Watch shares this video on YouTube of what it describes as the “unpunished massacre.”

The incident, says HRW:

… marked a turning point in the movement against President Saleh, prompting the defection of dozens of government officials and diplomats, and assumed symbolic importance within the protest movement because of the brazen character of the shootings and the high death toll. Investigators never questioned top officials in the criminal investigation by Yemen's previous government into the shooting of demonstrators during the attack, which took place on March 18, 2011.

Blogger Afrah Nasser wrote a blog post asking President Hadi many tough questions, among them:

Why? Why the 18th of March was the date for the National Dialogue conference to commence? Why was it so of all dates? Why it weren’t, say, on the 19th, 20th? Did you forget what took place on this day, 2011 and the anniversary we must commemorate? Do you remember? We do.

Farea Al-Muslimi added:

@almuslimi: Launching [the] N[ational] Dialogue on the anniversary of dignity Massacre is like forcing a mother 2 celebrate her only son's birthday who was actually aborted

National Dialogue Conference Logo designed by graphic designer Ala'a Assamawy (@assamawy)

Journalist Shatha Al-Harazi, one of the youth participating in the National Dialogue, tweeted:

@ShathaAlHarazi: To remember why we are participating in the #NDC we visited some of the martyrs families, the pain still fresh #Yemen nothing but justice

The National Dialogue opening ceremony was aired live on Yemen's national TV and was interrupted by someone, as President Hadi took the microphone and said to everyone “whoever doesn't like it (the dialogue), the door is open.” The video was shared on YouTube by shoshgh2008′s:

A march in Sanaa yesterday commemorated the Friday of Dignity and rejected dialogue with the killers (video by:TheRYemen):

A massive protest yesterday in Aden, Southern Yemen, chanted “the decision is ours” demanding the right to self determination and rejecting the National Dialogue. (video by: abwboten)

The day was also not incident-free. According to Saeed AlBatati a man was shot dead by police in Tarem:

@saeedalBatati
Photo of Rami Al Bur,who was shot dead by police today in Tarem .#Southyemen #NDCYE pic.twitter.com/aF2ogg70Rx

And Haykal Bafana added:

@BaFana3: National Dialogue in #Yemen : In Hadhramaut this morning, 1 unarmed man shot dead, 1 hurt in Seiyun by grenade shrapnel & dozens arrested.

Summer Nasser tweeted:

@SummerNasser: Participants that are from the south of #Yemen at the National Dialogue lift up the southern flag of #Yemen.
#NDCYE pic.twitter.com/QlfPoFnQwW

In Sanaa yesterday, First Army Division soldiers shot unarmed Houthi youth, injuring three of them who are currently all in a critical condition.

The shooting was caught on camera and uploaded on YouTube by YouthStandYEMEN:

Farea Al-Muslimi tweeted:

@almuslimi: Those who MIS-run #Yemen for the last 50 years were on the podium of the national dialogue conference today. A fish can never deliver birth.

Haykal Bafana wondered:

@BaFana3: Is #Yemen's National Dialogue viable when justice is denied & law is absent? Ask the diplomats who peddle immunity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/letta-tayler/yemens-friday-of-indignit_b_2900325.html

Many Yemenis are torn between supporting and boycotting the National Dialogue. Although some are hopeful that it may resolve Yemen's woes, many consider it to be meaningless if it fails to serve justice for those killed and wounded during the revolution, especially when blood is still being shed at the same time as the opening of the conference. One wonders six months later what the outcome may be and to whose benefit will it be this time?

To follow updates about the dialogue follow the hashtags #ndcye and #NDCYEMEN.

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Journalist Adam Baron commented on Twitter:

@adammbaron: worth noting? hadi visited the US, saudi, other gulf states, etc, as president before visiting aden. still, key gesture. #yemen

Police arrests of southern separatists leaders came a day ahead of planned rival rallies to mark the first anniversary of the uncontested election of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi which ended Saleh’s 33-year autocratic rule, following a year-long deadly uprising.

A protester holding a sign that reads in Arabic “unity or death is a bloody slogan and a separatist speech.”

Supporters and opponents of Hadi, himself a southerner, have said they will hold rival rallies on Thursday, prompting fears of possible clashes in Aden. The Islamist Al Islah (reform) Party called for a pro-Hadi rally in Aden’s Khor Maksar district, where separatist calling for autonomy also had planned to hold an independence rally, on the same day and in the same square.

Alaa Isam tweeted:

@AlaaIsam:Cautious movement in the streets of #Aden…All expectant of something bad is about to happen. let us hope not, May Lord save it. #Yemen #yf

@AlaaIsam:
#Photo show the celebrating of Islah Party in #Aden #SouthYemen #Yemen #yf @hrw pic.twitter.com/gn7XddOV7Y

Pro-Hadi rally in Aden organized by Islah party and escorted by security forces

Atiaf Alwazir warned:

@WomanfromYemen
those who are calling for a pro-Hadi rally in #Aden are instigating & provoking an already tense situation! #Yemen

Nasser Arrabyee tweeted:

@narrabyee: Islah ignited a war n south by insisting on holding the rally of Feb 21, all southerners froze thier membership in dialogue, Dr Saleh Basura

He added:

@narrabyee: Deaths and injuries in unprecedented showdown between Islamists supported by army and angry and frustrated separatists in Aden south Yemen.

@narrabyee: 7 killed& more than 50 injured n today's clashes between Islamists,helped by army, & separatists n Crater& Khormakser of Aden south Yemen.

This video uploaded on Youtube by Kala'at al Shomookh (قلعة الشموخ) shows Yemeni CSF forces attacking southerners during the commemoration of Dignity day in Kraiter, Aden:

Will Picard tweeted:

@YemenPeaceNews: Official report from Southern Observatory for Human Rights says 9 killed and 53 wounded by security forces in #Aden on 2/21. #Yemen

Morooj Alwazir added:

@Rooj129: A bloody Thursday for #Aden #Yemen photos & summary http://www.adentribune.com/?p=676

“The Yemeni authorities must end the routine violent repression of freedom of assembly,” Amnesty International said in a warning statement issued late Wednesday. It added: “Yemeni security forces have acted in contravention of international human rights standards by opening fire on peaceful pro-secession protesters today in the south, resulting in four deaths and dozens of injured” on Thursday.

As a result dozens of separatists took to the streets on Saturday, blocking roads and burning tyres, in the districts of Khor Maksar, Mualla, Shaikh Osman and Dar Saad early on Saturday, amid calls for civil disobedience to protest against the February 21 massacre, which led to further clashes with the army.

Protesters also on Saturday reportedly attacked shops in Mukalla owned by northerners, and burnt down two offices belonging to the Islamist Al-Islah (Reform) Party. In the city of Sayun, in the eastern province of Hadramawt, protesters trying to enforce civil disobedience reportedly set a merchant from the northern Yemeni city of Dhamar on fire, leaving him in a critical condition.

The burning and destruction of Islah party office by separatists in Al-Mukalla.

Protesters also clashed on Sunday with security forces in the southeastern city of Mukalla after they blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks. In Aden itself, protesters were killed and wounded when army troops opened fire in a main road in the Mualla neighbourhood. Protesters also blocked roads in the neighbourhoods of Mansura, Sheikh Osman and Dar Saad. Graphic images of separatist protesters killed by government forces, including activist and journalist Wajdi AlShuaibi who was assassinated in his home in front of his family by masked gunmen have been widely shared on [Warning: GRAPHIC images] Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Jamal tweeted:

@Sarah_Sanaa: Shabwa joins Aden and Hadramout in their civil obedience demanding immediate replacement of Aden's governer #Yemen

@Sarah_Sanaa: All south is on fire.. Security shooting protesters in Aden, Hadramout and now Shabwa&govt. and president r silent #Yemen

Government forces parading tanks in Al-Mansoora in Aden to quel the civil disobedience

A protest in solidarity with Aden and condemning all kinds of violence is scheduled in Sanaa today [Feb 26].
Sarah Jamal tweeted:

@Sarah_Sanaa:
tmrw 10 am a march in Sanaa agnst security forces violence&all sorts of back-lashing violence in the south, supporting Southern cause #Yemen

A protester holding a placard that reads in Arabic “He who is killing in the south wants the geography and does not want the unity”

The first session for the National Dialogue, originally set for mid-November, has been repeatedly delayed, mainly due to differences between the southerners. It is now scheduled for March 18, yet after the last bloody events in Aden and the increasing death toll in the southern provinces, many suspect it will still take place as planned.

National Dialogue Technical committee head Ahmed bin Mubarak condemned using violence in the name of unity
CCYRC tweeted:

#NDC S Dr. AhmedBinMubarak: We can't avoid secession but we can boost unification by building confidence bridges not by slogans #Yemen #Aden

@CCYRC: NDC Secruitry & CCYRC member Dr. AhmedBinMubarak ,I don’ know wht r benefits of killing Yemeni of cool blood&by nam of revlotin #Yemen #Aden

Summer Nasser tweeted:

@SummerNasser: #Yemen: As we get closer to the date of the “National Dialogue” event on March 18th, there will be ongoing conflicts in Aden.

She urged:

@SummerNasser: Remain peaceful, southerners. Once you draw your weapon against those who are oppressing you, it will be the day you regret it! #Aden #Yemen

Mai Saleh tweeted:

@A4Mai: What's going on in Aden kills any chances for peaceful solution not to mention the southerners participation in the National Dialogue #Yemen

Mohammed Jarhum tweeted:

@moejarhum: A wise man said separation is not by force and neither is unity #Yemen #Aden

The monologue of bullets and blood which the government chose in Aden is surely jeopardizing the fate of the National Dialogue and unity in Yemen. Yet, what is more alarming besides the bloodshed and ongoing clashes is the hate speech from both sides of the conflict in Yemen, promoted by news outlets and posts on social media.

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