PUBLISHED: 05:51 EST, 4 December 2012 | UPDATED: 06:05 EST, 4 December 2012
'Horrific abuse': This Yemeni claims he was
tortured and had his hand amputated in public by the Al Qaeda-linked
group Ansar al-Sharia while it was in power of the Abyan region
The London-based charity has also released a video which appears to show a suspected thief having his hand amputated by the Ansar al-Sharia militia, which seized power of the Abyan governorate in February 2011.
Amnesty said dozens more civilians were then killed during reckless counter-insurgency operations by the Yemeni government as it sought to win back the territory from the Al Qaeda-affiliated group.
The tragedies would 'haunt Yemen for decades to come' unless the perpetrators were caught and the families compensated, the charity said.
Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said: 'Abyan experienced a human rights catastrophe as Ansar al-Sharia and government forces vied for control of the region during 2011 and the first half of 2012.
'The Yemeni authorities must ensure that a commission of inquiry announced in September covers the truly shocking abuses committed.
'The tragedy of Abyan will haunt Yemen for decades to come unless those responsible are held to account and victims and their families receive reparations.'
Amnesty's 55-page report, Conflict in Yemen: Abyan's Darkest Hour, documents violations of the rules of war during the armed conflict between government forces and Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist armed group affiliated to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Scroll down for video
'Catastrophe': The Yemeni says he had his left
hand amputated (above) without attending a trial and without prior
knowledge of the punishment
Instilling fear: Residents told Amnesty that the
amputated hand was later suspended by a rope in the town's market for
all to see
It
details horrific human rights abuses committed in the governorate of
Abyan and other areas in the south of Yemen during the rule of the
Islamist group between February 2011 and June 2012.In addition, the report shows that the Yemeni government response to Ansar al-Sharia included indiscriminate attacks resulting in the unnecessary loss of civilian life, obstructing medical care and subjecting suspected fighters to enforced disappearance.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242719/Al-Qaeda-committed-truly-shocking-human-rights-abuses-power-Yemens-Abyan-region-says-Amnesty-report.html#ixzz2GT9c66ci
No comments:
Post a Comment