Freedom in the World 1999 - Yemen

1999 Scores

Status: Not Free
Freedom Rating: 5.5
Civil Liberties: 6
Political Rights: 5

Overview

President Ali Abdullah Saleh won 96.3 percent of the vote in Yemen's first direct presidential election on October 23. Most observers called the vote more a referendum than an election, as parliament, which is dominated by Saleh's ruling General People's Congress (GPC) party, barred the sole opposition nominee from standing. Saleh's only opponent was a little-known GPC member, whose campaign was financed by the government in an attempt to impart a degree of credibility. One official from the main opposition Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) called the proceedings "poor stage management," as his party led a coalition of oppositionists urging Yemenis to boycott the polls. Another major opposition party, the Islamic Islah party, backed the president.

After hundreds of years of rule by autocratic religious leaders, the northern Yemen Arab Republic came under military control in 1962. Field Marshall Saleh was elected president by a constituent assembly in 1978. The British controlled the southern People's Republic of Yemen from 1839 to 1967. Hardline Marxist nationals seized power in the southern capital of Aden following the British withdrawal. North and south were unified into the Republic of Yemen in 1990, with the GPC's Saleh as president and southern YSP leader Ali Salim al-Biedh as vice president.

In April 1993 parliamentary elections, Saleh and the GPC won the most seats and formed a coalition with Islah and the YSP. Parliament formally elected Saleh and al-Biedh president and vice president, respectively. But al-Biedh boycotted the new government and called for demilitarization of the former north-south border, decentralization of authority, and investigation into dozens of preelection killings of YSP activists. The south attempted to secede in April 1994, sparking a 70-day civil war. Northern troops prevailed, and al-Biedh and other secessionist leaders fled the country.

Constitutional amendments in 1994 gave the chief executive broad powers and provided for direct presidential elections in 1999. Islah and the GPC formed a governing coalition in October 1994, and 13 opposition groups, led by the YSP, formed the Democratic Opposition Coalition in 1995. April 1997 elections to the 301-seat parliament were generally free and fair, though opposition members denounced the results as a government attempt to legitimize the "unfair" outcome of the civil war.

With the help of the IMF and the World Bank, Saleh has pursued an economic restructuring program since 1995. A small oil producer, Yemen is one of the Arab world's poorest nations. Unemployment is estimated at 35 percent, and some 58 percent of Yemenis are illiterate. While World Bank officials praise Yemen's progress on reducing inflation and budget expenditures, they emphasize the need to reform the civil service, eliminate corruption, and encourage private investment.

Economists also emphasize the need to expand the rule of law. The influence of the central government is limited. In governorates outside the larger cities, tribal leaders hold sway. Violence is a problem, as illicit guns outnumber Yemenis by three to one, and Kalashnikov rifles are carried openly. Cultural and social mores seem to glorify violence by upholding a tradition of vendettas. Foreigners are skittish about investing in Yemen because of security problems. In a number of well-publicized cases, disgruntled tribesmen have taken foreign tourists or oil workers as hostages in order to press the government into granting development projects or releasing detained fellow tribesmen. To begin rectifying the problem, the government launched a disarmament campaign in 1999, including legislation that restricts the sales and distribution of guns and places a ban on carrying guns in major cities.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

The right of citizens to change their government is limited by the concentration of political power in the hands of a few leaders, and particularly the president. The parliament is not an effective lawmaking body; it does little more than debate issues, and its power is limited by the president's authority to rule by decree.

The judiciary is not independent. Judges are susceptible to bribery and government influence, and many are poorly trained. All courts are governed by Shari'a (Islamic law), and there are no jury trials. Judicial independence is further hampered by the government's frequent reluctance to carry out sentences. Saleh's first act in his new presidential term was to resign as head of the Supreme Judicial Council, a move that may improve judicial independence. In October, the government announced its intention to set up special courts to deal with kidnappings and acts of sabotage. Local tribal leaders adjudicate land disputes and criminal cases in areas under their authority.

Various branches of the security forces carry out arbitrary arrest and detention on political grounds, and often flout due process rights. According to Amnesty International, no effort has been made to end these practices. Torture and death by apparent torture in police custody are also widely reported. A police officer was convicted, fined, and sentenced to prison in June for torturing a criminal suspect to death.

The issue of torture received international attention in 1999 with the trial of eight Britons and two Algerians on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in connection with the kidnapping of 16 Western tourists by Islamic militants in December 1998. Four of the kidnapped captives had died in a botched rescue attempt by Yemeni troops. Six of the defendants were detained in late December and brought to trial on January 27. Four more went to trial on February 13. The suspects reported that their confessions had been extracted under torture, and a British pathologist reported signs of "serious physical ill-treatment" when he met with some of the prisoners in February. The defendants were convicted in August and sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven months to seven years.

Prisons are overcrowded and their sanitary conditions poor. In October, the government initiated a campaign to eliminate dozens of private prisons run by influential tribal leaders. A presidential decree in 1998 made kidnapping a capital offense. Three Islamic militants were convicted of abducting the Western tourists and sentenced to death in May 1999. One was executed in October. Thirty-two executions were reported by late October.

A press law requires that newspapers reapply annually for licenses and that they show continuing evidence of about $5,000 in operating capital. The press is allowed a certain degree of freedom to criticize government officials and policies, yet the government restricts this freedom through legal harassment, detention, and prosecution. At least eight journalists were beaten in 1999 by attackers with alleged links to authorities, and six independent and opposition newspapers were brought to trial for political coverage between February and July alone. Journalists with the opposition al-Jumhuria were prosecuted in October for allegedly insulting Saudi Arabia. Broadcast media are government-owned.

Permits are required for public gatherings, which are also monitored by government informers. Associations must register with the government. The independent Yemeni Human Rights Organization operates openly, and international human rights observers are allowed broad access.

Islam is the state religion; about 75 percent of citizens belong to the Shafa'i order of Sunni Islam, and 25 percent to the Zaydi order of Shi'a Islam. Followers of other religions may worship freely, but the government forbids proselytizing by non-Muslims, conversions, and the construction of new places of worship without permits. Yemeni Jews, who number about 500, face traditional restrictions on places of residence and employment.

Women face tremendous legal and traditional discrimination, and approximately 80 percent of Yemeni women are illiterate, compared with 35 percent of men. Women convicted of "moral offenses" are arbitrarily detained for indefinite periods under the penal code. In November, the government announced that it would begin recruiting women as police officers.

Workers may form unions, but the government regularly places its own personnel in influential positions inside unions and syndicates. The Yemeni Confederation of Labor Unions is the sole labor federation. Workers have the right to bargain collectively and to strike. Port workers in Aden and Hodeidah went on strike in November seeking higher wages.