The Southern Transitional Council Condemns the Suppression of Aden Protests and Calls for an Investigation Committee Following the Death of a Protester
The Southern Transitional Council in Yemen strongly condemned the suppression of peaceful demonstrations in Aden, calling for the establishment of an independent investigative committee to identify those responsible for issuing orders to open fire on protesters.
In a statement released on Friday, the Council announced that one protester had been killed and 21 others injured, according to a preliminary toll, during the crackdown on a peaceful gathering held in front of Al-Maachiq Palace in the interim capital, Aden.
The Southern Transitional Council stated that it was following with deep concern and strong denunciation the serious developments witnessed in Aden, marked by acts of repression and abuse targeting peaceful citizens who had taken to the streets in an orderly manner to express their rejection of policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli and circumventing the will of the people of the South and their political aspirations.
The Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the use of live ammunition and excessive force against unarmed demonstrators, which resulted in the death of one protester and injuries to 21 others.
It emphasized that resorting to security repression constitutes a blatant violation of international conventions and human rights. According to the Council, such measures reflect the inability of forces seeking to impose their will to confront popular will through peaceful means, an approach it wholly rejects.
The Southern Transitional Council held the responsible authorities fully accountable, both legally and criminally, for the safety of citizens, demanding the immediate and unconditional cessation of armed targeting and what it described as occupying practices against protesters.
The statement further stressed the necessity of forming an urgent, independent, and transparent investigative committee to uncover those involved in issuing and carrying out the shooting orders and to bring them to justice through fair legal proceedings.
The Council affirmed that the right of the people of the South to express their political stance and national cause is an inherent right that cannot be stripped away through intimidation. It reiterated that the people’s commitment to their decisive choices, foremost among them the restoration of a fully sovereign state, is irreversible.
The Council issued an urgent appeal to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the countries sponsoring the political process, and the broader international community, urging them to assume their legal and moral responsibilities regarding what it described as systematic repression against the people of the South.
It also called for intervention to safeguard civilians’ right to peaceful expression and to halt attempts to distort the popular will, which undermine prospects for peace and stability in the region.
The Southern Transitional Council reaffirmed that it would remain aligned with the people’s choice and continue to defend their rights and national gains through all legitimate means.
Earlier, the Council’s official television channel reported that 12 protesters were injured in front of Al-Maachiq Presidential Palace in Aden following gunfire allegedly carried out by security forces.
Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered outside the main gate of Al-Maachiq Palace in Aden to protest the presence of northern ministers within the Yemeni government in the city, before coming under heavy gunfire from government security forces.
