Interior Ministry Arrests 50 Innocent Bani Dhabyan Tribesmen Until the Release of Al-Khameri's Son

In a letter directed to President Saleh, several Bani Dhabyan Tribal Sheikhs requested Saleh to interfere for stopping what they described as the stark violations of law and constitution by the Interior Ministry.

The letter listed about 50 names of people who were arrested by the Interior Ministry over the last period, in an effort to force kidnappers to release Tawfiq Al-Khameri's son, nephew on the killer, after it failed to release him by the use of force.

Further, the letter revealed that security forces kidnapped these people from their houses in the capital Sana'a or from hotels and while driving on roads, therefore taking them as hostages.

It continued that state is working in the same manner through what it called highway robbery, and described the situation of prisoners in Yemeni prisons like that of Abu Ghuraib in Iraq.

According to the letter, security authorities arrest as well those who go to visit their relatives in prison, regardless of them being relatives or friends.

The letter also asked international and human right organizations to interfere for stopping such suppressive measures against their fellow tribesmen.

"Authorities negotiate with kidnappers, offering them money, and arbitration, but when they feel that they are not reaching anywhere, they hold dozens of innocent people as hostages. The government should be a role model for justice and not the opposite.” 

Early this month, Member of Parliament Sheikh Sultan Al-Barakani offered 22 guns in arbitration at the wake of a killing issue by Tawfiq Al-Khameri's brother, Nabil, against a Bani Dhabyan tribesman.

For his part, Tawfiq Al-Khameri expressed his readiness to extradite his brother to any concerned government authority to resolve the pending tension.

A group of tribesmen from A’al Nagran, a sub-tribe belonging to Bani Dhabyan, kidnapped Omar Tawfiq Al-Khameri, 17, one month ago as he was passing through the Central Administration for Control and Auditing Street.