Yemen

(...) Desde el principio de la revolución, las mujeres en Yemen no sólo han acampado y han participado de manera activa en todo el proceso de las protestas y las marchas callejeras, sino que también se han convertido en las verdaderas protagonistas y en la cara visible de la revolución yemení. Basándome en los datos de mi investigación, y concretamente en los testimonios de algunas activistas y jóvenes, puedo afirmar que las mujeres han jugado un rol fundamental en la convocación de la revolución yemení. Más aún, la participación de las mujeres se ha visto como un símbolo de la fuerza y del cambio radical que se reivindicaba en la revolución. Desde el principio de las protestas, la revolución ha tenido una cara visible y fue la cara de una mujer - Tawakul Karman, conocida en Yemen como la madre de la revolución (...)

[JURIST] A military judge on Tuesday denied the request of suspected USS Cole bomber and Guantanamo inmate Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri [NYT profile; JURIST news archive] to question Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh [BBC profile] as a witness in his case. The judge, US Army Colonel James Pohl, did not give a rationale for his ruling [AP report], saying only that he would explain his decision later. In January, the US State Department(DOS) [official website] declared [press release] that Saleh has diplomatic immunity despite his seeking medical treatment in the US. Nashiri's lawyer, Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Reyes, said that diplomatic immunity should not apply to Saleh in this case because he will be questioned as a witness rather than as a suspect. Reyes remarked that Pohl's refusal to allow Saleh to be questionedundermines Nashiri's ability to mount a capital defense [Miami Herald report]. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April. Nashiri's legal team is trying to decide if it can appeal Pohl's decision.

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Lawyers for a suspect in the USS Cole bombing being held at Guantanamo Bay filed a motion Tuesday with the military commission overseeing detainee cases seeking to subpoena the president of Yemen for questioning. Lawyers for alleged al Qaeda senior leader Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri filed the motions seeking to question Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh while he is in the US receiving medical treatment. They argue that because Saleh will be in the jurisdiction of the US he can lawfully be subpoenaed. Nashiri's lawyers argue that Saleh, who was president of Yemen when the USS Cole attack occurred, may have information pertinent to their case. They also filed a motion for expedited ruling on the issue so the court should announce a decision on the motion soon.

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