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Wednesday March 23, 2011

Yemen Imposes State of Emergency

Posted by Omar Baddar at 10:07 am

After a major escalation in the confrontation between government forces and anti-government protesters which left more than 50 demonstrators dead, the Yemeni parliament imposed a 30-day state of emergency, granting the government far-reaching powers to detain demonstrators and prevent protests.

Nearly half of parliament was absent at the time of voting to pass the emergency powers, with many boycotting the session, including some members of Saleh’s own General People’s Congress party. This comes shortly after the government suffered widespread parliamentary resignations and military defections in favor of the opposition’s call for immediate change in Yemen.

The opposition rejected the legitimacy of the passage of the emergency powers, and has turned down on offer by President Saleh to step down in a few months, demanding he must go immediately. As huge crowds continue to gather in Sanaa Square demanding Saleh step down, the 32-year President warned that attempts to overthrow him could lead to a “bloody” civil war.

 

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