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Yemeni human rights minister resigns after 51 protesters killed

20 March 2011 03:42 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.Yemeni Human Rights Minister Huda Al-ban on Saturday presented her resignation to President Ali Abdullah Saleh in protest against Friday’s shooting on demonstrators in Sanaa, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

Friday’s shooting that claimed the lives of at least 51 protesters in the capital also pushed Deputy Minister of Human Rights Ali Saleh Taisir to resign from his post, according to local media News Yemen.

The pair resigned to protest what they said "the ruling party’s abuse against armless protesters" since mid February.

Earlier, Ministr of Judicial Hamoud al-Hitar and Minister of Tourism Nabil al-Fakih resigned for the same reason. Former Minister of Culture Abdulwahab al-Rawhani and former Minister of Agriculture Jalal Faqirah also declared to quit the ruling party on Friday.

Meanwhile, Saleh on Saturday issued a republican decree to appoint Tariq Mohamed al-Shami as chairman of the state-run Saba news agency to replace Nasr Taha Mustafa, who declared his resignation in protest against what he described "Friday’s massacre against protesters in Sanaa."

Tens of thousands of protesters reportedly took to the streets of the southern provinces of Ibb, Taiz, Aden, Hodayda and Hadramout on Saturday to condemn what they described "bloodbath by the security authorities against Sanaa’s peaceful protesters" and show support to the families of victims.

At least eight anti-government protesters demanding Saleh’s ouster were injured on Saturday in clashes with police forces in al-mualla district in southern port city of Aden.