Yet, despite their contributions, Yemen’s women activists have been harassed, arrested, and in some cases beaten for their participation in protests. Some have also been threatened through their families, with male relatives ordered to control and curtail their activism.

As Yemen enters a delicate transition phase toward democracy, the government must address longstanding violations of women’s human right. Women in Yemen face systemic discrimination and pervasive violence. Their rights are routinely violated because Yemeni laws, as well as tribal and customary practices, treat women as second-class citizens. Women face discrimination in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody, and the state fails to take adequate measures to prevent, investigate, and punish domestic violence.

 As Amnesty International has documented, discrimination and violence against women are part of law and culture in Yemen. Discrimination against women in legislation is reflected in family law, the exercise of male authority, and the lack of respect for women’s personal integrity. In Yemen, women are not free to marry whom they want. Some are forced to marry when they are children, sometimes as young as eight. Once married, a woman must obey her husband and obtain his permission to leave the house.

Women are also valued at half the worth of men when they testify in court or when their families are compensated if they are murdered. They are denied equal treatment when it comes to inheritance — or denied inheritance completely. Authorities deal with women more harshly than men when accused of “immoral acts,” and men are treated leniently when they murder female relatives in “honor killings.”

Such discriminatory laws and practices encourage and facilitate violence against women, which is rife in the home and in society at large. Women in Yemen have contributed a great deal toward creating a vibrant civil society. Yet while women’s non-governmental organizations have achieved some success in campaigns for reform, more reforms are still urgently needed.

Help ensure human rights for all people by demanding that women’s rights are a priority in Yemen. To get involved, learn more about our work in Yemen and our women’s rights work, and join our Women’s Human Rights Network on Facebook.

Yemeni demonstrators © Al-masdar Online

After many months of back and forth negotiations, last week President Ali Abdullah Saleh, finally singed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement for a power-transfer. Even though the details of the full agreement have not been made public, it is widely believed that the agreement offers the president and some others government officials immunity from criminal investigation and prosecution.

Under the GCC agreement, president Saleh will retain the title of president until the new presidential election takes place within 90 days. But he will hand over some of the presidential powers to Vice-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, to implement the agreement. A member of the opposition will head a government of national reconciliation for the next two years. President Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years and has hinted at stepping down several times in the past several months, only to change course later.

Unarmed protesters have marched in different cities in Yemen opposing the deal, calling for Saleh and other officials to stand trial for their role in abuses. Over the past 10 months, more than 200 people have been killed and thousands injured as security forces and armed supporters of the president Saleh attempted to quell mostly peaceful pro-reform demonstrators.

Amnesty International and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have called for an independent, international investigation into Yemen’s ongoing human rights violations.

There cannot be a true reform and justice without accountability, and the only way to ensure accountability is to carry out an independent, international investigation into the allegations of serious crimes under international law.

As Amnesty International has said “immunity leads to impunity”

Women in Yemen are fighting on two fronts. They are on the frontlines speaking up against torture, rampant poverty, corruption and lack of freedom; but they also fight on a different front. Women must fight gender-based discrimination in social arenas such as education and employment.

In 2007 when activists and journalists started being harassed and intimidated, the Women Journalists Without Chains started organizing sit-ins every Tuesday. Later on the sit-ins took on a wider scope, allowing anyone with a human rights concern to participate.

Yemeni activist Tawakel Karman (Photo Gamal Noman/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the organizers was Tawakkol Karman, president of Women Journalist Without Chains. She and others later joined wider protests in Sana’a asking for President Ali Saleh to step down. Tawakkol among others was arrested on January 23rd 2011 for participating in “unlicensed protest”. She was released a day later. Two days later her brother received a phone call implying that she would be killed if he did not ensure that she stay at home. This threat did not stop her.

She told Amnesty International that “I shall continue; I chose this road and at the end of the day it is a matter of sacrifice. People are peacefully protesting and they are facing repression.” Tawakkol is a member of the Shoura council of the Islah party.

In another case, Zahra Salih an activist in the Southern Movement in Yemen was arrested on November 8, 2010 in Aden. She was held without access to a lawyer or her family for two months. Before she was released she was told to sign a paper indicating that she will get married (suggesting that if she would get married and have children, she would have little time for activism). It should be noted that this was not the first time that she was arrested. In October 2009 she was detained for two days in connection with protests in the South Yemen.

Yemeni blogger, Aref Nasser, a journalist for Yemen observer newspaper, who has been blogging about the protests in Yemen, received a life-threatening message on Facebook, which she posted in her blog with English translation. The message starts by saying “It seems that peaceful discussion with you won’t work out”. The massage ends by saying “Wake up, waaaaaaaaaaake up! Don’t make your mother and your sister pay the price of your recklessness, you educated lady!”

But despite all of these threats we have seen increasing numbers of women taking part in recent protests in different cities including Sana’a, Ta’izz and Aden. These are not just young students who are participating in organizing protests, but also girls and married women, some of whom are reported to have camped with their husbands.

In an interview regarding participation of women in recent events, one of the opposition leaders from Islah party said “In fact, we even have women participating in the qat sessions where we discuss our policies. We have five women in the dialogue preparatory”.

Amnesty International calls for an end to discriminatory laws and violence against women in Yemen, and stands with women in Yemen for full and equal access to their human rights.

On Saturday, according to the news reports, police attacked protesters in Southern city of Aden resulted in wounding several of the protesters.

On Sunday large crowds joined burial procession of people who were killed on Friday

As protest to the escalation of violence, four cabinet ministers, including minister of human rights as well as the Yemen’s ambassador to the UN have resigned.

On Friday President Saleh declared a nationwide state of emergency and on Sunday he dismissed his cabinet amid continuing protests against his government.

Amnesty called such attacks deplorable and has called the Yemeni authorities to investigate and bring to justice those who ordered and carried such attacks.

The international community and the US must put pressure on the Yemeni leadership to take action to stop such attacks which causing increase in civilian death.

President Saleh has called for security forces to give full protection to demonstrators.

In Sana’a instead of Tahrir Square, which was the gathering place for the government supporters, the anti-government demonstrators have been gathering in front of Sana’a university.

On Friday the anti-government demonstration in front of the Sana’a university, one of the largest gatherings so far, was different from last Friday, in part due to large number of people.

In Aden, the situation was more tense and according to Aljazeera news five people were killed.

In an unconfirmed report several people have been arrested in Aden.

Government must be serious in protecting the protestors and ensure that those injured have access to medical treatment.

On Sunday thousands of people have started sit-ins in several cities including, Sana’a Aden, Taiz and Ibb calling on President Ali Abuddlah Saleh to step down.

Tribal leasers have been announcing support for President Saleh or protestors, which with continuation of violence could be very dangerous, considering that Yemen has the second highest rate of per capita gun ownership, after the US.

Among people who have been arrested on Sunday, were Southern Movement opposition leader Hassan Baoum who was arrested from a hospital in Aden which he was receiving treatment.

On Friday one of the activist in Sana’a told Amnesty international “… security blocked every corner, then allowed the thugs to enter, people had no where to run… while running we came across two very young girls around the age of 7 or 8 who were selling books but got caught in the crowd. We took them into the house with us, but then the security wanted to enter.  We informed the security that we have children and a woman with us but instead of protecting us, they called the thugs to come in and attack us but the doors were locked.  We tried to go up on the roof, and then wanted to run down to the other side, but thugs saw us and started throwing rocks at us. Me and one of the girls got hit by a rock but very mildly, the girls were terrified”.

Yemen's demonstrations have been inspired by protest in Tunisia and Egypt, private

Demonstrations in Yemen continued for the third week. But in the last week the peaceful protests and call for political reform turned violent.

In al-Mansurah district of Aden, four men, Mohammed Ali Alalwani, Yassine Askar, Mohammed Ba’ashim, and Yassine Ali Aljahafy were killed when security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators.

Demonstrations in Aden is not new, since 2007 protests have been taking place in south of Yemen against discrimination by the government against Southerners.  But the level of violence and firing at peaceful demonstrators in recent weeks is new.

Since February and following demonstration in Sana’a and other cities, calling for president Saleh to stand down, protestors in Aden are increasing their call for secession of south Yemen.

Protesters came under attack by the plain-clothes security forces and other pro-government demonstrators. At least 20 people have been injured just over the past two days in Aden and Sana’a. According to witnesses, cameramen for Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and AP were beaten by unidentified attackers.

Scores of protesters who were arrested following demonstrations in Aden and Sana’a are being held incommunicado and are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.  Amnesty International is concerned that they may be held solely for the peaceful expression of their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

The Yemeni authorities must release all the people who have been detained as a result of their participation in peaceful demonstrations.

Amnesty International has called on the Yemen government to stop its security forces using excessive force after protesters and journalists were reportedly attacked at peaceful demonstrations around the country.