Yemen Protests: Troops In Country's Capital Open Fire On Protesters With Guns, Tear Gas, Water Cannons

By AHMED AL-HAJ -- The Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Doctors say eight protesters have been killed by Yemeni security forces who opened fire at some 100.000 protesters converging into the capital from a four-day march.

Mohammed el-Qoutbi and Sadeq al-Shugaa, doctors at a field hospital with the protesters, also say 200 have been injured in the assault, including 61 wounded by gunfire. The dead include one woman.

The protesters were attacked as they entered Sanaa after marching for four days from Taiz, 170 miles (270 kilometers) to the south to pressure the government not to grant outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution.

Comments

[fco1922]

06:42 AM on 12/25/2011

So let me get this straight. Guns, tear gas and water canon are examples of human rights abuses when used by Yemeni Government forces, but when used by American police they are acceptable means of protecting the police?

[shangrolah]

03:20 AM on 12/25/2011

Way to celebrate Chrismas!

[Alpharius]

02:40 AM on 12/25/2011

And this means what. New boss, same as the old boss.

Merry Christmas to the Yemaniis!!!!!!!!!!

[bealebkk]

11:47 PM on 12/24/2011

"Open Fire On Protesters With Guns, Tear Gas, Water Cannons
...and what freedom loving country sold them all these weapons?

[TheHandyman]

01:57 AM on 12/25/2011

Open fire on peaceful protesters with pepper spray, sound projectors, billy clubs, horses, and bulldozers,..done on the citizens of the same country that sold them those weapons! And of course when this is done on peaceful Palestinians Congress and the White House pretends it never happened. Of course we sell those weapons used against those peaceful protestors too!

[shangrolah]

03:21 AM on 12/25/2011

France?

[fco1922]

06:42 AM on 12/25/2011

We sold them to France first. The French simply marked them up and sold them on. The Israelis do it all the time.

[bealebkk]

08:08 PM on 12/25/2011

nice try, but no brass ring...

[Kathleen Morse]

10:34 PM on 12/24/2011

Gee, maybe some American Corporations should sell them some stun guns and pepper spray. Our police find them very effective against protesters.

[bealebkk]

11:53 PM on 12/24/2011

They already did, but Saudi bought more

[Bradley Greig Smith]

10:06 PM on 12/24/2011

We have been supporting the Yemeni government for decades and for the last 3 years we have been using drones against the opposition. Why? because Saudi Arabia doesn't want the Yemeni government to fall, they are afraid that they will be next. Same story in Bahrain we had no problem with Saudi Arabia suppressing their protests either.

[Bradley Greig Smith]

10:01 PM on 12/24/2011

Keep in mind that we are firmly on the side of the government on this one.

[DannyRose]

09:42 PM on 12/24/2011

We supported the immunity deal (but not for Gaddafi, strange).

Those 100,000 protesters must be wrong.

[stirkle2]

08:41 PM on 12/24/2011

After Mubarak and Gaddafi, if they're smart they'll use an Atomic Bomb on protesters to stay in power. The Arab Dictator type retirement system sucks.

[candalou2]

08:11 PM on 12/24/2011

big problems all around the world

[shangrolah]

03:22 AM on 12/25/2011

Belgium and Luxenborg both stable, and at peace with one another. Why look for the negative?

[goodwillsf]

04:45 AM on 12/25/2011

belgium's political crisis resulted in a lack of an electable govt. for years, an historical record, and now the euro crisis and banking downgrade is shocking them, used to be just the failure of sabena was an unthinkable scandal, thank goodness they aren't prone to hostility with other nations and get along so well with Lux

[candalou2]

08:31 PM on 12/25/2011

yes they get along with Luxenborg but they have other big problems as other Countries around the world do

[grneydmuse]

08:08 PM on 12/24/2011

And Ali Abdullah Saleh thinks he is coming to the United States....?

[Tunghoy]

08:05 PM on 12/24/2011

Were Yemeni security forces trained by the NYPD?

[Bradley Greig Smith]

10:01 PM on 12/24/2011

Not that I know of but they are supported by our government.

[shangrolah]

03:22 AM on 12/25/2011

NYPD Special Victims Unit, actually.

[tulsey]

08:01 PM on 12/24/2011

At least after the tear gas, the Yemeni authorities offer showers to freshen up with unlike our occupy police.

[priceut]

07:35 PM on 12/24/2011

So sad this should happen in the place that gave the world brewed coffee.

[vampyreincubus]

06:28 PM on 12/24/2011

Occupy wall street all over again. Why is it we talk a good game about supporting protesters in other countries but when it is in our own country we suppress them by any means necessary.

[tulsey]

08:03 PM on 12/24/2011

I think you paint with a broad brush, stay tuned.

[TheHandyman]

02:01 AM on 12/25/2011

Excuse me, too broad of a brush? In what respect. Sound amplifiers, water cannon, pepper spray, billy clubs, bulldozers, para military attacks in the early hours of the morning against Americans exercising their right to peacefully assemble haven't happened here?

[Bradley Greig Smith]

10:02 PM on 12/24/2011

We are on the side of the Yemeni government and have been all along.