Yemeni Women activists file sue against Hamid al-Ahmer

By Yemen 24 News

June 17, 2012

SANA'A- Yemeni women's rights activists filed a sue against Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, the Islah Party leader, prominent businessman, and a powerful tribal leader, who incited Yemeni women in Change and Freedom Squares  in an interview with the New York Times Newspaper published in May 23, 2012.

Bilqis al-Lahbi, Arwa Othman, Hoda al-Hababi, Nadia al-Kawkbani, and Samah al-Shadari filed a sue against him at South Sana'a court.

Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar said in his interview that “There was bad behavior, which turned the square into a discotheque! Those women wanted to go hand in hand with their boyfriends as lovers in the demonstrations. This is not right and is against our religion.”

However, he denied  in statement posted by his office the allegations, but most of women activist in Change Square are certainly sure that he said the words that prove his hatred to women activists in all Yemeni community.

Some women activists are accusing Al-Ahmar for inciting against them in Change and Freedom Squares. Bilqis al-Lahbi, legal female activist, said that al-Ahmar is inciting to expel women activists from squares and also incites to attack them in the famous attacks of women activists in April 16, 2011. “I just want to know what is the attitude of Tawakkul Karman in a case such this,” she added.

Samah al-Shakhdari, an activist and head of Voice Foundation for Development, said that al-Ahmar’s statement is very provocative and reflect the psychological of Hamid, who plunder the land and wants to be sodomized the honor of women.

Al-Shakhdari revealed that there are movements for women activists to make lawsuit to the Attorney General against al-Ahmar on charges of defamation women activists. “He is not naive and stupid, but his senseless statement came because his disdain of Liberals and Jurists,” she added.

However, other women activists do not believe that al-Ahmar spoke these words. Intisar Sinan, political and legal activist, said that we can’t speak about this issue until the confirmation of this news. “We need the full proof that he spoke, then we will deal with it,” she added.