AMBASSADOR AND MINISTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: LET'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001577

SIPDIS

FOR A/S CRANER FROM AMBASSADOR HULL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PINR YM HUMAN RIGHTS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND MINISTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: LET'S
WORK TOGETHER

Classified By: Ambassador Edmund J. Hull for Reasons 1.5 (b,d)


1. Summary: The Ambassador called on the newly-appointed
Minister of Human Rights Amat al-Alim al-Suswa on June 30.
In a cordial meeting, they discussed the state of human
rights in Yemen, the 2002 Human Rights Report, developments
in the new Ministry and specific human rights issues,
including women, prisons, security forces and the media.
They also explored areas of closer cooperation, including
increasing potential USG assistance such as community
policing and media training. The Ambassador offered to see
if A/S Craner might be available to meet with al-Suswa during
her planned visit to Washington for Yemen Days September 5-6
(see paragraph 12). Acting Pol/Econ Chief and A/PAO also
attended. See biographic note in paragraph 11. End Summary.

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General Environment for Human Rights;
New Ministry of Human Rights
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2. (U) The Ambassador and Minister agreed that human rights
remains a difficult issue in Yemen that must be addressed on
all fronts. At the same time, they agreed that, unlike in
some other Middle Eastern countries, the environment of
openness and a higher level of freedom in Yemen offers
opportunities to make great progress in improving human
rights. The Minister said there is great willingness to
admit to problems, but often the capacity to address them was
hindered by economic, social and sometimes bureaucratic
constraints.


3. (U) In the government formed in May 2003, the previous
structure of a Minister of State for Human Rights
coordinating the work of an inter-agency committee was
improved to the status of a full Ministry of Human Rights.
The Minister said she has a lot of work to do and asked for
patience while she works to improve the capacity of the new
ministry to undertake work, particularly in the areas of
staff development and addressing specific complaints.

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Human Rights Report (HRR)
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4. (U) The Ambassador encouraged the Minister to increase
the dialogue between the Embassy and the Ministry on human
rights in general and the HRR specifically. He urged the
Minister to work with other ministries to bring old cases to
resolution. The Minister agreed, citing the issue of the
disappeared from the 1986 and 1994 conflicts. She said the
families of the disappeared had come to informal agreement
with the ROYG to resolve the issue, but that it should be
resolved in an official manner.


5. (U) The Minister indicated that the ROYG felt that the
HRR was "important input" in improving their human rights
situation. The ROYG plans to issue an official government
response to the 2002 HRR as it did in 2001, which would be
published and discussed widely. She said the inter-agency
process was ongoing to formulate the response. The
Ambassador said the 2001 response was appreciated for its
evidence of Yemen taking the HRR seriously and that it was
taken into account as the 2002 HRR was drafted. He added
that dialogue on the report should be continual and frequent
as well.


6. (U) The Minister said that the ROYG was planning to
develop a report on the U.S. treatment of Yemenis and
Yemeni-Americans, citing ill-treatment in the aftermath of
9/11 including Guantanamo detainees and arrests in the U.S.
The Ambassador said the U.S. has a sincere desire to protect
people's rights and that we should continue to discuss the
issue.

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Issues: Women, Prisons, Security Services, Media
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7. (U) The Ambassador brought up the status of women as one
of the key concerns about human rights in Yemen. The
Minister agreed, noting it as one of her main interests. She
said it is a "huge, complex and difficult" issue because of
Yemeni traditional society. She noted that the ROYG cabinet
plans to endorse a Strategy for Women. She used the horrible
treatment of women in prisons as an example of the extreme
situation. She said that while progress has been made on
their conditions with the change to more female guards and
higher political attention, the societal view that leaves a
stigma where families refuse to take back women prisoners
remains a huge hurdle.


8. (U) The Ambassador noted improvements in the treatment
of citizens by security services while stressing that much
more needs to be done. The Minister agreed that the
ignorance by which some police and security services treat
citizens needs to be comprehensively addressed. The
Ambassador described the concept of community policing in the
United States and said it might be one way to address the
issue. He offered to work with the Minister and the Minister
of the Interior to explore such programs that could possibly
be assisted by the USG.


9. (U) As a former journalist, the Minister agreed with the
Ambassador that the media situation could be improved. While
much press freedom is allowed, journalists still often censor
themselves for fear of government reprisal. They agreed that
journalists need to be more professional as well, and the
Ambassador offered potential USG assistance in this regard
via training and visitor programs.

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Comment
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10. (C) The previous Minister of State for Human Rights,
Waheeba Fara'a, offered promise when she was appointed the
first woman ROYG minister, but that promise was never
realized to full potential. This new appointment of a
dynamic and energetic Minister, who appears to intend to
accomplish concrete progress rather than rhetoric and who is
well-regarded by internationals and ROYG officials alike,
offers greater promise for Yemen to improve its human rights
record. The Embassy intends to explore concrete ways to
assist in addition to ongoing programs, including improving
community policing and training the media. End Comment.

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Biographic Note
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11. (U) Amat al-Alim al-Suswa, Minister of Human Rights:

-- Born in 1958, Taiz
-- Masters in International Media, American University,
Washington, D.C. (USAID scholarship)
-- Chairwoman of the Yemeni Women's Union, 1989-1990
-- Assistant Deputy Minister of Information, 1991
-- Deputy Minister of Information, 1997
-- Permanent Representative of Yemen to the Chemical Weapons
Prohibition Council in the Hague
-- Ambassador of Yemen to Holland, 2000-2003 (particularly
significant as Holland was Yemen's most important economic
assistance donor during this period)

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Recommendation
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12. (U) Post highly recommends that A/S Craner consider
meeting with the Minister of Human Rights in September. Post
will assist the Minister in coordinating her visit and will
provide additional information septel.
HULL