Yemen: Information on the arrests of the relatives of Omar Ali al-Attass, the former prime minister of South Yemen, which was defeated in a civil war in 1994, and details of their fate

The former Prime Minister of South Yemen is Haydar Abu Bakr al-Attas, not Omar Ali al-Attass (Yemen Gateway 25 Sept. 2002a;

Information on the arrests of the relatives of Haydar Abu Bakr al-Attas and details of their fate could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. The Research Directorate was only able to locate information concerning Haydar Abu Bakr al-Attas' brother, who was assassinated on 14 June 1992 (Yemen Gateway 14 June 2002). Also, it should be noted that Alawi Hassan al-Attas is the current Minister of State for Parliament and Shura Affairs (Yemen Gateway 16 Apr. 2001), though information indicating whether this person is related to the former prime minister could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, the following information may be useful: On 23 March 1998, Haydar Abu Bakr al-Attas was sentenced to death, along with five others for their attempts in 1994, to separate South Yemen from the union and establish it as an independent state (IPS 10 May 1998; Middle East International 10 Apr. 1998; Yemen Gateway 25 Sept. 2002b). Eight others were also convicted, but they were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment, while two others were acquitted (ibid.; IPS 10 May 1998; Middle East International 10 Apr. 1998). Those sentenced are not expected to serve their punishments because they are currently seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Britain (ibid.; IPS 10 May 1998). Please see the attachment for a list of the names of all those convicted.

Meanwhile, according to Middle East International, the state has allowed for a "general amnesty among those former participants [of the 1994 civil war] who remain in the country" (10 Apr. 1998).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Inter Press Service (IPS). 10 May 1998. Dilip Hiro. "Politics-Yemen: North-South Divide Still Scars Yemeni Development." (NEXIS)

Middle East International. 10 April 1998. No. 572. Brian Whitaker. "Harmless Retribution."

Yemen Gateway. 16 October 2002. "About Arab Gateway." [Accessed 20 Dec. 2002]

_____. 25 September 2002a. "Democratic Republic of Yemen, 1994." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2002]

_____. 25 September 2002b. "Verdicts in Treason Trial." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2002]

_____. 14 June 2002. "Security Incidents in Yemen, 1990-94." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2002]

_____. 16 April 2001. "Current Government of Yemen." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2002]

Yemen Gateway is a web site that began in February 1998 and is maintained by Brian Whitaker, who is the Middle East editor for The Guardian (Manchester, UK). The site is a non-partisan resource, mainly consisting of links to other sites and pages on the internet, and some original material pertaining to the Arab world (16 Oct. 2002)

Attachment

Yemen Gateway. 25 September 2002. "Verdicts in Treason Trial." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

World News Connection

Internet sites, including:

Amnesty International

BBC

Human Rights Watch

World News

Yemen Times

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