Yemen: Information on whether academics are particularly targeted for ill-treatment by the current government
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | YEM28296.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Yemen: Information on whether academics are particularly targeted for ill-treatment by the current government, 1 December 1997, YEM28296.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab7bc.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided during a 4 December 1997 telephone interview with the Assistant Director and specialist on Yemen at L'Institut de recherches et d'études sur le monde arabe et musulman (IREMAM) in Aix-en-Provence, France. The Assistant Director travels regularly to Yemen.
The Assistant Director stated that only a few academics such as Abu Bakr al-Saqqaf, a professor of political philosophy at the University of Yemen, were subject to ill-treatment by the authorities.
An assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Vermont, Burlington who specializes in Yemeni domestic and foreign policy and who has published several articles on Yemen stated that academics are not particularly targeted by the régime (11 Dec. 1997).
The following information was provided during a 9 December 1997 telephone interview with a professor at the Department of Political Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, who is a specialist on the democratic process in Yemen and a member of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies. The professor, who travels to Yemen regularly, has published articles on Yemen in several publications such as Arab Studies Quarterly.
The professor stated that there is "large" academic freedom in the north, but could not provide an assessment for the south.
The following information was provided during a 12 December 1997 telephone interview with a professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Washington in Seattle, who is a specialist in Yemeni internal politics and who has published several articles and books on Yemen. The professor, who travels regularly in Yemen, is the current president of the American Institute of Yemeni Studies.
The president stated academics are not particularly targeted by the authorities. Only a few academics such as Abu Bakr al-Saqqaf have been submitted to ill-treatment by the authorities.
The president added that Yemeni universities are in a dire financial situation and professors as well as intellectuals in general have economic hardships from which they try to escape.
Information on unemployment for university graduates is provided in a December 1997 article published in the magazine Focus by journalist Mahmoud Mahyoub al-Samei who indicates that
Given the condition of our economy, we already notice that unemployment is a major problem. Some of these jobless people are highly trained. For example, in another Yemen Times article, we were told that some 300 oil engineers are waiting for job openings. There are also many accountants, agricultural scientists, medical doctors, etc., who are wandering here and there looking for jobs which are readily available. Some of these graduates will find jobs faster than others, especially in the private sector. These are the ones with skills which the market demands, mostly in the earth sciences. The problem lies with the graduate of humanities, such as sociology, law, arts, and education. The graduates of those fields have no real marketable skills, and most of them end up working as clerks in some office or as teachers.
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.
References
Assistant-Director, Institut d'études et de recherches sur le monde arabe et musulman (IREMAM), Aix-en-Provence, France. 4 December 1997. Telephone interview.
Assistant-Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Vermont, Burlington. 11 December 1997. Telephone interview.
Focus. 7-11 December 1997. Mahmoud M. Mahyoub al-Samei. No. 48, Vol. 7. "The Future of Yemeni Students." < http://www.y.ye/yementimes/iss48/focus.htm > [Accessed 4 Dec. 97]
Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Washington, Seattle. 12 December 1997. Telephone interview.
Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Hampshire, Duhram. 9 December 1997. Telephone interview.
