Nobody in Yemen immune, OHCHR says

GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Those responsible in Yemen for the deaths of people demonstrating against the government since early this year must face justice, a U.N. official said.

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement from Geneva said his organization condemns "in the strongest terms" the killing of protesters in Yemen since the weekend's unrest.

Violence flared during the weekend in Yemen after embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh delivered a national address blaming opposition forces for the unrest gripping the country.

In an account of the violence, the Yemen Post notes that "as Saleh was delivering this rant against the opposition, his men were using rocket-propelled grenades and .50-caliber guns against Yemeni citizens, regardless of their age or gender."

Colville said it was time for an international investigation into the violence in Yemen. Those responsible for killing demonstrators must be prosecuted "regardless of rank or title."

Saleh has balked on a deal from the Gulf Cooperation Council that calls for his resignation in exchange for immunity. Colville stressed that international law prohibits amnesty for those tied to grave violations of human rights.