1 of 4 | An anti-government protester holds a bullet during during a demonstration demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa November 13, 2011, a day after the United States said it was "deeply troubled" by reports of attacks on civilians in the Yemeni flashpoint city of Taez. UPI/ Abdulrahman Abdallah. |
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NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The international community should insist on prosecuting those responsible for attacks on Yemeni civilians during last year's uprising, a rights group said.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the United States during the weekend for additional medical treatment for injuries suffered during a June assassination attempt. The U.S. State Department said he enjoys diplomatic privileges extended to sitting heads of state, though elections are set for mid-February.
"The issue isn't where Saleh gets medical care but whether concerned governments are going to prevent him and his aides from getting away with the killings of peaceful protesters," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"International leaders should stand by the Yemeni people and insist on prosecutions of those responsible for last year's unlawful attacks."
Saleh was granted immunity by the Yemeni Parliament as part of a political transition deal brokered last year by the Gulf Cooperation Council. The United Nations had said it objected to immunity deals for public figures accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
Human Rights Watch estimates at least 270 people were killed during uprisings against Saleh's government last year.
