Separatists on trials, many sentenced to prison

By Nasser Arrabyee/30/03/2010

Two Yemenis were sentenced Tuesday to five and three years in prison after being convicted of abusing the national unity and calling separation.

Fadi Ba Oum, was sentenced to five years, and Hussein Al Akel was sentenced to three years by the State Security Court in two different sessions.

Both of the two defendants refused to ask for an appeal when their Judges asked them after pronouncing their verdicts.

"It's a political verdict, it will be a medal on my chest," Fade Ba Oum said, when his Judge, Muhsen Alwan asked him if he would appeal.

Fadi, a son of the ill prominent leader, Hassan Ba Oum, was arrested on April 27, 2009, for charges of inciting people to implement armed struggle for separating the south of Yemen from the north.

For the defendant Hassan Al Akel, he said," I refuse the verdict and the court and I hold you (the Judge) responsible.", when his Judge Redwan Al Namer asked him if he would appeal. The two sessions were held in two different rooms in the same court at the same time.

Al Akel, a university professor, who was arrested from Aden University in June 8th, 2009, was accused of spreading untrue news with the aim of harming the national unity and calling for separation.

Fadi Ba Oum was accused of inciting people to carry out sabotage acts and discriminating between the southerners and southerners.


At the end of the session of Ba Oum trial, the Judge Muhsen Alwan said," I swear by Allah Almighty, that will be merciful to none accused of harming the national unity."

The Judge Alwan also ordered the soldiers to take out the socialist Member of Parliament, Mohammed Al Kubati, who attended the session along a number politicians and human rights activists, after he repeatedly said the verdict is a political.

Earlier in the week, a former diplomat was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of calling for separation of southern Yemen from the north.

The State Security Court, chaired by Judge Muhsen Alwan, handed down the sentence of five years in prison to Kasem Askar Jubran, who previously served as ambassador of Yemen in Mauritania.

Askar refused to ask for an appeal saying," there is no justice, and if there is any, I would not have been here behind the bars."

Askar, from the south, was arrested in April 16, 2009, for charges of harming the national unity, calling for separation, inciting people to start armed rebellion against the government. He was a military officer and served as an ambassador in Mauritania from 2001 to 2006.


Last week, the same court handed down a sentence of 10 years in prison to the former Parliamentarian Ahmed Bamualem after being convicted of harming the national unity and calling for separation by armed struggle.

Ali Mohammed Al Sa'adi, activist in the southern movement which calls for separation, was also sentenced to one and a half year in prison and Kasem Al Dairi was acquitted of the same charges. The two defendants were charged with harming the national unity.