Yemen's President Abdullah Ali Saleh said he would not resign as president, as protests in the country continue, although violence in the country continues. The leader of more than three decades rejected Monday's calls from the opposition demonstrators to resign. He then described anti-government demonstrations against his government as unacceptable acts of provocation. He then offered to the protesters dialogue, in an effort to quell the continued demands that he join Tunisia's Ben Ali and Egypt's Mubarak as former presidents. “We want free elections, a free press and to replace the constitution,” said Adil Al-Aswar, a member of a committee set up to coordinate the protest movement, in comments published by USA Today. “We are not afraid. The chief of police came and spoke to us and said we would be safe and protected here.” Medical sources have said at least 11 people have been killed in anti-government protests that began this month, including one youth who was shot dead on Monday. Saleh said he has ordered troops not to fire at anti-government protesters except in self-defense. At least five people were killed in Yemen as protests against the 33-year reign of President Abdullah Ali Saleh continue in the country for the 10th consecutive day. Five others were wounded on Saturday as Saleh blamed the anti-government protests on “a foreign plot.” According to reports from the ground, protesters began marching from the University of Sanaa to the country's justice ministry when police and plainclothes thugs intervened with clubs and knives. The protesters were chanting “The people want the fall of the regime.” Eye witnesses told Bikya Masr that police then fired into the air in an effort to disperse the demonstrators. Medical sources said that one man was shot in the neck and killed. The protests have been demanding Saleh's departure, in an movement inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt that saw their presidents flee after massive anti-government demonstrations were successful. In a meeting with civic leaders, Saleh said Yemenis have the right to express themselves peacefully and that the perpetrators of the unrest were trying to seize power by fomenting instability. He has tried to blunt discontent by promising not to seek reelection in 2013. Elsewhere in the country, residents of Aden, where riots have resulted in at least four deaths, said troops in armored vehicles had deployed in the main streets and at key buildings such as the governor's office. Many police had withdrawn from the streets, apparently to avoid confrontation with protesters. Vice-President Abd Rabou Mansour met officials in Aden and decided to seal off the city to prevent people outside Aden from joining protests. Since February 2011 and following demonstrations in Sana'a and other cities calling for the president to stand down, protesters in Aden in particular have also started calling for regime change. Protests calling for the secession of the south also continue to take place in Aden and other parts of south Yemen. Freedom of expression is guaranteed by Yemen's Constitution. However, this right is undermined by restrictive laws and practices, particularly the 1990 Press and Publications Law, and by the Specialized Press and Publications Court set up in May 2009. The court appears to be aimed at suppressing dissent by fast-tracking cases brought against government critics. The Yemeni government has become increasingly intolerant of independent media and criticism directed towards it. Journalists, editors and publishers have been detained, held incommunicado, ill-treated and jailed on spurious charges after unfair trials. BM
