Beirut Declaration: Yemen revolution spectra determine the course of “Yemen that we desire”

Issued by the national conference “Yemen that we desire”

Beirut

January 21, 2012

See the original Arabic Statement as attached file

Organized by al-Tagheer for Defending Rights and Freedoms, a national conference entitled as “The Yemen that we desire” was held during 18-19 January, 2012.

It was participated by several young activists of the youth revolution squares, politicians, journalists and academicians with various backgrounds.

During the 2 day-conference, the major issues related current situation in Yemen, specially the peaceful youth revolution, the southern case and Sadaa cases, were discussed. As well as, latest developments on the national arena.

The major topics were as follows:

–        The reality of people youth revolution, prospects and achievements

–        The civil state

–        The political participation of youth and woman

–        The transitional justice

The participants asserted the following:

1-   Continuation of the revolution

The conference welcomed the legendary steadfastness of the Yemeni people in squares and streets of the great revolution all over Yemen, recommending it to go ahead in the revolution course and steadfastness on the face of suppression, terrifying, fraud and conspiracy.  It concluded that the only option before Yemenis is to reach the aimed civil state, to get rid of all the affects of the state-absence era, sovereignty abuse, looting, economic collapse and waste resources. That will be achieved through continuing revolution and maintaining its flame burning until fully regime overthrow in all of its tyrannical staff and foundations. The continuity of revolution protests regarded as the only guarantee to achieve the revolution goals and toppling the regime that summed most of the crimes left Yemen and Yemenis to the miserable reality threatened to destroy the future of the nation.

Therefore,  the conference recommends to continue the revolution activities and adoption all the demands and aims of revolutionary youth to be achieved.

It totally refuses any deal, either foreign or local, dealing with the revolution as a political “crisis”, nor as a people youth “revolution” as it is in real, trying to fragment the revolution demands or neglecting its core, for being not conformed with the purposes of the great Yemeni people in their revolution, for its sake they gave thousands of martyrs, wounded and prisoners.

The participants hold the Yemeni political forces the responsibility to protect the great sacrifices of the people, asking it to live up to the level of those sacrifices and holding its historical responsibility towards the most honest and biggest revolution experienced by the nation over its history.

The conference calls on the ruling government coalition to reply on the legitimate questions of the citizens regarding circumstances relevant to the GCC initiative and the accompanied confidential concessions.

2-    The civil state

The major objective of the peaceful people youth revolution is to establish a “civil” modern democratic state backed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, the conference considers that all revolutionary options should be led to this outcome. All political courses have to take into accounts the condition of “civil” state through its approaches and backed on the revolution legitimacy.

The conference emphasized on establishing an independent and honest judiciary authority based on justice, equality, law dominance.

It calls for holding a primary national conference participated by all the revolution forces and political parties, with the priority of youth representation, to achieve the citizenship state.

The participants asserted the necessity to re-structure the army and security leading to re-accounting the military and security institution as an independent national institution that not a subject of fiefdoms and territorial representations and classes.

3-   Transitional Justice:

The participants accounts that the transitional justice as one of the important principles which can be applied on the Yemeni situation in regards to the past political conflict. Therefore,  relevant clear measures should be determined in this respect including the following points:

– Official recognition of the crimes committed.

– Granting of compensation and reparation.

– The establishment of national reconciliation for all victims of political conflicts in the former homeland.

– Commemorating the martyrs of the peaceful revolution.

– Rejection of the immunity granted to Saleh and his officials according to the GCC initiative.

The Conference believes that the law of immunity and a black stain on the conscience of humanity and a slap in the face of justice undermine the principle of legality, as it touches not only a group of people to escape from punishment, but to fortify the culture of corruption.

The conference regarded the Law of Immunity as a shameful stain on the human memory and a painful slap on the face of justice being undermine the legitimacy principle that it abuses not only a group of people to escape from punishment, but to fortify the culture of crime and corruption.

4-   Southern Case

The conference welcomes the revolution of peaceful movement in the south erupted in 2007 previous to the Arab revolts. It considered the fair solution would not be outside options of southerners themselves. So, the conference recommends that the final word has to be entrusted to the various representations of the south.

The conference affirmed that the affects  of tyrannical and barbarous war in 1994 against the southerners demands political and social representations in the north, especially that implicated or involved, to quickly apologize clearly and frankly the former. A brave apology is the first step in re-formulating the national participation between the south and north being a fair political case, reaching to re-produce the national unity as a “choice” raising on popular consciousness, not on imposing the unity by force and tyranny.

5-   Sadaa Case:

One of the revolution priorities is to fairly and inclusively address Sadaa case including dealing with the war affects, beginning in the re-building, engaging Sadaa people in the political process and stopping sectarian incitement campaigns against them.

The conference retains to the serious threats of co-existence and interfaith among Yemenis with their different backgrounds, entrusted the awareness of Yemeni people to realize the consequences of such threats on security and safety of Yemen society.

6-   Al-Qaeda and Terrorism:

– Conference calls for finding a judicial alternative to combat terrorism, regarding current mechanisms to counter-terrorism, like killing in contrary to the law, leads terrorism to exacerbated rather than addressed.

– Participants announced their solidarity with the people of the affected province of Abyan due to the ongoing battles with the armed groups, resulting in enforced displacement of more than one hundred thousand citizens, killing and injuring thousands, destroying hundreds of homes and the burning of dozens of farms.

– Conference calls on all neighboring countries to assist Yemen in eliminating the sources of terrorism, stop funding it, and condemns campaigns of blasphemy and treason against political opponents and opinion-makers.

7-   State form:

The conference recommends the adoption of the federal option as a form of government that the nature of the federalism during the Assembly National Conference and respect the choice of the southerners.

Conference calls for action on re-drafting of the electoral system and the relative adoption of the list as the most appropriate system of the state.

8-  Womens participation:

Conference welcomes the great national struggle of Yemeni women and appreciates their real participation in revolutionary action, as well as their contribution to the public life: politically, economically, socially and culturally.

The Conference recommends to widely expand women opportunities in real partnership and their role in decision-making centers.

9-   Youth participation:

The Conference recommends that to fairly represent youth in the institutions of political decision-making being the hard core of the revolution, change and reform.

– The Conference recommends the formation of a supreme body to take care of the families of the martyrs and wounded of the youth revolution, including victims of political conflict.

– The Conference recommends to support the coordination efforts and alliances between the components of the revolution, up to represent all the active configurations and coalitions, without exclusion of any active component.

– All conference documents and speeches provided are a part of the minutes, and especially the speech of President Ali Nasser Mohammed, speech of Prime Minister Salim Hoss and speech delivered by Dr Nedham Assaph; chairman of Amman Human Rights Center. 

– The Conference recommends to print all conference documents and provided speeches to be issued in a book and circulated to all the revolution squares and fields.

Issued in Beirut

January 21, 2012

Names of the participants in the conference-87 person, See the Arabic source