Wearing less-than-spotless clothes and with some supporting their weight on crutches, 12 young Yemeni men made their way into the media center at Sana’a’s Movenpick Hotel – the main site of the National Dialogue Conference – on Sunday.
“I can’t believe I’m in Yemen. It’s an amazing place, unlike any I’ve been to before,” said 21-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Qaramani as he surveyed the carpets, mirrors and general décor which surrounded him.
For one day, they effectively served as representatives for the thousands who were left injured in 2011’s Youth Revolution. Their protest efforts have continued until the present day, as they are among the small group of injured protesters who are in the midst of what is now a five-month-long sit-in in front of Sana’a’s Council of Ministers building.
They said, however, that no-one seems to care about their demands and situation; they eat rice and bread alone on a daily basis and sleep on the ground without blankets. Still, they have vowed to continue with their sit-in.
The Rights and Freedoms Working Group introduced a change of pace on Sunday when it invited the 12 young men to the NDC’s main site to hear their complaints.
“I feel very comfortable; the dialogue conference has boosted my hope that I may have a chance to undergo surgery and once again be able to stand on my feet and support my family,” said Al-Qaramani.
“The invitation to the NDC gave me a chance to say what I have long dreamed of saying about my pain and injustice,” he said.
Al-Qaramani went on to say, “I will seize the opportunity to send a message to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to remove all corrupt ministers. I really wish all corrupt officials who traded in on our suffering could be fired.”
Al-Qaramani was injured when unidentified persons set fire to pro-democracy protesters’ tents at Taiz’s Freedom Square, where thousand s of people had gathered as a massive protest movement swept through Yemen in 2011.
“My left leg was completely burned in that incident, ‘Mahraqat Taiz’, and whilst participating in the Life March from Taiz to Sana’a, I was shot in my foot,” he said.
Al-Qaramani said that while he had visited some hospitals, he was only able to obtain some medications.
“I don’t need to constantly use drugs… I need to have surgery. I have an examination report which recommended that I undergo spinal surgery,” he said. “Also, I sometimes feel that I can’t depend on my foot enough to even walk or stand.”
Faed Qahtan, a 25-year old deaf-mute, was also among the group at the Movenpick Hotel. His left arm was completely ripped from his body when a heavy truck-mounted machine gun was fired at him during a protest march to a Taiz government office in 2011.
In the NDC’s media center, he pulled up his t-shirt to reveal how two bullets had penetrated his body. The marks the bullet wounds left behind were clearly visible.
Qahtan had expected to travel abroad for medical treatment; but according to friend who spoke on his behalf, “The government has yet to respond to his appeals and the medical reports which recommend that he receive treatment outside Yemen.”
At an amphitheatre at the Movenpick, the twelve men met and discussed their injuries and experiences with Rights and Freedoms Working Group Chairwoman Arwa Othman and other group members.
Othman and the other members in attendance took notes as the young men, some more vocal than others, described their treatment needs.
