UN slams violence on Yemeni protests

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/182660.html

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concerns over the deadly crackdown on Civilians in Yemen, despite his refusal to take any actions on the matter.

In a statement issued by his office, the secretary-general expressed his "grave concern" over brutal repression of protesters in Yemen by security forces, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

Ban Ki-moon urged Yemeni regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh and anti-government protesters to ease tensions and "return to an immediate ceasefire, allowing negotiations to take place."

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has called on the Yemeni government to uphold the fundamental human rights of its citizens.

"Such reprehensible acts of violence and indiscriminate attacks on unarmed civilians by armed security officers must stop immediately," Pillay said.

The development comes as the US and the EU have also rhetorically condemned the violence against protesters.

Scores of tribesmen and regime forces have lost their lives in clashes between security forces and tribesmen since Yemeni ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a power transition deal brokered by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council on May 23.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for near daily demonstrations in Yemen's major cities since late January, calling for an end to corruption and unemployment and demanding the ouster of Saleh, who has been in office since 1978.