University students demand release of political prisoners, free education

Thousands of protesters gather at Sana’a University in stance against the university administration’s corruption.

“The students are pioneers of change,” read the slogan of the Joint Meeting Parties’ student section at the University of Sana’a. Their meeting called for a peaceful protest held in front the gate of Sana’a University on Sunday.

The student gathering was attended by hundreds of students who denounced the arrests of politicians and journalists and the state of corruption inside the university.

Participants denounced the tightened security procedures and marginalization faced by the student entities and the transformation of the university into a military barracks. The students claim that they do not have appropriate outlets for the freedom of union and political work within the university. They also claim a deterioration of the education and academia at the university.

Echoed were slogans of solidarity with political prisoners, such as the theatrical artist Fahd al-Qarni, the imprisonment of a journalist, Mohamed al-Maqaleh, and the continuous criticism of journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khaiwani.

“This protest came after a long wait due to the bad situation in the Yemeni arena through arrests, repression and persecution in this country,” said Fayez Nouman, representative of the student section of the Yemeni Social Party. “We are trying to have our message reach the university presidency and government, that is, we are against the arrests and repression of the peaceful movements and protests inside the southern governorates.”

Nouman said that the university presidency suppressed the students due to their political view. “We are against those behaviors. We want to say “yes” for the modern education, “yes” for freedom of opinion and other views. This is the most important things that we struggle to achieve.”

At the gathering, they called for the university president to stop wasting money on cars and luxurious villas. They called on the presidency to ignore the narrow partisan standard that prevents from developing the university and scientific performance.

The student sectors of the JMP at the protest discussed a number of issues facing the student movement in Sana’a and Aden University, as well as the repression and arrests against the activists of the peaceful protest movement which organized by the JMP and associations of pensioners, the unemployed youth and student sectors in Yemen.

The student sectors stated its commitment to the demands of students represented by the principle of academic freedom in the university regulations and legislation. They confirmed their obligate to the legitimacy of political activity, intellectual, unionist and protest without any restrictions based on the constitution and law and international covenants signed by the government of Yemen as a peaceful means which can achieve the students’ demands. 

Demanded by them was the abolition of university fees and royalties, which turned into a burden on the student sectors, and also demanded to expanse the student housing and activating the health unit in colleges.

Most important for the students was the support and improvement of the education curriculum of university and scientific research.

The students also stood for getting rid of political security from the university and all the security features so as to respect the sanctity of the university. They called for the disclosure of the investigation results of the incident regarding a security assault on students at the university and activating the role of student unions in all fields and student activities.

Finally, students stressed their adherence to the just demands of the student movement and its lasting effect in the way of peaceful struggle for an independent university and a modern, free education and a university that is free of armed security features. They want it to be an open university where students can enjoy their civil, political and intellectual rights.

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