Yemenis rap Saleh’s violent tactics

Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets across Yemen to denounce Ali Abdullah Saleh’s continued violent tactics to quell protests in the country, Press TV reports.

In the capital, Sana’a, protesters chanted anti-government slogans after Friday prayers, calling for the ouster of Saleh.

“We would not be deterred by regime’s continued crackdown and we will continue our revolution until we achieve its goals,” revolutionaries Hamied Arlefi told Press TV.

Revolutionaries also expressed outrage at a decree from a government-financed committee of Yemeni religious scholars declaring that it is sinful to protest against the state and that security forces are “fighting for the sake of God.”

“We consider the fatwa as the declaration of war against anti-government protesters who are calling for the ouster of the regime in a peaceful way. Such scholars are just servants of state’s rulers,” said protester Yahia Ansi.

In a press conference in Sana’a on Friday, the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar, expressed his sorrow concerning the ongoing bloody crackdown on protests in the country.

“I express my regret for the continued bloodshed in Yemen. The cycle of violence should stop. I have talked to different parties and I found that all of them do agree on basic things but what is left is to speed up the process of having a political solution to the crisis,” Omar said.

The development come as Saleh earlier said he would not step down if his opponents were allowed to compete in future elections and remain in influential positions.

Saleh returned to the country from Saudi Arabia on September 23, where he was receiving treatment for injuries received in a June 3 rocket attack on the presidential palace in Sana’a.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more injured to date during the Saleh regime’s crackdown on anti-government protests in Yemen.