|
|
  
Body's Inspected, and... Identified At the fourth hearing last Monday in the courtroom of the Sana'a court of appeal, the technical team assigned to examine the morgue presented its report. The team included: Dr. Qassem Aqlan, specialist in Forensic medicine and toxicology, Dr. Abdullah Al-Raqimy, gynecologist, Dr. Abdul Hakim Abdul Salam, orthopedist and Dr. Hussni Al-Jawshai, anatomist. The report indicates the following: 1- The team found six bodies in the morgue. All were of male persons who died in the accident involving the Saudi Bus. These did not relate to the case of the serial murderer, and the former morgue assistant, Adam Omar. 2- The team examined all available body parts in the dry basin and the other ones filled with Formalin and found the following: i) Bodies of two women who died long ago. One of the bodies was intact and the other one was partially anatomized. ii) Two male pelvises. Their tissues were found to be not torn. iii) Four bodies of old men whose tissues had been torn in anatomy classes. These were kept at the dry basin. iv) A 15.5 X 12.5 cm skull base with the cervical vertebrae and 9 thoracic vertebrae likely to be those of a woman. v) Two similar legs which have been chopped from the ankle joint likely to be those of a man. vi) Two female legs chopped from the ankle joint. vii) Three left legs, all chopped from the ankle joint. viii) Right and left hands with red paint on the nails. One of them is 13 cm and the other is 12.5 cm long. ix) Five skull bases, relatively old, likely to be those of men. x) A scalp with African brown blonde hair. xi) A complete female hand which was clearly exposed to violent external contusion at the elbow joint and wrist joint. xii) Two right legs of women chopped from the ankle. One is 21 cm and the other is 23 cm long. xiii) A recent skull vault of a woman. From the marks of Hematoma on its services it was clear that it was exposed to violent external contusion. Viscera The team examined all the morgue basins and found the following: 1- A left kidney of an adult. 2- A liver, abdomen, left lung, right kidney all of a young boy. 3- A brain that has been chopped into two parts. 4- A right lung with windpipe, diaphragm, right and left kidneys belonging to the same person. The kidneys have been cut by a knife inappropriately. 5- Small intestine of a child. 6- A big recent abdomen with the big intestine. It was difficult to know if they belong to a male or a female. 7- Two livers with some parts of the large intestine, one big liver, parts of kidneys, 5 lungs: 2 right and 3 left. All these have been there since a long time for educational purposes. 8- A number of body parts which were there for a long period for educational purposes. 9- A recent esophagus. The technical team separated the parts that were suspected to relate to the case for further examinations. Bones As far as bones are concerned, the team found the following: 1- A recent pelvis with part of the lumbar vertebrae and part of the backbone of a 20-year-old man. 2- A recent single left pelvis bone of a female adult. 3- A recent single left pelvis bone of a female adult. 4- Two recent femurs of an 18 year-old girl 5- Two recent femurs of an 18 year-old girl 6- Three recent pairs of bones 7- Three recent leg bones, two of which are of a woman and one of a man. 8- Three chemises whose sex was difficult to determine. 9- Five different humeruses, three of which were of a left upper arm and the others were of a right upper arm. 10- Three recent left scapulas of a female 11- A recent right scapula of a male. 12- Four recent bones, difficult to tell the sex 13- Six recent fibulas, difficult to tell the sex. 14- Three recent ulnas with marks of burns. It was difficult to tell the sex. 15- Fresh bone of a woman. 16- A man's bone with marks of burns 17- A calcaneum with marks of burns 18- A recent bone After the examination of the morgue, the team came out with the following conclusions: 1- The bodies and parts found belonged to both sexes which refutes the sexual motivation unless the accused is a homosexual. 2- The body parts found belonged to people of different ages. 3- The burning marks found on some of the recent bones indicated that the accused burnt some bodies to get rid of them. 4- The number of victims reported by newspapers is not the real number of the victims. 5- Some similar parts were disappearing. 6- No records were available to know the exact number of bodies coming into the morgue in a legal way. Jalal Al-Shara'abi Dr. Margot Badran , the current senior Fulbright lecturer delivered a lecture on Wednesday, 7June at the American Institute for Yemeni Studies. The event was attended by some politicians, university professors, journalists, student of the demolished Empirical Research and Women Studies Center. The lecture was titled " Gender: Meanings, Uses and Discourse in Post-Unification Yemen". Dr. Badran focussed on the three kinds of dicussion- academic, governmental and political- as realms in which the concept of gender attracts diffrent and often contradictory meanings. In the seminar, she examined the idea of gender and the various shapes that this idea has taken in recent discussions in Yemen. At the beginning of her discussion, she dedicated her paper to the memory of some of the girls who were killed inside the gates of Sana'a University. She observed that "there has been an enormous misunderstanding of the concept of gender in Yemen. Some emanates from genuine unfamiliarity with the terms and its meaning. Gender connotes the cultural construction of man and women or masculinity and femininity as distinct from the biological category of male and female or sex. Most simply put, sex is a biological category while gender is a cultural category. Gender is a an analytical tool enabling us to probe deeply in everyday practices as women and men within the context of our religion, culture and history. Some have not only simply misunderstood gender but have pervert its meaning and uses. Some have politicize gender." In her paper she identified three discourses of gender in Yemen today, examine the organs of gender as a new concept in an analytical tool in the west and Arab societies, look at the challenges concerning the gender terminology in Arabic, and finally discussed the contradictory of gender fate in Yemen. She said "Explicit gender discourses are a phenomenon of post unification Yemen. There are three discourses of gender currently discernible in Yemen, which I called the state discourse, the academic discourse, and the demmonizing discourse. The state discourse is the discourse of development and democracy. It is a normative and applied discourse grounded on the fundamental law of the land. The second discourse of gender is the academic discourse which is of intellectual, scientific in core and analysis. The third discourse is the demonizing discourse which is a discourse of deceit and fabrication fanned on popular press on the street. It is a manipulative discourse playing on notions of endanger culture , horror of identity. Although, three discourses, gender discourses can be detected in Yemen today, they are not impermeable. Indeed, these three of gender intersect and depend on each other in a multitude of ways. spring. She also highlighted the problem of the ERWSC which was an important institution for discussing the question of gender in Yemen. She said" In short the center was an example of a mutually beneficial concerns of national development and academic work." She also observed gender as a new analytical category and gender in Arabic. After that debates and discussions from the audience were presented. By Mohamed Al-Qadhi, Managing Editor, Yemen Times Imad Al-Saqqaf, Farooq Al-Kamali Taiz During and after President Ali Abdullah Saleh's visit to USA, the issue of the Jews and normalization of relationship was extensively discussed in press and TV channels. At the time, there were some Jewish tourist groups visiting Yemen. The government seemed to find this an opportunity to activate tourism drive in the country after a period characterized by tourist recess due to kidnapping incidents in various parts of the Republic. On the other hand, Israel wants to be given access to the Yemeni waters, so as to control the Gulf area through Aden Gulf. During their visits to Yemen, many Jewish groups raised the issue of Al-Shabazi, after official statements by the Zionist entity and Jewish communities abroad were made to recover his remains or to locate his grave so that it could be renovated and made an important tourist spot. Though the Yemeni public, in general, are still against the idea of normalization of relations with the Jews, the grave of Al-Shabazi constitutes part of our cultural heritage that should not be distorted ignored. Yemenis bear no grudge against the Jews nor the Jewish religion. The two races have lived together in peace for a long time. What the Yemenis as well as many Arabs are against , however, is the policy of the Zionist entity which occupies the Arab territories and oppresses the Arab people of Palestine. Al-Shabazi and Al-Muayed Rest House: Many newspapers as well as TV channels have recently been interested in the issue of Al-Shabazi. There was also a big controversy about the location of his grave. Many questions are still raised about his identity, purpose of his coming to Yemen, and choosing Taiz in particular and the exact location of its dome, all of which are still unanswered. Many a persons took Al-Muayed Rest House for his dome as there is the hexagram atop the Rest House dome. To shed more light on the matter and uncover ramifications of this issue, YT went to Al-Muayed area where the Rest House is located in the South of Al-Kahera Fort. Al-Muayed Rest House is just a dome and a basin next to it. The condition of the dome is really miserable due to negligence. Cracks have distinctly appeared in the hexagram. We met one Abdullah Al-Fadli who said "This is Al-Muayed Rest House and the basin below it receives water that comes down from Al-Kahera Fort. The speculation that this is Al-Shabazi grave is groundless. Two journalists from Al-Jazeera channel came to take photos of this site thinking it as Al-Shabazi grave." In Al-Muayed area there is a new Rest House under construction bearing the name of Al-Muayed Rest House. We met the engineer in charge of its implementation who said that the area would be developed into a beautiful tourist site. The Hexagram: Regarding the existence of the sixth star on Al-Muayed dome as well as on some Islamic sites, Mr. Al-Izi Mohammed Musleh, chairman of Archeology Office in Taiz, said "The hexagram on the dome is a decoration that has nothing to do with the star of Israel. It is deeply rooted in the Islamic history and is commonly called "Al-Dawoodiah" Star referring to prophet Solomon's ring which was hexagonal. The star was also frequently used by the Sufi as an adornment sign on their drums. It was also used in psychotherapy. It used to be used as charms to exorcise evil spirits. Yemenis, in general, used it in the past to decorate their houses. Therefore, the star is seen in many old buildings. Moreover, there are some pentagrams and eight-pointed stars.'' Mr. Mohammed Mohammed Al-Mujahed, chairman of General Organization for Tourism in Taiz, said "The hexagram used to be prevalent at that time on different buildings, not only religious monuments. This has eventually acquired a religious symbolism among the people. It was not known at the time that star will be the symbol of the Israel. Al-Muayed Rest House dates back to the reign of Al-Rasolin in Al-Muayed area. However, Al-Shabazi is in Al-Sawani area on the other side of Al-Kahera Fort and, to be specific, it is in Al-Maghreba. There is a far long distance separating the two. Al-Shabazi:a brief sketch His name was Shaloom Shabozo. According to the Yemeni Jews he came from Morocco in about 200 years. He settled in Taiz and it was believed that he was an adult then. It's also reported that he lived in Taiz for 15 years before before his death and was buried in Al-Maghreba area where the Jews of Taiz used to live then under orders from Imam Ahmad Haimd Al-Dain. He was a poet and not a religious leader. He was actually like Ali Bin Zaid for Yemenis. He used to compose poems on agriculture, crops, harvest, etc. However, the Jews' focus on him makes everyone think that he is more than a mere poet." YT went to Al-Maghreba. But we could see nothing spectacular. Nayef Mohammed Haider, the person in charge of looking after the grave said that the grave was covered under earth which he discovered. Then, he showed us a nearby basin where sick children were used to be treated. He said "Water in this basin is with medicinal properties and is used to treat children who have weak health."About the grave of Al-Shabazi, Mr. Al-Izi said "Al-Shabazi was buried in a grave that has an architecture, different from that of normal Muslim graves. The roof was built with mud bricks. It has a small window and is surrounded by a small wall. Now it has no clear-cut marks. However, it has never been exposed to any ravages. Besides, the government preserves all the sites that are part of our cultural heritage. We guard the Al-Shabazi grave because it's part of our history."In the cemetery and near the grave of Al-Shabazi the Al-Saeed Institute for primary education was built and later the Jews temple was changed to a school. Al-Shabazi for Tourism: If the Yemeni government pays this cultural site as well as other such sites in Taiz the due attention, it is certain that tourism industry will flourish. It is no less important than the Al-kaherah Fort and the Al-Mudafar mosque. YT contacted Mr. Mohammed Al-Mojahid from the Tourism office in Taiz who said "The Chairman of the Jews community in America phoned me and promised that at least 20 thousand tourists will come annually to visit the site, if the site was properly maintained. Besides, they are willing to do the renovations themselves. Therefore, I feel that we should renovate this site not for the sake of tourist Jews but for all the tourists who will come from all over the world to our country. Taiz is actually rich with such sites which, if taken care of, will certainly promote the tourist drive in the country." In regard to transferring Al-Shabazi grave to Israel, Al-Izi Mohammed said "This is not at all true and is unthinkable. Besides, Al-Shabazi is not that significant historically to make this big fuss about. He is a mere Jew who died in Yemen. Mr. Abdullah Al-Thaifani, a leader of the movement resisting the normalization policy, said "People as well as different media channels have made a mountain out of a molehill. Al-Shabazi is part of our history. He was a Jew who belonged to the Jewish religion. We should not let such a small issue interfere in our struggle against Zionists occupying Palestine and oppressing its people. We should not use Al-Shabazi case to pave the way for normalization with Israel." To conclude, the authorities should pay such historical as well as cultural sites the attention they deserve so as to save them from destruction. Al-Shabazi was a Jew, true. But this does not mean that we have to open the doors wide for the Israelis to come to Yemen and be the pioneers of normalization. Sovereignty of law is what characterizes the civilized societies everywhere and everytime. One of the manifestations of enforcing law and realizing justice is the court to which people resort to settle their disputes and differences in pursuit of justice. Constitutions usually guarantee independence of judiciary power and stipulate that courts' decisions and judgments must be mandatory for the executive power to carry out. When implementation of such verdicts is neglected or delayed, whether on purpose or not, it ushers an abnormal phenomenon and a dangerous precedence. It needs to be studied carefully and rectified before it becomes ordinary and consequently mars the application and implementation of justice in societies. If thus would be the case it means the loss of judiciary prestige and sovereignty of chaos and injustice and people might be pondering to take the law in their hands. What has aroused this short comment is the following story of an Uzbekstani woman who for some years now has been suffering from the delay or perhaps negligence in implementing certain court decisions. The verdict was decided in her favor but so far she gained nothing but more frustration and disappointment added to her previous ones. It is really a humanitarian case needs to be considered seriously and immediate solutions be effected in her favor. Can you ever fancy yourself in a country where you neither know the people nor their language? What if you are a woman? What if your only way of salvation is the courtroom? This in short is the story of Esveit Lana and her 4-year long journey of anguish and pain because the court's judgment in her favor has not been enforced even with the elapse of years since its issuance. The story does not only tell us the suffering of a woman who has been aggressively divorced by her Yemeni husband and deprived her of the children, but sheds more light on the vulnerability of our judicial system that has no power to make justice prevail. Esveit Lana met Aaref Salem Faraj, from Lahj, in Uzbekistan in 1991 when she was only 17. They fell in love with each other and got married. At the end of the same year they traveled to Lahj in Yemen, Aaref's city, to spend the summer holidays. Then they traveled back to Uzbekistan because the husband had to complete his university studies. In 1993, they again left for Lahj along with Anita, their daughter. She stayed back in Lahj while her husband returned to complete the last year of his studies. When the civil war of 1994 broke out, Esveit Lana wanted to go back home. She traveled but her husband prevented her from taking her daughters, Anita and Randa with her promising that he would follow her accompanied by them later on. In 1994, Aaref arrived in Uzbekistan to tell his wife that she would neither return with him to Yemen nor she could see her daughters any more. In fact, the aim of his trip to Uzbekistan this time was to marry a new Russian girl. It was very hard for Esveit to live away from her daughters. So she decided to travel again to Lahj for the sake of her daughters. When she knew that her husband had married another woman she asked for divorce. She was divorced on 18/12/96 which marked the beginning of her journey of endless suffering and knocking at the doors of law courts. Esveit Lana in Courts Feeling shut out from society without her children except Aiman who was born in Lahj, and after all her attempts to get help from the Russian Embassy or any other people failed, she had no choice except seeking justice in law courts. "I had been in courts since 18/12/96 until I got a verdict in my favor from Al-Hawtah Court in 7/10/98 to get back my children," said Esveit Lana. "However, all have been only in papers," she concluded. According to the court verdict, children must be brought up with their mother. In addition, the husband must pay for the mother's substinence for the past two years, besides paying her a monthly pension to cover school fees, clothes and medicine for the children. But nothing has yet been seen in reality. Appealing to all charitable organizations and societies Esveit said: "Now I don't want anything more than a ticket to go back home," she said. As if this is not bad enough, Esveit Lana's passport has been impounded by the Immigration and Passports Authority so as to prevent her from leaving for her country along with her children. The Authority asked for US$ 1000 in order to release her passport. Only Aiman lives with her while Anita and Randa are still in their father's custody in contradiction of the verdict of the court. Jalal Al-Sharaabi |
Advertise | Subscribe | Feedback | Discussion
Yemenis Abroad | Weather | Classified
Postcards | Links | Newsletter
Opinion Poll
Any comments or suggestions should be emailed to Yemen Times Webmaster