Organization for Defending Communication Holds Protest in front of UN Office in Sana’a

Organization for Defending Communication held a protest, Monday, in front of the United Nations Office in Sana’a to demand the lifting of the ban on telecommunications services and equipment.

In the protest, the head of the organization, Eng. Muhammad Al-Dhahbani, gave a speech in which he emphasized that the organization is defending one of the most vital sectors on which society and its various services are based.

Eng. Al-Dhahabani affirmed that the right to obtain telecommunications and internet services is a human right guaranteed by international norms, laws and human rights charters.

He pointed to the human suffering incurred by 28 million inside Yemen, and the organization’s efforts to alleviate the aggravation of the suffering of civilians as a result of the collapse, decline and interruption of communications and internet services due to coalition crimes by systematically targeting and destroying the service infrastructure of the civil communication network and facilities.

Al-Dhahabani called on the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union, international and human rights and humanitarian organizations and bodies, to take immediate action to fulfill their urgent humanitarian responsibilities and save millions of Yemenis in Yemen by forcing the coalition to quickly lift the unjustified ban on communications equipment and systems.

He also demanded to put pressure on the coalition to allow the telecommunications corporation and TeleYemen to install the offshore cable (SMW5) and landing station in Hodeidah, and to lift the ban on the use and operation of the AAE-1 submarine cable and landing station in Aden.

Al-Dhahabani called for neutralizing the communications sector and the Internet from political conflicts, as this service is a human right guaranteed by international human rights laws and covenants.

For his part, the President of the General Union for Communications and Post, Zaid Muhammad Al-Ghaithi, condemned the destruction of the Ministry of Communications and its sectors, by the coalition of aggression.

He called on the United Nations to assume its responsibilities to neutralize the telecommunications sector and the Internet and all its services from the political process as a human right guaranteed in accordance with international covenants and laws.

For her part, Prime Minister of National Youth Hana al-Faqih said that communications and internet services are among the important services provided to society, calling on the United Nations to intervene immediately to stop targeting telecommunications and postal services projects.

At the end of the event, Secretary General of the Organization for Defending Communication and Post Services Hassan Al-Khazzan expressed in a statement the fears of unions, associations, civil society organizations and workers in the humanitarian and service field inside Yemen of the collapse, decline and interruption of telecommunications services and the Internet due to aggression crimes in destroying the infrastructure of the network and communication facilities .