Mohammed Tahir almotamar.net - US deputy ambassador to Yemen Nabil Khoury said Monday the US State Department for 2006 on Yemen monitored an improvement in press freedoms and freedom of expression in Yemen in addition to improvement in fighting corruption. He pointed out that the report also mentioned about improvement in the democratic field and the Yemeni citizen participation in practicing his rights and to express them under peaceful democracy.

In a discussion symposium held in Sana'a Monday Khoury considered the report of the US State Department on the practice of human rights in Yemen for 2006 as for the third year running we discuss a report as this in Sana'a and in the year 2006 we have seen improvement in a number of areas particularly the existence of a ministry specialised in human rights of which Yemen is distinguished from other countries of the region.

On the other hand Khoury made it clear that there are violations still constituting challenges to the Yemeni government. Such violations are represented by the deteriorated conditions of prisons and what happens inside them and weakness permeating the judicial apparatus despite of reforms embodied in sacking many judges and interrogating them, as the report described.

The report also noted weakness in situations of the woman, the child and equal opportunities politically, socially and economically and the available services especially in the countryside. There is also child trafficking despite that this subject is witnessing treatments by the Yemeni government but there is weakness in those treatments in addition to early work of children in rural areas.

The US deputy ambassador began his talk on his country's violations by mentioning that America is not above mistake and there are internal breaches excesses and at the level of the foreign policy. But, he said there are judicial institutions to punish those committing breaches inside or outside the American borders and are adopted by the press and before the American parliament in reports presented to the parliament by civil organisations. He said it is normal to find mistakes and all wish there is monitoring and accountability and all efforts are joined for an improvement in all our records of human rights. He added that work against violations does not stop because there are violations and there is fighting against mistakes; there are human rights and building of democracy. He said work regarding the rights begins by the government, institutions and civil society organisations to create cure for mistakes.

On his part the director general of organisations and reports at the ministry of human rights Ismael al-Jabri said thee is a group of accomplishments Yemen has achieved in the area of human rights the report pointed at with regard to the government non-violation of human rights although there are individual cases outside the general approach for safeguarding the Yemeni human rights and also there are no political assassinations, as the report affirmed that.

Al-Jabris confirmed Yemen's belief in human rights because they receive serious follow-up by the political leadership. Civil organisations are allowed to defend the rights without any restraint and any talk about human rights in Yemen should depend on accurate and objective statements, adding that the ministry is considered a link between the people and government institutions. He said the human rights ministry is keen to adopt any constructive criticism and deal with transparency with reports monitoring human rights whether they were internal or foreign. The government considers human rights as one of the pillars of its work and pledged to protect the Yemeni human dignity and continuously stresses on avoiding the wrong that precludes reaching the designed goals.

The meeting has seen many discussions on some indicators of the American report on judiciary, the freedom of press and the security authorities dealing with legal aspects.