16 protesters killed in Yemen (Lead)
April 4th, 2011 - 9:03 pm ICT by IANSSana’a, April 4 (IANS) At least 16 protesters were killed in Yemen’s southern province of Taiz Monday during clashes with police, while dozens others were injured by tear gas shells and bullets fired at them, Xinhua reported.
Earlier, the head of the makeshift hospital of the Liberation Square in Taiz, about 200 km south of the capital Sana’a, told Xinhua that 10 protesters died had died of gunshots in the head and chest fired by police snipers, and dozens of others had received bullet wounds.
He added that the police snipers intercepted in downtown Taiz the march of thousands of young protesters demanding an immediate end to the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
A provincial police official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that only two protesters were killed when an attempt was made to storm the provincial building of the governor of Taiz and the police confronted them.
The rally was taken out peacefully from Taiz University to the provincial building of the governor to protest Sunday’s police repression against the protesters that left one protester dead and at least 900 others injured, said Abdul-Qawi al-Ezzani, a witness.
“The protesters did not attempt to break into the governor’s office, but gathered around his office, chanting ‘People want the regime to fall’,” Al Ezzani told Xinhua.
Police Colonel al-Atiky said police snipers fired at the protesters from the rooftops of the governor’s office and nearby Al-Shaab school.
Elsewhere, in western province of Al-Hodayda, the police and government backers used tear gas and opened fire to break up a march of thousands of anti-government protesters, injuring at least 300 people, some of whom were in critical condition, witnesses said.
Protests reportedly were staged Monday in the capital Sana’a and the provinces of Ibb, Aden, Al-Bayda and Hadramout.
Yemeni protesters have staged daily demonstrations across major provinces since mid-February to demand crucial economic and political reforms, including the immediate ouster of President Saleh.
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Tags: aden al, al bayda, ali abdullah saleh, bullet wounds, critical condition, gas shells, gunshots, hadramout, liberation square, makeshift hospital, police colonel, police official, police repression, police snipers, provincial police, southern province, taiz, western province, xinhua, yemeni