A/HRC/19/51 at Dar Salm were brought in for emergency treatment. One of the protesters killed had been shot in the neck, while another had been shot in the face. Both cases and witness accounts clearly suggest that security forces resorted to the use of lethal weapons in circumstances where their lives were not in danger. 26. Following the above-mentioned events, the Government claimed that it allowed protests to take place and only resorted to the use of force if their forces were being attacked or if protesters attacked a high-security location. It remains unclear whether this was the case for the above-mentioned attacks. 27. The delegation received information indicating that some protesters challenged security officers by trying to force their way into an area of Sanaa that was off limits, according to a plan prepared under the direct instruction of the Minister for the Interior, forcing security officers to intervene to redirect them towards the previously agreed upon route leading to Change Square. According to witnesses, many security forces conducted themselves in accordance with the law and resorted to non-lethal methods to counter the protesters, for example through the use of batons and water cannon. Witness statements and documentation indicate that the security forces had no justification for resorting to the use of lethal means. Evidence of this is the fact that no serious injuries or casualties were reported by the security forces. Moreover, the “march of life” started out from Ta’izz days earlier and the Government had sufficient time to ensure that security officers were properly instructed on circumstances that might justify the use of lethal force. 28. In Ta’izz, four peaceful protesters were allegedly shot dead by Government security forces in Freedom Square on 18 and 19 September, and three women died on 11 November from tanks shelling Freedom Square from near the Thawra hospital. On the same day, tanks opened fire on Al-Rawdha, and nine shells reportedly hit Al-Rawdha hospital, resulting in the death of a female patient and the injury of others. Patients had to be evacuated to the basement. According to several reports and witnesses, more than 50 civilians, including women and children, had been killed in Ta’izz since early October as a result of the excessive use of force by Government forces. Rights groups also reported cases in which peaceful protesters were arbitrarily arrested. Witnesses reported that security forces targeted any grouping of more than a few individual on the streets of Ta’izz during that time. 29. Various sources provided conflicting accounts of the events from July to December 2011 in Ta’izz. Security officials described repeated attempts by armed opponents to seize the city and expel public security and army units, in addition to killings of supporters of the General Peoples’ Congress and occupation of public buildings, which compelled them to resort to force to maintain Government authority. They insisted that force was used only when necessary and with great care to preserve the life of civilians, and denied that indiscriminate shelling ever took place, stating that their opponents were also to blame for the shelling and targeted killings of security personnel and civilians. At the same time, human rights defenders, opposition groups and leaders of armed opposition groups reported incidents of massive violence unleashed repeatedly from a “security belt” around and above the city (during the fighting, heavy guns were positioned on Ta’izz citadel, which has commanding views over the surrounding area) with dozens of tanks and other weapons involved. This also hampered movement and access to emergency medical services. The delegation collected witness accounts and documents indicating that, whatever the precautions taken, a large number of unarmed civilians had been killed. The use of artillery and tanks, which are not available to the armed opposition, was certainly responsible for the high human toll and mass displacement. 30. Similar allegations emerged from Al-Hodeidah, where security forces were alleged to have opened fire on protesters on 23 October, injuring as many as 30 people. On 5 November, one person was allegedly killed and 28 injured as a result of the excessive use 9