A/HRC/24/34 justice and to provide redress for victims and their families. Concerns over the credibility of judicial investigations into human rights violations committed in the wake of the unrest in 2011 have been highlighted in the High Commissioner’s previous report (see A/HRC/21/37). In the case of the Friday of Dignity killings of 18 March 2011, it came to the attention of OHCHR-Yemen that the Specialized Criminal Court ordered the Attorney General, on 27 April 2013, to investigate the 13 suspects in the case, including former President Saleh and his nephew Yahiah. The Attorney General appealed the Court’s decision, but the Appeal Court rejected this appeal on 5 June. In accordance with due process, the investigation should therefore be initiated as ordered by the Court. 21. With regard to the case of the Presidential Mosque bombing, in which several people, including former President Saleh, were injured or died, 6 detainees of 28 were acquitted after 20 months in detention. The remaining 22 went on hunger strike on 24 May 2013 protesting against the length of their detention. On 2 June 2013, the Minister of Human Rights, Hooria Mashour, started a hunger strike in solidarity with the 22 detainees, who were kept in detention without trial beyond the limit of six months set by the Penal Code.20 In interviews conducted by OHCHR-Yemen on 2 June 2013, the prisoners interviewed affirmed that they had been exposed to torture and forced to sign confessions.21 They stated that after an initial detention in an unidentified location,22 they had been moved to the Political Prison in December 2011. At that time, the Attorney General reportedly informed them that they were being charged with participating in the Presidential Mosque bombing. On 4 June 2013, President Hadi issued a decree to release 19 of the 22 detainees. The Attorney General decided to release 17, who were released on 6 June, and undertook to speedily conclude the investigation of the remaining five detainees. 22. In December 2012, the Government budgeted for 2 billion Yemeni rials (YRIs), approximately US$ 9 million, to be paid to the victims of the 2011 events. According to Presidential Decree No. 8 (2012), the families of victims killed or totally paralysed as a result of injuries in 2011 would receive 1 million YRIs, those partially paralysed 500,000 YRIs, and each individual who was injured during the “revolution” would receive 360,000 YRIs. The Government announced that these payments should not be considered as compensation, or “blood money”. The beneficiaries would still have the right to file complaints and request compensation. According to the Wafaa Society, the institution mandated to distribute the compensation, the total number of beneficiaries is reported to be 3,786. 23. Despite this decision, injured individuals from the 2011 events have been holding demonstrations and sit-ins calling for the implementation of the decree authorizing compensation to be paid for families of the deceased and full treatment to be provided to the wounded. On 12 February 2013, security forces forcefully dispersed a sit-in and hunger strike in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. Several individuals were injured, including a Parliamentarian who was partaking in the sit-in in solidarity with the protesters. 24. In her previous reports to the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner recommended that the Government of Yemen launch transparent and independent 20 21 22 8 The Minister ended her hunger strike as soon as the President promised to look into the detainees’ cases. OHCHR-Yemen visited the detainees in the Political Security Prison back in June 2012 where they reported the same information. In several meetings conducted by OHCHR-Yemen, top officials at the National Security Office maintained that they did not run detention centres. Several people interviewed by OHCHR confirmed that they were detained by National Security before being referred to the Political Security detention facility.