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About 100,000 deaths in civil war after Syria, Egypt and Yemen formed in 1958 the United Arab States and 60,000 Egyptian troops invaded Arab North Yemen from 1962 to 1967 to fight Arab Yemeni insurgents and Saudi Arabian troops. Egypt's use of WMD against Arab Yemenis was the first use of chemical weapons in the Middle East.

Yemeni stamp, 1963: Arab Yemenis fighting Egyptian aggressors

Yemeni stamps, 1967: tax benefiting Arab Yemeni poison gas victims massacred by the Arab Egyptian occupiers | air letter, 1966

Arab South Yemen warred against Arab Oman in the 1970s
Civil war in 1994
Since 2004 violent clashes with Zaidi Shia minority that killed hundreds
Kidnapping of tourists a useful political tool in the bizarre politics and a business for the tribesmen
Death penalty for apostasy
Women can't marry without guardian consent
Most females genitally mutilated during childhood

Compare Freedom Score of Yemen (Not Free) and Israel (Free)
Source: Freedom House (PDF, 187 KB)

Compare Human Development Index of Yemen (0.704) and Israel (0.470) (PDF, 670 KB)
Source: United Nations Human Development Report 2003

Compare Corruption Index of Yemen (2.8), Israel (7.3), Germany (7.3) and USA (7.7)
Source: Transparency International (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Human Rights Watch Report 2002 (Yemen): "A new law of associations took effect in February 2001, empowering the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to supervise nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) ... Penalties for violating any of the law's provisions entailed prison sentences of up to one year and penalties up to YR 100,000 (U.S. $600) ... The government restricted access to the Internet indirectly by monopolizing service and keeping prices prohibitively high ... offenses carried the death penalty, among them armed banditry, apostasy, rape, and treason ... Women continued to face discrimination in personal status law. Only a male guardian could contract marriage for women who had no way to give meaningful consent."

Report on Female Genital Mutilation, Yemen (U.S. Department of State, Jun 1, 2001):
"... 96 percent of women in Hodeidah, Hadraumaut and Al-Maharah had undergone this procedure, while Aden and Sana'a city were 82 percent and 45.5 percent, respectively."

Pictures of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), 2002
(These pictures are not suitable for children. They are extremely disturbing!!!)

The World Medical Association Statement on Female Genital Mutilation, Oct 1993: “The World Medical Association condemns the practice of genital mutilation including circumcision where women and girls are concerned and condemns the participation of physicians in the execution of such practices.”

Policy Statement | Female Genital Mutilation (American Academy of Pediatrics, PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 1 Jul 1998, pp. 153-156): “... pediatricians and pediatric surgical specialists should be aware that this practice [FGM] has serious, life-threatening health risks for children and women. The AAP opposes all forms of FGM …” [Disturbing graphical descriptions included]

Just a Little Gun Battle, No Big Deal: "Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein al-Ahmar, Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of Islah Party, says the shootout between his sons and police in Sana'a last Sunday is no big deal," the Yemen Times reports. Al-Ahmar "describes the incident as 'a normal accident,' pointing out in press statements that some people in the government have tried to make a mountain out of a molehill." As many as four men died in this minor tiff.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Yemen - 2001 (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of U.S. Department of State): "Prison conditions are poor and do not meet internationally recognized standards. Prisons are overcrowded, sanitary conditions are poor, and food and health care are inadequate. Inmates depend on relatives for food and medicine. Many inmates lack mattresses or bedding. Prison authorities often exact bribes from prisoners or refuse to release prisoners who have completed their sentences until family members pay a bribe. Tribal leaders misuse the prison system by placing "problem" tribesmen in jail, either to punish them for noncriminal indiscretions or to protect them from retaliation or violence motivated by revenge. Authorities in some cases arrest without charge and imprison refugees, persons with mental disabilities, and illegal immigrants and place them in prisons with common criminals. Conditions are equally poor in women's prisons, where children likely are incarcerated along with their mothers. By custom and preference, babies born in prison generally remain in prison with their mothers. At times female prisoners are subjected to sexual harassment and violent interrogation by male police and prison officials. The law requires male members of the families of female prisoners to arrange their release; however, female prisoners regularly are held in jail past the expiration of their sentences because their male relatives refuse to authorize their release due to the shame associated with their alleged behavior. ... Some tribes seek to bring their political and economic concerns to the attention of the Government by kidnaping and holding hostages. Foreign businessmen, diplomats, and tourists are the principal targets."

Death Tolls for the Man-made Megadeaths of the 20th Century (Yemen)

United Arab Republic (Columbia Encyclopedia, June 6, 2004): Political union (1958-61) of Egypt and Syria. The capital was Cairo. As an initial step toward creating a pan-Arab union, the republic abolished Syrian and Egyptian citizenship, termed its inhabitants Arabs, and called the country “Arab territory.” It considered the Arab homeland to be the entire area between the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic coast. With Yemen (North Yemen), it formed (1958) a loose federation called the United Arab States. In 1961, Syria withdrew from the union after a military coup, and Yemen soon followed, thus ending the union. Egypt continued to use the name until 1971.

CIA World Factbook (Yemen)