Taiz Wounded: Closing the Passport Office is a Peaceful Escalatory Step to Demand Our Rights

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

The Association of Wounded Soldiers in Taiz issued a clarification statement regarding the closure of the city’s passport office, affirming that this move was neither “reckless” nor politically motivated, but rather a legitimate escalatory action after repeated demands by the wounded to receive their financial and legal entitlements were ignored and all official channels were closed to them.

The statement explained that the association had addressed the governorate in an official memorandum dated November 9, in which it welcomed the planned economic reforms within the Passport Authority—on the condition that the governorate fulfills its duties toward the wounded.

The statement pointed out that 40 million Yemeni rials from the passport office’s revenues had previously been allocated to cover the expenses of wounded soldiers receiving treatment abroad—11 in Cairo, 7 in Jordan, 5 in India, along with 15 accompanying persons. However, the funds were not approved for covering those expenses as required, despite the association’s formal request to allocate a similar amount from the governorate’s revenues to cover medical and living costs.

The statement emphasized that closing the office was a peaceful means of pressure to make the voices of the wounded heard by the local authorities and the government, expressing hope that the concerned parties will act to bring justice to those who sacrificed their lives in defense of the nation.

The statement concluded by stressing that the wounded seek nothing more than their lawful and rightful entitlements, guaranteed to them by law and demanded by national duty.