Yemeni Liberation Movement: Hunger Strike for Yemen Actions this Week

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network supports the work of the Yemeni Liberation Movement, who have been on hunger strike for over 2 weeks in Washington, D.C, against U.S. support for the Saudi blockade of Yemen. Please take action to support this important, brave effort! The following updates come from the Yemeni Liberation movement – follow them on Twitter and Instagram

After 15 days of hunger striking, we have mounted significant pressure on the Biden Administration and the US government to hear our demands.

1. Publicly speak out against the blockade
2. End US support for the Saudi-led blockade.

On Tuesday, April 13, U.S. Representatives and grassroots organizations will be joining 26 year-old Iman Saleh for a vigil on Tuesday, April 13th at 5:30pm at the Black Lives Matter Plaza to commemorate all the Yemeni lives lost in the ongoing war.  

Saleh, and her sister Muna, 23, of the Yemeni Liberation Movement have been on a hunger strike in Washington, DC, since March 29th. Their health is slowly deteriorating.  The sisters, as leaders of the Yemeni Liberation Movement, are calling on President Biden to end all U.S. support — financial and military — to the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen which has led to mass starvation and famine, killing hundreds of thousands. 

Earlier this week, 76 Congressional representatives, led by Ro Khanna, Mark Pocan, and Debbie Dingell, sent a letter to President Biden in which they demanded that he take steps to publicly pressure the Saudi government to lift the blockade “immediately, unilaterally, and comprehensively.”

The Yemeni community and organizers all over the U.S. and Canada are using the hashtags #EndTheBlockade, #YemenCantWait, and #HungerStrike4Yemen to bring attention to this critical action. 

The hunger strike has been endorsed by dozens of grassroots organizations and has received immense support from the international community.  Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Noname, and public figures including Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Marianne Williamson have all tweeted their support to the strikers’ campaign. As the hunger strike continues, pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to respond and act swiftly as American media outlets like Insider and Democracy Now! cover developments related to the action and the hunger strikers health continues to wane.  

This clip from the YLM recaps the first week of the hunger strike, covering its mission  and how detrimental the situation in Yemen has become.

https://twitter.com/LiberateYemen/status/1379231343414976512?s=20

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