SANAA, Yemen (AP) — In his first public speech in more than 18 months, Yemen’s ousted autocratic leader Ali Abdullah Saleh pleaded for “forgiveness of the past” on Wednesday amid warnings of U.N. sanctions and calls for prosecution of those responsible for the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising.
His speech in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa marked the first anniversary of a transfer of power in 2012 that followed massive protests and sit-ins. With Saleh pictures and flags, tens of thousands of Saleh supporters gathered near the presidential palace, chanting “the people want Ali Abdullah Saleh.” Saleh arrived in an entourage similar to the presidential convoy while a top Saleh party politician, Sultan al-Barakani, addressed the crowd by saying, “welcome the brother, the leader.”
