Yemeni Activist Opens Diplomatic Passport File: Some Allegedly Pledged at Cairo Nightclubs
CAIRO – Yemeni activist Mohammed Al-Khameri has sparked widespread debate after publishing sharp criticism of the way Yemeni diplomatic passports are issued and used, calling for a comprehensive review of passports granted during the years of war and the cancellation of those issued to individuals who do not meet the relevant legal and official criteria.
In a post on his account, Al-Khameri said that during his stay in Cairo he had encountered what he described as “distressing” stories involving Yemeni diplomatic passports allegedly being used as collateral or left as security at shops, restaurants and even nightlife venues.
According to his account, such incidents illustrate the extent to which the status of a document meant to symbolize the Yemeni state and its prestige has deteriorated.
He noted that diplomatic passports were previously restricted, under laws and regulations, to certain categories of senior officials, diplomats and individuals whose official duties required them to hold such documents.
However, he claimed that the years of war had witnessed a significant expansion in their issuance, to the point where they were sometimes used, in his words, as “introductory gifts and rewards for services.”
Al-Khameri further alleged that some diplomatic passports had been issued to individuals whose status or positions did not correspond with the sovereign nature of the document. He referred to cases he said he had either witnessed or learned about in Cairo in which diplomatic passports were used as collateral to obtain money or services.
Criticism of Diplomatic Passport Issuance
Al-Khameri argued that the problem was not limited to the personal conduct of some passport holders, but extended to the policies that allowed diplomatic documents to reach individuals who were not entitled to them. He said this damages the image of Yemen as well as that of its legitimate officials and diplomats.
He said that when a diplomatic passport is held by an official or diplomat performing an official mission, it “carries the image of Yemen.” However, granting such passports to individuals outside the eligible categories could, in his view, turn a sovereign document into a source of embarrassment for the state.
Al-Khameri also addressed the performance of Dr. Shaya Zindani, who served as foreign minister before being appointed prime minister, noting that he had initially welcomed steps that he said were aimed at reforming certain aspects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He later criticized Zindani, however, claiming that the issuance of diplomatic passports continued during his tenure. Al-Khameri also alleged that diplomatic passports had been granted to some Yemenis residing as refugees in European countries, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Call for a Comprehensive Review
Al-Khameri called on Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi to intervene and issue a decision ending what he described as the “indiscriminate issuance” of diplomatic passports, while ordering a comprehensive review of all such passports issued in recent years.
He also called for the cancellation of any diplomatic passport found to have been issued in violation of applicable laws and regulations, as well as an investigation into responsibility for issuing such documents and accountability for anyone found to have used the process, in his words, for favoritism or to secure political loyalties.
Al-Khameri concluded his post by questioning whether reviewing the diplomatic passport system and restoring strict issuance criteria should be considered a necessary step toward “restoring some of the state’s dignity.”
His remarks have brought renewed attention to the issue of Yemeni diplomatic passports and the criteria governing their issuance during the years of war, highlighting the need for an official clarification from the relevant authorities regarding the number of passports issued, the categories of individuals who received them, and the legal grounds on which they were granted.