[JURIST] The UN Human Rights Committee [official website] has criticized Yemen [JURIST news archive] for not incorporating many of its 2002 recommendations [UN press release] for civil and political rights in the country. Some major concerns of the Committee were judicial independence, inequality for women, domestic violence, 'honor killings', the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) [Wikipedia backgrounder], and alleged serious rights violations used to combat terrorism. The committee, which monitors adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [text], acknowledged the creation of a Ministry of Human Rights in Yemen in May 2003, but said Yemen should work towards creating a national human rights organization and strive towards equality between men and women by reexamining certain laws, among other possible reforms. IRIN has more.