Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and thousands of his supporters held a rally in the capital Sanaa on Wednesday to celebrate the first anniversary of a power transfer that ended deadly protests against his 33-year rule.
During his first public appearance after he handed over power to Abd-Rabbu Mansuor Hadi, the current president on February 27, 2012, he called for forgiveness for the past.
"Today, I call for reconciliation and forgiveness... I call for turning over the page of the past for the sake of building a new Yemen, for Yemen's unity, freedom and democracy," he said.
Yemen has undertaken a political transition after long-time ruler Saleh was forced to step down in late 2011 following a yearlong deadly street protests that killed more than 2,000 people.
Under the power transfer deal brokered by the Gulf states, Saleh stepped down in return for immunity from prosecution. He remains the head of the General People's Congress which grasps half seats in the interim government, while his son and most of his loyalists are still in key positions in the government and army.
Observers said the rally intends to send a message to the international community that Saleh is still supported by a large number of people, just several weeks after the United Nations Security Council warned him of possible sanctions for allegedly impeding the political reconciliation process in the country.
Thousands of Yemenis take to the streets across the country almost every week to demand the prosecution of Saleh and his son for "ordering the killing of more than 2,000 protesters since the protests erupted in January 2011," according to official reports by the country's Human Rights Ministry.