Guards violently put down Yemen prison protest, says inmate

Guards fired tear gas and warning shots to quell Yemeni prisoners who rose up chanting anti-government slogans, according to one of the prisoners who obtained access to a phone during the riot and spoke with CNN Tuesday.

At least two inmates were killed and seven others injured, said the prisoner, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal from prison guards.

The protests at Sanaa Central Prison erupted Monday evening when inmates gathered in the main hall, said the prisoner, who has spoken with CNN in the past. The inmates raised their voices against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government and demanded more rights.

Guards ordered the prisoners to return to their cells. The inmates refused but dispersed and re-entered their cells after the guards exerted force, the prisoner said.

Tuesday morning, they again assembled in the main hall and resumed their protests, the prisoner said. Again guards responded with tear gas and bullets fired in the air. That's when the two prisoners were killed, the prisoner said.

Protesters in Yemen been protesting for weeks, demanding the ouster of Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978.

An Interior Ministry official commented solely on Monday's incident.

"Prisoners were causing chaos and security forces had to do what was necessary to keep matters under control," the official told CNN.

A government statement said the inmates rioted because they wanted pardons. It acknowledged that riot police had subdued the inmates and said it was investigating the incident.

The government said it was beefing up security around Sanaa, the capital, "over terror concerns in the aftermath of multiple terror attacks on security and army personnel."

Yemen's anti-government demonstrations are unfolding in a nation wracked by a Shiite Muslim uprising, a U.S.-aided crackdown on al Qaeda operatives and a looming shortage of water. High unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing and impoversished young population. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom.