Another Yemeni Editor
Another Editor in Yemen Targeted
In another development concerning the press in Yemen, the Press and Publications Attorney interrogated on Tuesday the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Wasat Newspaper, Jamal Amir, for allegedly causing harm to Yemen-Saudi relations.
Upon completing the interrogation, Jamal Amir said that the issue was raised by the Ministry of Information in relation to a number of articles and news reports that damage relations between the two countries.
The sentencing against the Yemeni perpetrators of the USS Cole bombing is a hollow victory for democracy while Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani remains in prison for an article he wrote and now Jamal Amir has been targeted as well. If a democratic country in the Middle East is in US national security interest, why is the US so silent on this crackdown in Yemen while making statements regarding China and Indonesia? Could it be that old 9/10 thinking that as long as President Saleh continues to cooperate against al-Qaeda, the US will turn the other way as he squashed a budding democracy? Prior to this point Yemen was moving forward with liberalizing reforms, unlike almost every other state in the ME which has become stuck in “partially liberalized autocracies”. But without freedom of speech- and a free press- democracy is doomed. Where is the future of hope now?
I feel Yemen oped number five coming on. My motto is: at least the editor has to read it and maybe some one will start paying attention.
