al -Khaiwani, al-Shoura, and the PFU Targeted
Yemen: al-Khaiwani remains a target of the Yemeni government.
Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani, Yemen’s main democracy advocate and reformer, recently released from jail, targeted by the government again along with the Popular Forces Union, his political party.
Summary of events: A security guard employed by the Yemeni government took over the PFU (pluralistic opposition political party) building at gunpoint. Then he took over the building of its newspaper, al-Shoura. The Yemen govt then recognized him, their own gunman, as the new leader of the party.
Nifty way to silence the oppositon, huh?
Partial History of prior Yemeni Govt Targeting of al-Khaiwani:
May 2004 al-Khaiwani recieves death threats and threats to KIDNAP HIS KIDS .
September 2004, al-Khaiwani imprisoned for insulting the president in an oped in al-Shoura.
al-Khaiwani refuses to buy his freedom with an apology.
He spends six months in prison for his opinions.
March 2005, he is finally released.
Now, four months later, the Yemeni government is targeting al-Khaiwani again: taking the paper, the building, the party, leveling false charges, trashing him in the official media, and there’s more death threats.
Chronolgy 2005:
1- May 14, govt security guards take over the democratically oriented, politcal party, the Popular Forces Union building at gunpoint. District prosecutor orders the gunmen brought in. The Interior Minister over rules the order. Twice. (May 20 and 23) The police go to the building and the gunmen fire at them. The police leave and dont return. (June 1)
2-The gunmen steal the computers of the PFU paper, al-Shoura, edited by our friend al-Khaiwani.
3- al-Khaiwani writes in al-Wasat about the death threats he is receiving.
4- The gunmen take over al-Shoura’s building at gunpoint and say al-Khaiwani is no longer the editor. (July 4)
5- The gunmen issue a bogus issue of al-Shoura full of lies with a new editor. (July5) The bogus issue says there is a party dispute.
6- The independent printing press is shut down (July6), so the opposition papers can’t publish. (The bogus al-Shoura was printed on the government’s printing press.)
7- The official government newspaper says weapons were found by the new editor who called the police (attempt to frame al-Khaiwani).
8-The new editor and the police say no such thing ever happened.
9- And the person listed as the new editor says he never set foot in the building, isnt a journalist, and never saw weapons. (July 9) The people listed as rebeling against the party say they are not.
10- The Yemeni government recognizes THE GUNMEN as the legal representative of the PFU. (July 13) (Do they really expect anyone to believe this garbage? Its preposterous.)
11- Members of the PFU party report they are receiving death threats and other intimidation to force them to ally with the gunmen, not the legitimate leadership.
Yemen Times: “The guards” who occupied the headquarters of the Joint Meeting Parties last month, have issued a new Al-shura Journal holding the same name. They also made a decision of discharging Abdulkreem Al-khiwani, from the post of chief editor of the paper. They directed a memorandum to the Ministry of Information with these changes. The Ministry has indorsed these changes…
The (ed: state controlled) Yemeni TV has devoted ten minutes for the news of the discharges and the changes that the Guards have made.
The JMP joint meeting last Monday has denounced the practices that the consultation council was subjected to. They described it as it a provocative act that cancelled a legal party. It cloned this party and tailored it to the desire of a group of the party opponents. Those opponents purport that they represent the consultant council of the party. They have nothing to do with the party.
Several Political observers considered the closure of Al-shora paper and the change of its chief editor Al-khiwani as an effort to satisfy the authorities’ desire. Al-shora paper is the first local paper to open the heated discussions on the presidential affairs (inheritance of governance). Read the rest at the Yemen Times.
For more background see
Statement of Popular Forces Union (issued about the occupation of the building, before the gunman was declared the head of the party.)
and my articles (many of which were translated into Arabic and published by al-Khaiwani in al-Shoura, also by the independent paper, the Yemen Times, in English):
Ayatollah Sistani and the War in Yemen
Yemen: al-Qaeda in Broad Daylight
Yemen’s Reformers vs. the Pact of Evil
Yemeni Elections 2006: A Fraud in the Making
Update fromYemen:
hi janesome party leaders and members are being threatened to leave the party and join the imposter party
PFU leader in the gov of IBB issued a statment condemning the attak on PFU branches in the governerat of ibb by GPC leader ship through puting pressure on them and threatining them . the last one on last friday PFU leader in IBB Abdulhakim Alnuzily recieved a phone call from unknown accused him that he is disloyal and an agent for foriegn country the statment added that the unknown caller threatened Alnozaily that he would be killed if he doesnot join those occupaying the party head quarter. the caller asked him not to talk about people sufferings
the same statment mentioned that AHMed al shouabi PFU member in Ibb and member of the party concel in ibb was also threatened by one of GPC members that he would be transfared from IBB to another place . alshouibi is a teacher
(Translation of this News Yemen report.)
Update 2: THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR LINKING.
It makes a difference.
The light pains the roaches.
