Armies of Liberation

The State Dept issued its 2005 Country Reports on Terrorism, from Chapter Three: Terrorist Safe Havens

Several terrorist organizations continued to maintain a presence in Yemen throughout 2005.
The Government of Yemen recognizes HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as legal
organizations. HAMAS conducted extensive fundraising through mosques and other
charitable organizations and maintains offices. In December, HAMAS leader Khaled Mishal
visited Sanaa and met publicly with President Saleh. Al-Qaida’s operational structure in
Yemen has been weakened and dispersed, but concerns remain about the organization’s
attempts to reconstitute operational cells there. Yemen continues to increase its maritime
security capabilities, but land border security along the extensive frontier with Saudi Arabia
remains a problem, despite increased Yemeni-Saudi cooperation on bilateral security issues.

From Chapter Five, Middle East and North Africa Overview

146
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen took action against al-Qaida and local extremists, arresting several
individuals suspected of having al-Qaida ties and prosecuting the perpetrators of numerous
terrorist acts. On February 26, an appeals court upheld verdicts against six al-Qaida members
for their role in the October 2000 U.S.S. Cole attack in Aden that killed 17 U.S. sailors and
injured 35. The original September 2004 verdict had been appealed by both the defense and
the prosecution, the latter arguing that some of the sentences were too light. The appeals
court upheld one death sentence against ringleader Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who was tried in
absentia. The court commuted the death sentence for Jamal al-Badawi to 15 years’
imprisonment. The prosecution failed to secure harsher sentences for the other convicted al-
Qaida members, whose original sentences ranged from five to ten years. On August 22, the
Supreme Court upheld all six sentences.
On February 6, the Sanaa Appellate Court upheld the convictions against 15 al-Qaida
members for multiple crimes: the October 2002 attack on the French tanker M/V Limburg;
the murder of a Ministry of Interior officer during the November 2002 attack on an oil
company helicopter; a plot to attack the Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority; a plot to
attack four foreign embassies in Sanaa; a plot to kill the U.S. Ambassador; and the forging of
documents for the purpose of carrying out terrorism. The appeals court re-sentenced one
defendant to death (from a 10-year sentence), awarded harsher sentences for two defendants,
and upheld the remaining sentences. The case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme
Court.
On April 23, the Yemeni Supreme Court upheld the 2003 death sentences of Ali Ahmed
Mohamed Jarallah and Abed Abdulrazak al-Kamel for the December 2002, shootings of three
American citizens in Jibla. Jarallah was executed in November. No date has been set for al-
Kamel’s execution.
Yemeni security forces continued to arrest and try suspected members of al-Qaida and other
terrorists groups. In August, the Sanaa Primary Court convicted six al-Qaida members for
planning attacks against the British and Italian Embassies and the French Cultural Center.
The ringleader, Anwar al-Jilani, received a four-year sentence, with the remaining five
defendants receiving sentences ranging from two years to 40 months.
In June, the Sanaa Appellate Court found 11 alleged al-Qaida suspects not guilty of planning
attacks on undisclosed targets in Yemen and abroad. The prosecution had alleged that the
defendants trained in Afghanistan and were planning to travel to Iraq to fight against U.S.-led
Coalition forces.
In August, the Sanaa Primary Court began trying 34 supporters of the slain rebel Shia cleric
Hussein Al-Houthi for planning terrorist attacks against Yemeni military sites and the U.S.
Ambassador. In December, the Sanaa court also began trying two individuals, Hizam al-Mass
and Khalid al-Halilah, for a 2004 plot to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador.
Yemen used its Islamic Dialogue Committee, headed by a leading judge, to continue its
dialogue with detainees arrested for connections to terrorist groups and extremist elements.
The government releases detainees it considers to be rehabilitated after they pledge to uphold
the Yemeni constitution and laws, the rights of non-Muslims, and the inviolability of foreign
interests. No comprehensive program exists to monitor recidivism rates. An undisclosed
number of released detainees from previous years reportedly have traveled to Iraq to
participate in attacks against Coalition forces.
The government’s capacity for stemming terrorism financing remains limited. In 2004, the
UN 1267 Sanctions Committee designated prominent Yemeni Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-
Zindani for his association with al-Qaida. The Yemeni Government took no action to bar his
travel or freeze his assets in compliance with its UN obligations. In December, al-Zindani
accompanied President Saleh to an Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting in Saudi
Arabia.

Yemen Times

this year’s first quarter, Yemen’s total volume of marine life production and export of various species and fish was more than three million tons worth more than $6 million.

Ghazi Ahmed Saleh, General Manager of Aden governorate’s Fish Wealth Office, explained that last year’s production was more than 19 million tons of fish products and marine life exported to a number of Arab and foreign countries.

In related developments, Yemeni coast guard forces foiled four sea piracy attempts in Aden Gulf and Arabian Sea territorial waters in the period between March 1 and mid-April.

Additionally, fishermen from the Hodeidah governorate town of Al-Khawkha have complained that Egyptian industrial boats are sweeping their fishing nets with their fish catch, thereby causing them losses estimated at millions, let alone marine life destruction due to industrial sweeping by means of sweeping and sucking up fish wealth.

The fishermen expressed their astonishment regarding Ministry of Fish Wealth officials’ silence about what is happening to Yemen’s fish wealth in Red Sea regional waters. They affirmed that the Egyptian boats sail near Red Sea shores at Khawkha port, Umzahar, Sahari, Al-Nasser and Salif.

They appealed to the ministry to respect its commitment to Parliament two years ago to not renew any contract with foreign, regional or even local firms using artificial fishery methods in Red Sea regional waters so that Yemen’s shores will not empty of fish due to that fishing style. The fishermen added that the fish catch is dwindling in comparison to previous years because of such Egyptian boats’ fishing methods in the Red Sea.

Abdulhadi Khidr, director-general of Hodeidah’s Fish Wealth Office, said no agreement has been signed for two years with Arab or foreign firms practicing industrial fishing, adding that some Egyptian boats present in the Red Sea are affiliated with a Yemeni investor and registered in his name, according to which he obtained a fishing license.

He confirmed that his office fairly compensated fishermen whose nets and catch were damaged and that ministry monitors are watching the Yemeni investor’s Egyptian boats.

CSO:

Quantity (tons), Value (millions of riyals)
Table No.: 8 جدول رقم : 8
Year 2003 2002 2001 السنة
Item قيمه كميه قيمه كميه قيمه كميه البيان
Value Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity
Surface Water Fish 27777.8 202758 27342.9 151905 18618.9 122493 اسماك سطح
Deep Water Fish 1146 10911 1744.7 19591 1090 7792 اسماك اعماق
Other Aquatic Catch 9582.8 14447 4044.0 8088 4210.4 11913 احياء بحريه أخرى
Total 38506.6 228116 33131.6 179584 23919.3 142198 الاجمالي

so is the average production annually 19 million tons or 38 thousand tons?

Sooner or later:

The fishery exports rose from 12.9 thousand tons in 2000 to 47.6 thousand tons in 2004 and their values grew from $40 million to $312 million during the same period of time.

ok 38KT, 2003, 47kT, 2004 and 19mt 2005

NYTimes

Other major difficulties have emerged in Washington’s negotiations with the government of Yemen, which has about 105 citizens at Guantánamo. (The Pentagon has refused to make public the nationalities of all of the Guantánamo prisoners.)

The State Department report cited the use of sleep deprivation, threats of sexual assault and other abuses by Yemeni state-security agents. Despite efforts by the Yemeni Interior Ministry to curb torture in its prisons, the department said, there were also reports that ministry agents “routinely” used of torture to extract confessions from criminal defendants.

Even so, some American officials said a more immediate obstacle to the possible transfer of Guantánamo prisoners was a basic lack of security in Yemeni prisons. The most vivid example, they said, was the escape on Feb. 3 of 23 men, including some important operatives of Al Qaeda, from a high-security prison run by the country’s intelligence service in the capital, Sana. (Eight have surrendered or been recaptured.)

Barely a month later, Yemeni security officials announced that they had thwarted two more escape attempts involving a dozen Qaeda operatives at other prisons.

A spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, Mohammed al-Basha, said his government was eager to have Yemeni detainees repatriated and was “fully committed” to international laws governing their treatment.

The regime thwarted the escape attempt at another prison based on a tip, they said, from one of the escapees from the first group, thereby demonstrating that the two groups of imprisoned al-Qaeda were in touch with each other or at least aware of escape plans.

They are still negotiating, since early February, with the remaining 15 escapees.

Vienna, 28 April 2006

IPI Condemns Harassment and Intimidation of Yemeni Journalists

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, strongly condemns the ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation against representatives of the independent press in Yemen.

Acts of intimidation targeting two journalists in recent days highlights the hostile climate of fear that the independent press in Yemen are forced to work in.

Abed Al-Mahthari, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly Al Deya, remains in hiding after escaping an attack by armed assailants on 19 April. Since 2004, Al-Mahthari has been investigating and reporting on alleged arms trafficking in northern Yemen near the Saudi Arabia border. In May of 2004, after receiving two death threats, Al-Mahthari was forced to temper his reporting, but has since renewed his investigations.

In recent weeks Al-Mahthari has reported on alleged corruption of security forces and cooperation with arms dealers; the threats against him are thought to be in connection with these reports. On the evening of 19 April, Al-Mahthari received a call from an unidentified source warning that he would be killed that night.

Al-Mahthari averted the attack by having a friend drive his car away from his family home. The car was followed by two men, driving a military style vehicle with a private license plate. The assailants followed the driver of Al-Mahthari’s car, smashing down the door to the driver’s home. They then looked for Al-Mahthari at the Al Thawra publishing house. When the assailants could not find him, they returned to the area where Al-Mahthari’s car had been parked, took several items from within the car and then smashed it with weapons they had been carrying.

Although the assailants were identified by several witnesses who saw them attack the vehicle, the two have not been arrested and Al-Mahthari remains in hiding.

A campaign of intimidation is also being waged against Al Wasat editor-in-chief Jamal Amer. Al Wasat released a statement on 26 April voicing concern that Amer’s movements and activities have been closely observed since his August kidnapping. On 23 August, Amer was kidnapped by armed assailants who threatened to kill him if his newspaper continued to publish articles about corruption and abuse of power in the government.

The 26 April Al Wasat statement was released shortly after a group of individuals, led by a political security officer, visited the street of Amer’s family home, inquiring about his apartment building, the license plate number of his vehicle and the names of his children’s school.

Amer, who is currently in the United States as part of the International Visitors Program, has become the victim of a smear campaign attempting to discredit him and the critical information reported by his newspaper. Articles published this week in state-controlled publications have accused Amer of being connected to Israel’s intelligence organisation, of acting as an “agent of the West” and of working to “meet the needs of the imperialist opposition forces abroad.”

Commenting on the action being taken against Al-Mahthari and Amer, IPI Director Johann P. Fritz said: “The targeting of these two editors paints a disturbing picture of the varied methods being used to silence critical voices in the Yemeni press.”

“The increase in both direct and indirect attacks on independent journalists is cause for serious concern, particularly since many of the attacks carried out in recent months have taken place with complete immunity.”

“If the Yemeni press is to be able to carry out its important watchdog role, journalists must be free to carry out their work without fear of intimidation and harassment.”

____________________________

International Press Institute (IPI)
Spiegelgasse 2/29
A-1010 Vienna
Austria
Tel: + 431-512 90 11
Fax: + 431-512 90 14
E-mail: ipi@freemedia.at

http://www.freemedia.at

CPJ also issues statement condemning attacks.

Saba the official news agency of Yemen:

On the other hand, an international report published by the Freedom House in United States talked about women rights in Middle East for the year 2005 praising the Yemeni women participation in elections and political area.

The report said, that the Yemeni performance was the best in the political life that made the Yemeni women non- governmental organizations able to participate and work in all stages of the local, parliamentary and presidential election processes.

It gifted Yemen 2.5 and 2.9 points from 3 points in terms of practicing the political rights, expression freedom, women rights respect and participation of the civil society organizations in the political arena.

The report also pointed out to the Yemeni elections law respecting women rights to be voters or candidates in all elections.

In the Freedom House report referrenced, the scale is 1-5 with one being the lowest score, not 1-3 like SABA says. Its actually a rather sharp assessment of women rights and participation in Yemen, not praising as SABA indicates. Some of the recommendations for improvement are good.

So Jamal Amer is the editor of al-Wasat who we all recall who was kidnapped beaten up and threatened in August for writing articles on nepotism is the allocation of college scholorships. They came in military car. So now the PSO is sniffing around his family and his kids. Very annoying. Last time the sleezy slimy dirtbags threatened to harm his kids if he told anyone about the incident. How low can you go? The Yemen Times has the story of the current targeting of Amer:

In a statement released Wednesday, Al-Wasat weekly holds authorities accountable to protect its chief editor from attacks by anonymous individuals. The statement confirmed that a group of individuals led by a political security officer – whose names are being withheld by the paper – visited the street where Jamal Amer lives. They inquired about his apartment, vehicle license plate number and schools his children attend. The strange inquiries raised fear among Amer’s family members, as the head of the household was abroad.

According to Al-Wasat’s statement, this is not the first time inquiries were made about Amer, as his movements and activities have been observed since he was kidnapped. Ruling party newspapers accused Amer of being an agent for the West because he accepted a travel invitation to the U.S.

The statement urged human rights organizations and political parties to react to such attacks, which contravene the Constitution and human morals and tend to become a widespread phenomenon. The newspaper notified President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the highest ranking official responsible to protect his citizens, the Attorney General and the Minister of Interior to investigate the case and take firm action against the perpetrators.

Akhbar Al-Yawm, which appears to be in line with authorities, published a story on its front page stating that Ibrahim Bin Ali Al-Wazir, an opposition leader and Popular Forces Unionist Party member residing in the U.S., held a meeting with many Yemeni journalists, including Amer, in Washington.

In its story, the newspaper reported that the meeting involved U.S. writer Jane Novak and another man named Malik, who is working as a coordinator in Yemen for Israel’s intelligence organization. The story added that these individuals agreed to launch an English-language web site and a satellite channel to meet the needs of imperialist opposition forces abroad.

What? What did that say? I’m laughing again. I already have an english language website. A satellite channel? No. Israeli intelligence? No. Never happened. Not Malik (who is Malik anyway), not al-Wazeer. Its very funny. Continuing,

Capital Southeast Court postponed its Wednesday hearing devoted to Al-Hurriyya newspaper’s defense team’s response to charges filed against the paper, as the team did not attend the previous session.

Press and Publication Prosecution responded to an appeal filed by Al-Hurriyya’s defense team, affirming that it never accused journalists who republished the Prophet Mohammed’s caricature of atheism. It said such journalists face charges of publication crimes, as stipulated by the Crimes and Penalties Law.

The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS) met with Minister of Interior Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi last week to discuss abuses and harassments against journalists. The syndicate informed Al-Alimi of the attack on Abed Al-Mahdhari, who faced threats and his car forcibly was grabbed from the capital. He was threatened with murder by a group of individuals demanding he stop discussing arms trade issues.

Arms trade a sensitive topic? Ok, I’ll keep that in mind.

Also the same story picked up al-Jazeera, the bastion of credibility. Article description:
The first part of it is about the great Yemeni president who will solve the Palestinian problem with his close friend Mubark of Egypt.
The second part is about you, Jamal, and the people who were with him.It says that all of you are part of an Imperialism and Zionism plot who want to destroy the election procedures and the stability of Yemen.
The Third part is about Islah party band violations in the election process.

awww, Im going to miss the official spokesperson speaking anonymously. YT:

During his meeting with Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) leaders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi announced that his ministry will appoint an official spokesman and establish an information center, a step aimed at helping journalists obtain information associated with local security.

“The information center aims to consolidate transparency of democratic work, which government adopts, plus spread the culture of democracy and knowledge nationwide,” Al-Alimi said.

He promised to bring a continuing mechanism to facilitate journalists’ tasks and hold periodic meetings between the YJS and the Interior Ministry to tackle problems that may arise in the future.

Al-Alimi indicated that security apparatuses have a behavioral vision toward violations and abuses against journalists for several reasons, the most important of which is lack of democratic trust among social classes, including security recruits.

The meeting also reviewed results of ministry efforts regarding arresting and punishing perpetrators involved in attacks against journalists. Al-Alimi pointed out that some perpetrators were arrested, while security apparatuses still are investigating other journalist assaults to detain other perpetrators and bring them to prosecution.

He highlighted journalism’s enlightening role to solve public issues, support democracy and develop Yemeni society, pointing out that such a role entails objectivity, examining authenticity of information and presenting facts as they happen.

Al-Alimi emphasized his ministry’s desire to cooperate with the YJS in tackling issues and problems throughout the nation. The ministry asked Attorney-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Ulify to write a report on the capture of well-known arms trader Faris Manna’a for his recurring threats and attacks against Abed Al-Mahdhari, Editor-in-Chief of the Sa’ada-based Al-Deyyar newspaper.

YT

The general inflation rate rose to 19.4 percent in the past year, while foodstuff inflation jumped to 36.6 percent, with the former recording a nine percent increase and the latter 30.7 percent, as compared to 2004, according to an official quarterly report.

The economic development report issued by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation attributed the high inflation rate to fuel price hikes and national currency decline. It confirmed that transportation and agriculture were the most affected sectors due to increasing prices of fuel products, as the transportation inflation rate spiked from one percent in June 2005 to 31.6 percent in September of that same year.

According to the report, skyrocketing transportation fares helped raise inflation rates in all production and handicraft sectors, as well as increase agricultural production costs, as plant irrigation depends on diesel pumps.

The report added that the Yemeni Riyal fell 3.5 percent in January 2005 compared to the dollar, which helped raise commodities prices, particularly imported items. This fact coincided with monetary supply growth, which mounted to YR 975 billion, accounting for 42.2 percent of gross domestic product.