Armies of Liberation

Almotamar.net – Gunmen from the Yemeni Islah party in Hdeidah governorate attacked Friday a leading official from the General People’s Congress (GPC) in the district of Al-Hali, Hudeidah.

Local sources mentioned that the GPC official Ammar Fuad Ali Abbas is now at a hospital for treatment from serious injuries in the head and limbs caused by being beaten with sticks and iron clubs by elements from the Islah party, one of the opposition parties with hardliner religious orientation after they have lured him out of his house Friday evening.

Te sources told almotamar.net that the attackers who were almost killing him have previously carried out similar attacks on a number of citizens in the district just because of their different political affiliations.

The sources also attributed the latest attack to former differences erupted between the GPC official and Islah elements during the presidential and local elections held last September.

Meanwhile, security men in the governorate were able to arrest the Islah official Abd Rebah al-Farawi the main suspect in this incident and he is being interrogated while they continue chasing the other elements accused in this attack.

Maybe. I’d like to know if this is the same website that published the earlier statement purporting to be from Al-Qaeda in Yemen after the two remarkably thwarted attacks on the oil facilities.

From AKI

YEMEN: MAN CLAIMS TO HEAD AL-QAEDA’S LOCAL BRANCH

Sanaa, 22 June (AKI) – A man identifying himself as Abu Basir Nasir al-Wahishi – one of 28 terrorist suspects who in February 2006 fled a high security prison in Sanaa – has claimed in an audio message posted on Islamist internet forums that he is the leader of al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen. The man who also uses the battlename Abu Hureira al-Sanaani, said his group’s full name is al-Qaeda of the Jihad in Yemen. Most of those involved in the 2006 jailbreak were re-arrested while those who successfully escaped are believed by Yemeni authorities to have sought refuge in Somalia or in Yemen’s remote southern Hadramawt province.

的 have been nominated leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen and I say no to any surrender to government forces. Ignorance and Islam can never blend together. Several tyrants have tried to insert ignorance in Islam but they have all failed,” the man said in the 20 minute-long recording.

“They want us to renege our beliefs and to repudiate some of our principles. But during this time when they have been waging their crusader war, the enemies are being defeated as is happening in Afghanistan at the hands of the mujahadeen,”

Yemen authorities have for some time suspected an al-Qaeda presence in the country blaming the terror network for a failed attempt to attack two oil plants last September.

Source: AKI

I’m just not seeing this guy on the list of the 23 escapees from Feb 2006.

YT:

The official list of the suspected prisoners as distributed by the Ministry of Interior consisted only of 22 names, excluding Hamdi Al-Ahdal. The names are: Yaser Naser Al-Homikani, Mohammed Sa’eed Al-Omda, Fawzi Mohammed Al-Wajeh, Zakria Hasen Al-Baihani, Abudlrahman Ahmed Basora, Abdullah Ahmed Al-Remi, Fawaz Yahya Al-Rabe ai, Hizam Saleh Mugli, Gamal Mohammed Al-Badwi, Zakria Hasen Al-Baihani, Abdulrahman Ahmed Basurah, Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Hoidi, Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Mukri, Aref Saleh Mugli, Shafik Ahmed Zaid, Gaber Al-Bana’a, Hamza Salem Al-Kuaiti, Omer Sa’eed Gar Allah, Abdullah Yahya Al-Wa’ adi, Khaled Mohammed Al-Batati, Kasem Yahya Al-Remi, Mohammed Ahmed Al-Remi, Mansour Naser Al-Baihani.

Or at News Yemen:

The Mutamarnet website mentioned that the fugitives, particularly Jamal al-Badawqi, the second one accused in the case of Cole, were 9 of those tried in the case of blasting the French oil tanker Limburg offshore Mukalla in 2002. They are: Mohammed Ali Saad, Arif Saleh Mujali, Omar Saeed Jarallah, Qassem Yahya al-Raimi, and Mohammed Ahmed al-Dailami. The list of runaways also includes four persons convicted on charge of their membership of al-Qaeda organization and formation of an armed gang, namely: Ibrahim Mohammed al-Maqri, Shafiq Ahmed Omar, Abdullah Yahya al-Wadie and Mansour Nasser al-Bayhani. Two others are from al-Tawheed battalions that were headed by Anwar al-Jelani. They are: Abdulrahman Ahmed Basurra, and Khalid Mohammed al-Batati. The other convicted one is called Abdullah Ahmed al-Raymi, handed over to Yemen by the sate of Qatar and he had been sentenced for four years imprisonment.
In addition there are six other defendants scheduled to stand trial on charges of their affiliation to al-Qaeda Organization.

There he is:

(Reuters) – A combination photo released by the Yemeni interior ministry on February 14, 2006 shows 23 al Qaeda operatives who escaped from a prison in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on February 3. The Yemeni government is offering 5 million riyals ($25,550) for information leading to the arrest of 13 al Qaeda inmates who broke out of jail earlier this month, an official said on Tuesday. The men are among a group of 23 inmates who tunnelled their way out of prison. REUTERS/Handout Top Row (L-R): Fawaz Yahya al-Rabyee alias Furkan al-Tajiki, Mansour Nassir al-Baihani alias Aassim al-Tabouki, Zakaria Ubadi al-Yafee alias Abu Yahya, Nassir Abdul Kareem al-Wahishi alias Abu Bassir, Ibrahim Mohammad al-Moqri alias Abu Mohammad and Musaab, Khaled Mohammad al-Batati alias Abu Sulaiman, Shafeeq Ahmad Zaid alias Abu Abdullah, Yassir Nasser al-Humaiqani alias Abu Khaled. Middle Row (L-R): Ibrahim Mohammad al-Huaidi alias Usaid, Fauzi Mohammad al-Wajeeh alias Abu Musaab al-Taizi, Jamaal Mohammad al-Badawi alias Abu Abdul Rahman, Aarif Saleh Mujalli alias Abu al-Laith al-Sanaani and Abdul Bari, Qassim Yahya al-Raymi alias Abu Huraira, Mohammad Abdullah al-Dailami alias Hashim, Hamza Salim al-Quaiti alias Abu Samhar, Muhammad Saeed al-Ammari al-Umdah alias Abu Gharib al Taizzi. Bottom Row (L-R): Abdullah Ahmad al-Raymi alias Uais and Auss, Zakaria Nassir al-Baihani alias Jaafar, Abdullah Yahya al-Wadee alias Marwan al-Hashidi, Jaber Ahmad al-Banna alias Abu Ahmad, Hizam Saleh Ali Mejalli, Abdul Rahman Ahmad Ba-Surrah alias Abu Gharib, Omar Saeed Jarallah alias Abdullah Gharib and Bin Hafeez.

I forgot about this from 2006:
Afghan Arab/Yemeni Intell Officer, Acquited in the Cole, Released Shortly after Escape

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 21 (UPI) — Yemeni authorities have released 11 Muslim fundamentalists, including the suspected leader of an al-Qaida cell, who were detained in east Yemen.

Daily al-Shura, mouthpiece of the opposition Popular Forces Union Party, Tuesday quoted well-informed sources as saying Abdel Rauf Nassib, who is accused of leading an al-Qaida cell whose members were convicted of planning terrorist activities and forging official documents, was among the released prisoners.

Nassib, a former Yemeni intelligence officer, was tried and acquitted in the case of the bombing of the USS Cole in the port of Aden in October 2000 in which 17 U.S. servicemen were killed.

He was also accused of planning attacks against U.S. interests in the poor Arab Gulf country. There was no information about the reason for the release of Nassib, who was among Yemenis who had fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation.

In another development, a Yemeni court which specializes in terror cases Tuesday ordered the release of Hadi Mohammed Saleh al-Waeli, who was accused of selling arms and ammunition to the bombers of the USS Cole.

The public prosecution accused al-Waeli of selling arms without a license and asked for the highest punishment provided by law in such cases. But the court ruled that the three years that he had spent in prison were sufficient and ordered his release.

The releases of Nassib and al-Waeli come a few weeks after 23 al-Qaida prisoners, described as the most dangerous, escaped from the central intelligence prison in Sanaa.

Among the escapees are 13 convicted in the bombing of the USS Cole. The incident sparked anger in Washington and accusations that Yemeni security officials were involved in the escape.

Who actually is a deranged lone gunman

Almotamar.net –
The governor of Shabwa, Yemen said Saturday a Yemeni security guard Yemeni security guard at a U.S.-run oil installation in Yemen opened fire on colleagues on Saturday, killing an Indian engineer and wounding five others.

Two British workers, one American and two Yemeni pilots were hurt when Jamil Mohammed al-Raai began firing indiscriminately at the installation run by U.S. oil and gas firm Occidental Petroleum Corp in Shabwa, a security said.
Raai was seized by Yemeni security forces. Preliminary investigations showed he was suffering from psychological problems, the source added.
Yemen, an independent oil producer, pumps around 450,000 barrels per day. Yemen signed a production-sharing agreement with Occidental in March for a block in Shabwa province.

Al-Sahwa, June 23, 2007 –A Yemeni soldier gunned down Occidental Petroleum Corp on Saturday, killing an Indian oil expert and wounding three others in Shabwa province.

The Security office in the area said to Alsahwa.net that the attack occurred when a helicopter of (OXY) landed at Osaila area.

Security sources affirmed that the solider, Jamil al-Raee , was arrested and investigated .

The Interior ministry, Rashad al-Alimi , said the attack occurred at Oxy’s Block S-1 in the eastern province of Shabwa, a rugged inhospitable desert area .

The aforementioned sources confirmed that an American, a Tunisian, a Briton and a Yemeni were also injured in the attack.

Sana’a,NewsYemen

The Interior Ministry has prevented family, colleagues and lawyer of the journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khiwani to visit him in jail.

Officers in the provisional prison where al-Khiwani is imprisoned said they have received instructions from the interior minister to prevent any person from visiting
al-Khiwani except his wife after being checked by policewomen. The provisional prison does not have policewomen.

Tens of al-Khiwani’s colleagues and human rights activists sat-in outside the prison to get permission to visit him. After waiting for an hour, the officials of the prison said they could not allow them to visit al-Khiwani due to new orders.

Al-Khiwani’s lawyer Khalid al-Ansi described the procedure as “arbitrary and contradicts with laws”. He asked interior minister and prosecutor to stop such a procedure.

Opposition journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani back behind bars

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the arrest of opposition journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani, in Sanaa yesterday reportedly in connection with alleged links to the Shiite rebellion in the north of the country.

Several plain-clothes police officers went to the home of the former editor of the now closed opposition weekly al-Shura and arrested him without a warrant. His wife said that officers dragged him from his bed and took him away barefoot and in his pyjamas. The following day he was placed in preventive detention for one week.

The journalist was reportedly questioned about links with individuals facing trial for “terrorist activities”, in detention in Yemen, who are believed to have mentioned his name during interrogation. He was also questioned about an article headlined “the goat that became a pharaoh”, which he planned to publish and which he had discussed with a colleague on the phone.

“We urge the Yemeni authorities to urgently release this journalist. No charges have been made against him and it is obvious that he is being put under pressure to stop him giving a voice to Shiite rebels,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

Al-Khaiwani’s lawyer, Khaled al-Anesi, told Reporters Without Borders that the prosecutor had refused all requests for bail even though the journalist had always presented himself whenever he had been summoned in the past.

“My client is a well-known figure, who has never sought to escape justice,” he said. “He has been arrested in unacceptable circumstances and has at no time been informed of the reasons for his arrest.”

Al-Khaiwani was sentenced to one year in prison in 2005 before being pardoned by President Ali Abdallah Saleh. He had been accused of using his writing to support the rebellion of the Shiite leader Badr Eddin al-Hawthi.

Al-Sahwa

June 21,2007- The Joint Meeting Parties have condemned the arrest of the editor and journalist, Abdul-Karim al-Khaiwaini .

A security personnel had raided al-Khaiwaini’s home on Wednesday.

They condemned this action,citing that it came as escalation of security authority’s attacks against press and journalists.

The senior leader of JMP , Mohammad al-Sabri said that this act proved that the Yemeni authorities do not respect press and freedom of expression .

“JMP expressed sorrow of the way al-Khaiwani was arrested ” he added . He further cast the responsibility for that on security authorities, pointing out that this arrest was a criminal and its perpetrators must hold accountable.

Moreover, JMP demanded the authorities to immediately release al-Khaiwani and respect the constitution and laws.

US

The United States has announced that it is raising the upper limit of its annual support to Yemen to $45 million US dollars for the year 2007. The American government decided to raise its assistance to Yemen to $45 million representing an increase of about $25 million, according to Nabil Ali Shayban, the general director of the International Cooperation Unit for European and American Affairs at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in a staement to Saba news agency last Wednesday.

He added that the US government allocated $35 million for supporting Yemen’s rehabilitation program for joining the millennium fund. The Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors reinstated the eligibility of the Republic of Yemen for participation in MCC’s Threshold Program on February 14, 2007. In a statement issued by the MCC it said that Yemen was eligible for Threshold Program assistance in 2004, but its eligibility was suspended by the Board in November 2005, following a consistent pattern of deterioration in Yemen’s policy performance on the selection criteria.

With today’s action, Yemen may now apply for a Threshold Program Agreement. “The MCC Board of Directors found that the Yemeni government has worked aggressively and demonstrably to address the country’s performance on the MCC selection criteria,” which includes battling corruption within the government. “Since its suspension in 2005, Yemen has undertaken a series of impressive reforms,” said US Ambassador to Yemen John Danilovich, who is also CEO of the MCC. “In addition to what has been accomplished thus far, the Government of Yemen has made a number of important reform commitments.

Looking at the progress we have been able to document, Yemen has demonstrated its commitment to continuing this reform effort.” In February 2006, President Ali Abdullah Saleh signaled the start of an aggressive reform effort with a cabinet shuffle. At that time, the government also introduced and began implementing an impressive National Agenda for Reform. This reform agenda addresses policies evaluated by the MCC selection indicators.

Arab Social Fund

The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi, and Abdul-Latif al-Hamad, Chairman of the Kuwait Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFSED), signed two agreements last Tuesday, one to finance a gas-powered electricity generating station in Marib, and a second to strengthen the programs of agricultural and fish development on the coast of Hadhramawt.

The two projects have a combined budget of $142 million. “The signing of the two agreements comes within the framework that was agreed upon by the two involved parties to support and finance infrastructure projects in Yemen,” said al-Arhabi. AFSED will continue to finance and support Yemeni projects, said al-Hamad, adding that his visit to projects financed by the Fund in Sana’a, Aden, and Socotra left him with the good impression that there is steady progress in the design and implementation of development projects in Yemen.

The programs of agricultural and fisheries development on the coast of Hadhramawt, the projects outlined seek optimal use of water resources by the establishment of eight dams and improvement of the irrigation system in order to save water by means of the introduction of modern irrigation methods. An additional goal of agricultural sector is to protect agricultural land from erosion and degradation by introducing new crop rotation patterns that will take into account the agricultural needs and the climate of the region.

The PFU’s trade with the regime was “a bullet in the back,” he says.

Then he got arrested, thus we can expect the PFU will not be disbanded like al-Haq was.

The Yemen Times got an interview prior to his arrest about the party’s betrayal.

The article also notes the “terrorist” who admitted talking to him is a female journalist arrested while visiting a family member in prison and then interrogated for hours. She has been released.

SANA’A, June 20 — Sources reported yesterday that National Security arrested journalist and political activist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani at his Sana’a residence, later breaking into his home and conducting a thorough search, horrifying his wife and children in the process.

The media industry was surprised on Saturday to learn that the Popular Forces Union Party had let Al-Khaiwani go and fired him as editor-in-chief of its Al-Shoura.net news web site. The party didn’t specify the reason for his firing, despite his record of service to them.

Knowledgeable sources suggest that the ruling regime pressured party leaders tremendously to fire Al-Khaiwani and shut down Al-Shoura.net in order to lower the tone calling for canceling the party’s license to operate, thus putting the party in a serious dilemma. In turn, the party was unable to express the reason for Al-Khaiwani’s firing or even letting him go in an honorable manner.

In a brief telephone interview a couple of hours before his arrest, when asked for more information about his departure from his position, Al-Khaiwani replied, “Party leadership didn’t inform me that I was fired; rather, I learned of it only through what was published on the party’s web site. I think this is the ‘bullet of mercy’ that’s been fired at my back after years of standing at the forefront of the party and standing up for its principles.”

He added, “There are specific individuals who are members of the party’s general committee, who happen to have become closer to the ruling party or are even working with the regime, and there are those who have been conspiring against me and are responsible for the sudden decision to fire me, probably in order to satisfy the regime.”

He concluded, “Our current opposition is a sham. I’ve worked with two opposition parties during my career as a political activist and I’ve reached the conclusion that working with political parties is controversial. Any media affiliated with political parties can never serve the country and national issues, despite what many think. These political parties are unfounded and the regime can penetrate and manipulate them as it pleases.”

Assistant secretary-general of the party, Mohammed Al-Mutawakil, said the decision to fire Al-Khaiwani was wrong and may have been personally motivated. He stated that party leadership decided to downsize staff at Al-Shoura.net and therefore, formed a three-member committee of Yahya Al-Showaish, Abdulsalam Al-Razaaz and Rashad Salim to investigate and come up with a list of secondary individuals to be fired as part of a cost-cutting strategy.

Al-Mutawakil emphasized that he strongly opposes the decision to fire Al-Khaiwani, indicating that the journalist is a leadership figure, not a mere employee to be let go, and expressing his sorrow at Al-Khaiwani’s departure.

He added, “I telephoned Al-Khaiwani and pleaded for him to return, but it was too late, as the decision to fire him already had been validated.”

A source close to Al-Khaiwani said that the attorney general has called on him to comment on allegations related to distributing photographic images taken during the Sa’ada war and leaking them to the media. The allegations are based on a confession by fellow journalist Muna Al-Khalid, who was arrested while visiting relatives at a Sana’a jail.

Al-Khalid was arrested for several hours until a confession was extracted. A number of allegations, including supporting Houthis, have been thrown at her by the undersecretary of the public attorney’s office.

Born in Taiz in 1965, Al-Khaiwani is an outspoken journalist and political activist who previously headed Al-Haq Party’s political committee and was editor-in-chief of that party’s Al-Ummah newspaper.

After this, he moved to the radical Islamic Popular Forces Union Party where he was editor-in-chief of Al-Shoura newspaper, as well as Al-Shoura.net news web site. The two media outlets’ popularity skyrocketed due to his outspoken opinion articles and investigative reports unveiling corruption at very high levels in the regime, involving both current and previous officials.

Al-Khaiwani has been arrested twice before for periods totaling nearly a year. He routinely has been physically and emotionally violated by the regime and security agencies under the banner of national security, the “War on Terrorism” and President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s personal image. Some of his most famous articles include, “The anniversary of the throne” and “Ali Katyusha.”

The impending War Crimes prosecution may have got their attention

100,000 internal refugees currently huddled near Saudi border, becasue that’s where air space is restricted and they may not get bombed by their own government.

YT SA’ADA, June 20 — Both Yemeni authorities and Houthi loyalists have stuck to a ceasefire agreement signed last week in Doha and no breach has been recorded so far, an indication of the success of the mediation led by Qatari leadership to halt the ongoing war in Sa’ada, which first began in June 2004. (Read on …)

YT

A recent report by the World Bank has indicated that during the last three decades, Yemen has experienced a profound and dramatic change, where the economy has seen a shift from an agriculture-dependent economy to a more diversified and market economy, hereby changing the underlying fundamentals of the Yemeni business environment. The report stated that the shift towards a market economy from the subsistence agriculture of the north and the command economy of the south has transformed livelihood systems.

This change is understandable considering the global economic transformations and the geo-political changes in Yemen. The report indicated that the emergence of a new governance system as a result of unification, hereby the formal and informal “rules of the game” has changed; in Yemeni culture, the land and the livestock were the source of wealth and employment

During the last three decades, this understanding has changed to the realization that the source of wealth and employment is the government. The report states: “the increasing concentration of economic and political power suggests that it carries with it the risk of elite capture of development benefits and the further widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.”

The World bank report, entitled ‘Country Social Analysis’ has the objective of analyzing the social context and trends in Yemen in order to identify the constrains and opportunities for development. Inline with that objective, the report concludes that the effectiveness of development support to Yemen can be enhanced by addressing the following inequalities:

• Access to water and land needs to be more equitably distributed;

• Youth, Women, and Rural people are becoming increasingly marginalized from the economy as traditional livelihood systems decline;

• With rapid urbanization, shanty dwellers are becoming increasingly socially and economically marginalized;

• State expenditures tend to favor the non-poor.

The report also highlights a number of strategic areas of intervention, including improving equity in the distribution of natural resources such as water resources, concentration of land ownership, and enforcement of expropriation laws which help the poor and marginalized social groups.

Another strategic intervention is in improving equity in distribution of public resources and services, in terms of inequality in public expenditures, inequality in access to healthcare, and the mismatch between education provided and labor market demands especially in rural inhabitants.

In addition to that, another strategic intervention is in promoting inclusion in economic opportunities; with focus on the high rates of youth unemployment and underemployment, and the employment of women in rural areas.

Moreover, improving social accountability was yet another area for strategic intervention, through the strengthening civil society to hold elected officials and service providers accountable, evaluate the quality of public service provision, provide access to justice especially for women and the poor, and involve women in decision making.

The ruling party has a different view of the report:

Almotamar.net – A World Bank (WB) report issued last week praised reforms the Yemeni government is implementing in different areas particularly in administration, judiciary, legislative fields related to fighting corruption as well as legislations on providing infrastructure luring investment.

The report which almotamar.net received a copy of it praised efforts of civil service in ridding of a large number of illusionary jobs and cases of double jobs.

The report on assessing development policy I Yemen, the WB to inaugurate next Saturday, mentioned that independence of the central apparatus for audition and accountability has improved, passing of a new law on financial obligations of government officials, in addition to that there is a new law on fighting corruption under legislation and it is identical to international criteria.
The report also praised reforms concerning enhancement of judiciary independence, pointing to the efforts implemented for improving the judicial apparatus infrastructure and the president of the republic’s departure from the post of chairman of the Higher Judiciary Council.

Yemen: Editor detained on terrorism allegations

New York, June 20, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Yemeni authorities to detail terrorism accusations it has leveled against an opposition newspaper editor detained today by government forces at his home in the capital, Sana’a.
At around noon on Wednesday, Yemeni security agents raided the home of Abdelkarim al-Khaiwani, editor of the online newspaper Al-Shoura, which is affiliated with the Popular Forces Union Party, several Yemeni journalists and local news reports said. Al-Khaiwani was brought before a state security prosecutor charged with handling terrorism cases. He is under investigation for allegedly having ties to a terrorist cell associated with rebels fighting government forces in the northwestern city of Saada, journalists and news reports said. The prosecutor ordered al-Khaiwani held for the next seven days, those sources said.

“We are troubled by the detention of Abdelkarim al-Khaiwani, and call on officials to publicly disclose the evidence used to hold him,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “While the accusations are serious, we remain concerned that al-Khawiani is being punished for his outspokenness.”

According to Yemeni press reports, al-Khaiwani is being investigated for alleged ties to 16 men and two women recently arrested for belonging to a terrorist cell in Sana’a said to be affiliated with rebel leader Abdel Malik al-Hawthi. Over the last three years, Al-Hawthi, his family members, and their followers have battled Yemeni government forces in Saada. Fighting was heavy until a ceasefire was reached in recent days.

Al-Khaiwani has been a harsh critic of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and, in particular, his government’s fight against the rebels.

In 2004, as editor of what was then a print weekly, al-Khaiwani was sentenced to a year in jail for incitement, insulting the president, publishing false news, and causing tribal and sectarian discrimination. Articles had criticized the government’s conduct in the fighting and had accused it of fostering terrorism with its actions.

And of course, total garbage from al-Motamar:

Almotamar.net – Judiciary sources said Wednesday that the specialised penal prosecution in Sana’a subpoenaed today Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani for interrogating him over his relation with the third Sana’a terrorist cell belonging to al-Houthi that is presently under investigation.

Judicial sources told almotamar.net that the name of al-Khaiwani was mentioned more than once in preliminary investigations with the 16 defendants in the case. The sources reported that elements from the cell confessed his contacts with them during preparation and planning for striking vital installations and targeting government vehicles and buildings as well as poisoning waters of military camps.

Al-Khaiwani was summoned with the presence of his lawyer Khalid al-A’nsy. Interrogating al-Khaiwani in the case in the wake of investigations conducted by the prosecution with members of the cell and after two days of interrogation with a woman called Muna al-Khalid for her relation with the terrorist cell that was captured in the capital in the last weeks

A source in the prosecution said the accused Muna al-Khalid was released under a guarantee after the interrogations the prosecution conducted with the accused for the mentioning of her name in confessions of a number of the terrorist cell members affiliated to the rebel Abdulmalik al-Houthi in its participation in the plot of the cell.

Security sources mentioned that the cell which includes 16 persons and two women is responsible for explosions that happened in the capita; that resulted the child Ayoub Ali Thabit and the injury of another child Abdullah Hussein Lahib and also the attack on a number of security men while they were on duty of capturing one of the members of the cell who fired and killed the martyrs brigadier general Abdulghani al-Maamari and brigadier general Yahya Rawie.

Prominent Yemeni reformist and editor Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani was arrested on Wednesday by Yemeni police. It is the latest in a campaign targeting him that has spanned years and included politicized arrest, cloning his newspaper, blocking his website, death threats, and threats to kidnap his children. Oh yes, and then there was the time he was prohibited from leaving Yemen. He was arrested at the airport en route to a Red Cross conference.

Mr. Al-Khaiwani, pictured below left in 2006 with presidential candidate Faisel bin Shamlan, is a vocal critic of Yemen’s authoritarian regime, accusing it of corruption and nepotism. His criticism of Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, landed al-Khaiwani a one year jail term in 2004. He was convicted of insulting the president and pardoned after seven months in detention.

In latest developments of the case, AFP reports the democracy activist was badly beaten during arrest and is being held without charge.

IHT: SAN’A, Yemen: Journalists rallied in protest after police on Wednesday arrested a Yemeni opposition editor accused of backing the country’s Shiite rebels, a police official and the attacked journalist’s family said.

Dozens of journalists gathered in front of the general prosecutor office in the Yemeni capital, San’a, demanding the release of the Al-Shura weekly’s editor Abdel Abdul Karim al-Khawinay, taken by police to jail earlier in the day.

The family of al-Khawinay said that security personnel stormed their home early Wednesday, beat up al-Khawinay with fists and gun-butts, then dragged him bleeding from the ear and nose to the police station.

“His face, pajamas were all stained with blood,” said al-Khawinay’s wife, who gave her name as Um Mohammed….

In December, Mr. al-Khaiwani wrote to the UN about the conditions of journalists in Yemen, the Yemen Times reported. “The State hunts us, abuses our rights and restrict our freedom of expressions,” he said in a letter co-authored with other leading journalists. “We were subjected to abduction, forcible disappearance and illegal and unconstitutional arrests. We are deprived of our livelihood sources because we criticize corruption and the military regime that has been grasping power for 28 years.” The UN never wrote back.

In related news, a human rights worker, Moammar Ahmed Saleh Al-Abdali, was “arrested” by the Political Security Organization (PSO) on May 25th and has been held incommunicado since. The Civil Rights Organization, HOOD reports Mr. Al_Abdali’s family is concerned for his welfare. Torture is common in Yemeni jail

In Taiz, News Yemen reports, “A teacher and headmaster were put in the prison of the Political Security in Taiz province over asking students to write compositions about corruption and price hikes on the Arabic language exam paper.”

Editor Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani has been arrested under murky circumstances in Yemen. Sources report the journalist was beaten while being taken into custody. The opposition weekly, Al-Sahwa reported,

The deputy of the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate Saeed Thabit said that policemen have raided Abdul-Karim al-khaiwani’s home, arrested him and put him in prison. Thabit said that the Yemeni lawyer, Khalid al-Anisi is still seeking to know reasons behind his arrest. For their part, scores of journalist sat-in before the Penal Court, protesting al-Khaiwani arrest .

Mr. Al-Khaiwani, shown below left in 2006 with presidential candidate Faisel Bin Shamlan, has been a frequent regime target for his outspoken opinions on corruption, hereditary presidency, and the Sa’ada war.

In a politically motivated judicial procedure, Al-Khaiwani was sentenced to a year in jail in 2004. The charges related to nine *Op-Eds* published by al-Shoura, where al-Khaiwani was the editor. The articles were written by a variety of authors. RSF called the verdict arbitrary censorship and IFEX and CPJ condemned the ruling as arbitrary. Al-Khaiwani spent seven months in jail before being pardoned in March 2005.

In May 2005, armed men stormed the offices of al-Shoura and, after evicting the staff, proceeded to (and continue to) publish the paper in a tactic known as “cloning.” From CPJ :

Yemeni security services are also believed to be responsible for commandeering or “cloning” outspoken Yemeni newspapers—establishing similarly titled and similar-looking newspapers to undercut the originals and confuse readers. Before its closure last year, the office of the opposition weekly Al-Shoura was taken over by armed men believed to be allied with the government and a new management team set up. Despite appearances, the new title carried a much different, pro-government editorial line.

The al-Shoura’s website which contains authentic content edited by al-Khaiwani was blocked within Yemen prior to Yemen’s presidential election in September. It was unblocked and then again blocked again at the onset of the Sa’ada war in January 2007. Currently the Yemeni government finds itself threatened by *text messaging* and has required news outlets to discontinue the service as the Yemen Times reported:

Prime Minister Ali Mujawar met with representatives of the protestors yesterday and agreed to unblock the web sites, but banned all SMS services except Saba Mobile Services by the official Saba News Agency, Yemen’s only and official news agency. This means even international mobile news services, such as Al-Jazeera and Reuters, now are banned in Yemen.

Yesterday, journalists in Yemen engaged in the sixth week of a regular sit-in protesting the lack of private ownership of Yemeni media, the restriction on text messaging, the inability of some civil society activists to obtain new newspaper licenses. News Yemen interviewed some of the protesting journalists, civil leaders and activists about the oppressive atmosphere:

The political activist Abdul-Malik al-Mikhlafi called for bringing down “the totalitarian mentality which controls everything”.

“The totalitarian mentality rules us, not laws most of which need to be amended including the publication and press law,” said al-Mikhlafi.

He suggested to make “black lists of totalitarians in the country” and to divulge them to the public opinion through different media outlets, as he said. “Those totalitarians claim they defend the country, but, in fact, they defend totalitarianism,” al-Mikhlafi added.

The lawyer Khalid al-Ansi affirmed that outing electronic media under siege is impossible. “The greatest countries and most developed in technology could not do so with electronic media,” said al-Ansi. “We are with law, but we are at the same time against all forms of oppression and abolishing freedom of opinion.”

Those who try to control electronic media under an alleged law encourage for rebellion and violence, said al-Ansi.

Al-Ansi said that the blockage of electronic media according to a law will push many to run secret and unknown electronic websites like al-Qaeda, according to al-Ansi.

Al-Ansi inquired about the absence of official media in “the peaceful sit-in”.

The lawyer Jamal al-Jaabi said that the monopolization of audio and video media has not any legislative base. “It is an attempt to keep Yemeni people unaware of the country’s issues”, said al-Jaabi.

How infuriating.

June 20, 2007- The deputy of the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate Saeed Thabit said that policemen have raided Abdul-Karim al-khaiwani’s home, arrested him and put him in prison.

Thabit said that the Yemeni lawyer, Khalid al-Anisi is still seeking to know reasons behind his arrest.

For their part, scores of journalist sat-in before the Penal Court, protesting al-Khaiwani arrest .

Almotamar.net – Official spokesman for the committee responsible for implementing decagons of the National Defence Council regarding the events of Saada confirmed Tuesday that ceasefire began officially since the early hours of today.

Sheikh Yasser al-Awadhi has told almotamar.net that until the midday of today there are no reports on any violations of the ceasefire. Nevertheless, al-Awadhi said they needed at least to wait for 48 to be sure the ceasefire is holding and that it is an indicator of committing to it and that in turn would urge the committee to begin supervising implementation the rest of the agreement points on the ground.

Al-Awadhi disclosed there were some objections by a number of Saada who supported the state on articles of the agreement reached by virtue of good offices by the brethren in Qatar for ending the rebellion in accordance with conditions announced by the Yemeni National Defence Council.

Al-Awadhi who met along with delegation of the committee late last night with members of parliament and a number of social personalities and residents of Saada to explain duties of the committee, said some residents of Saada see that the agreement is with no avail and that al-Houthi is not serious to commit to it.

While al-Awadhi told akmotamar.net that they in the committee have found response and readiness by all for implementing the agreement he also pointed out that some who objected it from the sons of Saada who think that Abdulmalik al-Houthi was looking for gaining more time to rearrange his situations and that he was suffering from bad conditions after the grip was tightened against him, as those residents say.

Despite fears and suspicions resulting from complications of the problem the spokesman for the committee affirmed the committee is pursuing its national and historic task entrusted by the president of the republic, exerting for achieving that all their efforts and energies for the implementation of the agreement.

Spokesman said that some clashed happened on Monday started by the Houthis by setting ambushes and blocking some roads at a time the governorate of Saada experienced relative calmness and he pointed to suspension of military operations on part of army units and the security.

An official spokesman for the Yemeni interior ministry had associated suspension of military operations with commitment of Abdulmalik al-Houthi and his followers to the agreed upon conditions an mentioned in decisions of the National Defence Council in its meeting held on 13 February 2007.

On his part the Qatari prime minister, foreign minister Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani praised on Sunday the efforts exerted by the Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh for ending the rebellion in Saada and prevention of bloodshed.
In an interview to Al-Jazeera satellite channel he said what the Yemeni government and Abdulmalik al-Houthi have announced concerning the ending of the crisis was product of efforts made by president Saleh with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Jabr Al Thani during his latest visit to Sana’a, pointing out that president Saleh displayed his great keenness on termination of these confrontations and sparing bloodshed and also expressed cooperation with the Qatari mediation in this regard.

In Riyadh the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Attiyah welcomed the declaration of ending insurgency in Saada in Yemen, evaluating the efforts exerted by the emir of Qatar and president Saleh. In the same context Qatar called on to contribute to the fund for reconstruction what the war destroyed. The Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud said Monday Qatar would strongly contribute to reconstruction through the fund established for this purpose. He deemed the declaration of the Yemeni interior ministry of closing the file of Saada events as very positive indicator.

YO

The Customs Authority suffered an embarrassment this week in Aden at a demonstration of two brand-new X-ray machines intended to improve security at Yemen’s ports. When a gun was passed through one of the machines, it was not in fact detected. While some officials said that the pricey machines were flawed, customs officials contend that the blame lies with untrained employees, who simply did not know how to use the machines. The machine in Aden is one of eight such machines Yemen has imported with a loan of $23 million. They are intended to scan containers coming into the ports, in search of smuggled weapons or other illegal things.

Some official reports cited technical flaws in these sets imported by the Yemen government to monitor the land and sea entry points. But the problem is not with the machines, said Dr. Lutf Barakat, the Deputy Chairman of the Customs Authority. There are just not qualified staff who know how to use them, he said. But just after everybody left the failed demonstration of the machines, the problem was checked out, and those responsible found out that the problem is because of the lack of the ability of the staff, said Barakat. “These sets are okay and of the highest quality, just as the same ones in the international and regional ports, such as Dubai and Jeddah,” said Barakat. “The problem is the staff who work on these sets,” he said.

“These sets demand a highly qualified staff with so much experience, so the mistakes that happened are due to the inability to run these sets well,” said Barakat. As a result, the Customs Authority has sent some employees to the company that produced these sets in China to receive training in how to run these sets, he said. Of the eight sets, two of them are mobile, and will move from place to place. The rest will be distributed to all ports (land or sea) including Aden, the free zone of Aden, Hodeidah, Mukalla, and the land ports in al-Wadeiah, Shahan, and al-Bog’a. Also, the Customs Authority contracted a Swiss company to examine these sets, and also to train the employees on how to use and maintain them.

The government has not yet signed documents to officially take ownership of the machines, which were launched in spite of this because of the National Day of Yemen, he said. “The reason that the sets cannot detect the container that contained the guns is because it was not the same container that passed in front of the sets; it was the mistake of the employee who gets wrong the passing of the right container,” said Mohammed al-Mahfadi, the head of the office of the Customs Authority.

“Besides, they were not big guns—only a manual pistol,” he said. While some employees are being trained on the machines in China, others will be trained by a Swiss company in Sana’a next month. The Customs Authority is expected to pay the Swiss company $49,000 to train the workers. The sets are set and are ready for work in Aden and the Free Area, said a source in Aden.

Almotamar.net – Security authorities in the governorate of Hajjah arrested in the past days a number of persons accused of and involved in forging currencies while they were trying to exchange and circulate in markets and trading shops in some areas of the governorate.

Security chief of the governorate brigadier general Ali Mohammed Al-Tabalah said Tuesday there are intensive efforts being exerted by security men according to studied monitoring plan that managed to arrest many of the suspects and involved in forging foreign currency. The efforts led to seize two persons in the area of Hardh possessing Omani nationality while trying to exchange a sum of forged $30 thousand with Yemeni or Saudi currency at an exchange shop the owner of which reported to the concerned authorities that were able to arrest them red-handedly.

In a statement to almotamar.net the security chief added that the two persons came to Yemen from Saudi territories in a car and has been sent to competent authorities to complete legal measures against hem.

On the other hand the penal prosecution began interrogations with an accused person the security captured at the border area of Hardh and was in possession of forged $31 thousand.

Reliable sources told almotamar.net said the prosecution is dealing with the case file and to send it to court which is scheduled to hold its first trial sitting in the coming days.

Al-Sahwa June 16, 2007- The joint Meeting Parties are setting up wide-ranging meetings with citizens in Ibb and al-Dhalie provinces.

On Friday, the prominent parliament, Hamid al-Ahmer , delivered a speech before the masses crowded in al-Dhalie province in which he thanked them to their warm supports to JMP in the last presidential and local elections .

Al-Ahemer further lauded the positive roles of the Yemeni Social party in all stages, pointing out that the ruling party had sought to weaken and marginalize it.

For his part, the spokesman of JMP, Mohammad al-Sabri said in the festival that the ruling corrupt and despotic elite wants to rule the state and possess it.

” We say to this group that this people has the right to live like all other peoples all over the world and that we could extract our rights with peaceful struggle ” he added .

He affirmed that al-Dhalie’s citizens were brave in the last presidential and local council elections when they elected JMP members, stressing that JMP would not allow corruption to further spread and would work to put an end to it with all possible means.

thats funny

Thursday 14 June 2007

26 Septemper News

SANA’A, (26sept.net) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced on Thursday that Yemen would adopt an initiative to issue Arab charter for democracy through the Arab League.

In his meeting with participants in a meeting for setting up an Arab association for democracy which was held in Sana’a from 13 to 14 June, President Saleh said that democracy is important today and a
choice that all have to make use of it.

Democracy is an alternative for conspiracy, coups and secret activities which lead to violence and disorder, he said. He also reviewed Yemeni democratic experience, saying that at the beginning there were some people who could not accept criticism, but day by day these people used to hear criticism within democracy practice.

President pointed out to the initiative of assigning areas in public places for expressing opinion freely like that in London in accordance with law and constitution.

Wrong thoughts on democracy should be corrected for it is a tool for building and development, he said.

The participants expressed happiness for meeting with President and listening to his open dialogue on democracy, affirming the importance of holding such dialogues between governments and organizations of civil societies in the Arab countries.

They appreciated announcement of President Saleh for adopting Arab charter for democracy through Arab league, considering it as an important step toward strengthening democracy in Arab world.

Resource: Saba

Taiz,NewsYemen

A teacher and headmaster were put in the prison of the Political Security in Taiz province over asking students to write compositions about corruption and price hikes on the Arabic language exam paper.

A reliable source in the Yemeni Teachers Syndicate, Taiz branch, said the security forces arrested the teacher Abdul-Rahim Ghalib in Al-Ta’awon School in Sabr district of Taiz and the teacher and headmaster of Al-Farouk School in Al-Akroud district.

The source said the first asked his students in the exam paper to write about corruption in the country and ways of fighting it and the second asked students to write about latest price hikes.

The teacher and headmaster asked students to write about general issues which official and private media are taking about, said the source.

“The teacher said (the government is trying under the leadership of prime minister Ali Mujawar and Yemen’s obedient son, president Ali Abdullah Saleh, to crackdown corruption and to lead the country to more prosperity…write at least 10 lines about kinds of corruption in Yemen and your role in eradicating corruption from the Yemeni society),” said the source.

The headmaster also put his question in this way: “those who cause the latest price hikes are outlaw, they should be punished…write about price hikes and the miserable economic situation that Yemeni people live.”, the source added.

He added that the way the teacher and headmaster expressed the points of corruption and price hikes have been the same expressed by official and private media and by officials themselves in their official statements and all Yemeni people.