Defense Ministry Demands Death for Journalists Who Revealed Jihadists Training Military
The Yemeni government has recruited thousands of tribesmen in its war against the Zaidi rebels. According to Yemeni government figures, about 8000. Some are underage. Al- Share reported on the tribesmen and that they are being trained by “Islamic Extremists” from a variety of Jihaddist groups including the Aden Abyan Army. The Yemeni Defense Department is now demanding the death penalty in the specialized terrorism court. The paper raised an appeal that the press and publications court should have jurdistiction but it was denied.
A state security and terrorism specialized court refused on Monday an objection by al-Share independent weekly against the court’s authority to hold a press case as press cases are required by the constitution to be heard by the Press and Publications Court.
The court said it has the authority to look into the case raised against the paper by the Ministry of Defense and ordered the case to the primary court again.
Last November, Editor Nayef Hassan and two journalists at al-Share Weekly were indicted in Yemen’s State Security Penal Court, which is reserved for terrorism cases. Al-Share published articles documenting the regime’s use of tribal fighters in its war against Shiite rebels in Sa’ada.The Ministry of Defense demanded the execution of the three journalists for “threatening national security, demoralizing the military and divulging state secrets.”
The al-Share case referred to the State Security and Terrorism Court. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate condemned referring a press case to terrorism-specialized court and said it was against the Yemeni constitution and press law.
