Al-Khaiwani Prisoner in Yemen
Al-Khaiwani was scheduled to speak on a panel called : Oblique Government Tactics that Impede a Free Arab Press when he was stopped at the airport. So this is one tactic: Not to let them travel. The rest of the Yemeni delegation has an impromptu sit-in in solidarity and none of them went. Its amazing how terrified the Yemeni government is of free speech. Poor al-Khaiwani gets targeted so much, he has his own category. The whole country is a giant prison.
Yemeni National Security at the Sana’a International Airport on Sunday barred journalist AbdulKarim from heading for Cairo of Egypt to participate in a conference organized by the National Council for Human Rights in cooperation with the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner.
MP Shawqi al-Qadhi, lawyer Mohammad Naji Alaw, editor of al-Nida weekly Sami Ghalib, former chairman of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate AbdulBari Taher and rights activist Afra’a al-Hariri were also barred to leave with al-Khaiwani. They condemned this “illegal” demeanor and staged a sit-in at the airport for hours.
Rights activists said the airport security’s behavior was a violation of laws and constitution as al-Khaiwani has been pardoned by President Saleh and all convictions against him have been canceled.
A source in the National Security said that banning al-Khaiwani from travel was on a request of the Passports Department at the airport.
Head of Yemeni Lawyers Syndicate, Abdullah Rajeh, said nobody has the right to prevent al-Khaiwani from traveling after he was given an amnesty for all charges against him.
The Arab Sisters Forum has condemned this “aggressive” action against al-Khaiwani who has become free after the president’s pardon.
