Armies of Liberation

Yemen Post

Informed sources at the Ministry of Electricity revealed that the official launch of the gas-powered station in Mareb will be postponed for few days due to numerous problems. (Read on …)

WOW!!! That’s good.

Yemen Post: On October 13, 2004, the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance filed a lawsuit against Al-Nida Newspaper over what the ministry called slandering and defamation charges after the paper had published reports about corrupt practices in Hajj and Omrah Sector at the ministry.

Four years or so later, the case was referred to a recently established court known as the Press and Printings Court. The court is tasked with looking into the lawsuits filed against journalists and newspapers.

Passing its first ruling, the Press and Printings Court issued its first rule ever which stated that Sami Ghaleb, Al-Nidda newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, is innocent of charges attributed to him by the Endowments Ministry.

As reciting the ruling, Judge Mansour Shaya noted that what was published by the newspaper does not include any defamation or slandering and it does not get beyond the guarantees of the effective laws and constitution.

Saleh wrote an oped calling for sincere dialog and tolerence. Does he understand how ridiculous that is when there are newspapers shut and journalists in jail? Dialog occurs among the citizens via the media.

Does anyone in the world think Saleh is sincere or that he understands what dialog even is?

Press Court bars al-Maweri from writing for offending the President Saturday, 18-July-2009 Almotamar.net – The Press and Publications Court in Yemen has on Saturday a decision preventing the Yemeni journalist Munir al-Maweri, living in the United States of America, from publication until deciding of a lawsuit raised against him by the Ministry of Legal Affairs in Yemen and the general prosecution regarding the offending of the President of the Republic, a matter prohibited in the Press and Publications law in Yemen.

The Ministry’s Undersecretary for cases of the state Mamoun al-Shamy described the decision as qualitative, and praising the Yemeni experience and unique and said it is rare in the third would countries for the President of the Republic to seek the decision of the judiciary.

What??? Saleh deserves praise because he deployed the judiciary as an attack dog??

Its the land grabbers, corrupt officials and commanders of the security forces who should be in jail.

In Yemen, journalist sentenced to 14 months in jail : New York, July 16, 2009–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the Yemeni court of appeals to overturn a jail sentence it handed down on Wednesday against journalist Anis Mansour from the suspended independent daily Al-Ayyam.

A lower court in Al-Qabitta, Luhj province, found Mansour guilty of “harming national unity, provoking sedition and rebellion, and ‎inciting people in the streets” and “taking part in unauthorized protests and promoting ‎secessionist slogans.” He was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, according to local news reports.

The case was initially filed in February by a government-affiliated group called the Society to Defend the Unity of Yemen on charges related to Mansour’s coverage of the ongoing unrest in the south of the country. Mansour said security agents he had criticized in his articles testified against him. He told CPJ that his lawyers will appeal the ruling. (Read on …)

Field Marshal President Saleh is going to rip the country apart. The only way he knows how to govern is with force and oppression. The South is going to go wild with this guy in jail.

Even if there was a pardon tomorrow, the damage is already done. Yemen is more of a dictatorship today than it was yesterday. At the same time, the people are less tolerant and blind to the chains. A people who battle for their journalists are on the right track.

Yemen Post: Yemeni court in Lahj governorate sentenced Anis Monssor Hameeda, a journalist, to fourteen months in jail on charge of running anti-unity stories which threaten Yemeni stability and security.

Sources said that Hameeda also was convicted for participating in unauthorized demonstrations, rioting and causing trouble in Lahj governorate. For his part, Hameeda said that verdict is politically motivated one hundred percent.

Hameeda worked as a correspondent of Al-Ayam in Lahj province and other Yemeni news websites. Yemeni Journalist Syndicate warned to issue such verdict that will restrict freedom of speech in the press in the society of Yemen. Eight independent newspapers were prohibited by orders of the Yemeni Ministry of Information.

The government’s special press court was established at the beginning of May to deal exclusively with press-related offenses following the media coverage of the unrest in the south of Yemen.

However, Yemeni forces dispersed on Sunday a rally of 200 people in Aden protesting the suspension of Al-Ayam newspaper which the government accuses of seeking to divide the Arabian peninsula country. About 15 people of the newspaper employees were arrested in the rally.

Here we go, finally getting to the reason I’m back on the blog today- Sami Ghalib on trial for reporting the news… I’m temporarily speechless; its just that stupid.

The Yemeni government ratched up its campaign to bankrupt, imprison and intimidate the non-governmental media in Yemen. There’s over 200 journalists out of work. Sit-ins in solidarity with al Ayyam newspaper are being broken up by force.

The regime was effective in muzzling the coverage of the Sa’ada War by excluding journalists from the governorate. Now its apparently looking to take down the entire industry to keep quiet the incredible level of unrest in the south, with nary a peep from the donors.

The case against al Needa began in 2006 when the paper disclosed accusations of corruption in the Hajj department of the Minstry of Endowments, demonstrating the reform and accountability meme is a sham, as if there was any doubt. Many of the violations against journalists occur when they uncover corruption.

Yemen Times SANA’A, July 12 — Amid international cries for freedom of expression and rising concern for Yemen’s press, the government’s special “press court” held its first hearing for a journalist on Saturday.

The defendant is Sami Ghalib, editor-in-chief of Al-Nida newspaper. A special press prosecution has been investigating Ghalib for more than two years.

The court is to look into about 150 press-related cases forwarded by courts of first instance.

Journalists, lawyers and human right activists, however, have described the court as illegal, and as a government attempt to control the independent press.

The government decided to set up the special court in May to deal exclusively with press-related offenses following the media coverage of the unrest in the south of Yemen.

In December 2006, the former deputy Minister of Endowments Hassan Al-Ahdal requested the prosecutor investigate Ghalib, after his newspaper published a story in which private travel agencies accused the Hajj and Umrah sectors at the ministry of corruption. (Read on …)

Are they going to charge anyone with deliberately starving the civilians in the area in an effort to pressure them to turn in the rebels? The double standard in sentencing between the rebels and the terrorists is quite evident. (Read on …)

Yemen’s judiciary is a tool of political vengence.

This is the same brutal dictatorship that is now promising to solve all problems by empowering the GPC dominated local councils, but has not yet changed the electoral laws as promised in 2006.

Sahwa Net – The Supreme Council of the Joint Meeting Parties has called human rights and freedom organizations to stand against an unfair sentence of death against three of Islah’s representatives in poll centers during the presidential and local council elections held in 2006.

Khalid Nahshal, Mabkhoot Nahshal and Abdu Nahshal were sentenced to death last week on charges of killing an officer and a soldier in crossfire during the presidential and local council elections led held in 2006.

In a statement, JMP said that the sentence was a settlement of political accounts and political pressures were practiced on justice and there were several violations to judiciary.

“The sentence was issued inside the jail, not in a court and that apparent evidence of legal violations” said the statement.

Late last year, retired Yemeni Air Force pilot, Abdul-Aziz Al-Abdi., threatened the Jewish community in Amran to “convert or die”. Al-Abdi then shot a young Rabbi, Masha al-Nahari, father of nine, in broad daylight. The family’s home and the Jewish in general was threatened and pelted with stones, forcing children to withdraw from school. After a sustained effort by Yemeni civil society, especially the HOOD organization, al-Abdi was brought to trial, and sentenced to a fine. Representing the victim’s family, HOOD lawyer, Khaled al-Anesi called the verdict “a scandal”. Today upon appeal, the Yemeni court overturned the prior verdict and imposed the death penalty. Currently a crowd of armed tribesmen is besieging the court and threatening the family, lawyers and journalists.

HOOD: An armed tribal group ranging 20-25 is surrounding the court building after the announcement of the Amran Appellate court’s ruling today…HOOD has received a call from its lawyers, Masha’s defence team before court proceedings, asserting that “they are seized inside the court with some of other journalists and Masha’s family members by an armed tribesmen belong to the convicted al-Abdi. Subsequently, HOOD directs a statement to the Interior minister holding him accountable of protecting the safety of all people seized inside the court building.

Its not like the police are going to come or anything. The family, lawyers and journalists are trapped inside the courthouse.

If the Houthis are looking to build their own missiles, it indicates that they are not recieving significant funding or importing mass quantities of rockets from Iran, North Korea or Syria. The individual is also charged with looking at Google Maps and making a website. Radiant elements- never a good thing. Also on trial Fadi Baoum and the former ambassador- both on charges of opposing the dictatorship.

Man who provided rebels with information about missiles to be tried
SANA’A, June 12 (Saba) – A Yemeni national is due in court next week on charges of supporting the Houthi rebels. (Read on …)

Yemen Observer: The Penal Prosecution revealed in the trial of 12 men of al-Houthi’s loyalists that they were influenced by materials and CDs about Iran and the Iranian revolution. This came in the interrogation minutes and confessions of defendants before the Specialized Penal Court that deals with national security cases. (Read on …)

Saleh only knows one game and he never learns form his mistakes. The state’s response to southern issues has all the hallmarks of the response to the Sa’ada war, which grew from 400 chanting youth to thousands and thousands over four years. The south is a very different situation, there’s tens of thousands already. And the arrests and murders and censorship just heighten tension. However, the VP is very optimistic: “Our Yemeni people are living at present a new life, i.e. the life of democracy, openness and participation and that is a reflection of the unity and the democratic approach.”

19 wanted persons referred to prosecution

SANA’A, June 02 (Saba) – Security authorities said that about 9 persons wanted by the security forces have been arrested and referred to the criminal prosecution in order to stand for trial.

The accused are charged with harming the unification of Yemen and undermining security and stability in the country, according to the Media Center of the Interior Ministry on Tuesday.

On the other hand, in Lahj governorate, security forces have handed over 10 files of accused people to the prosecution who assaulted a peaceful demonstration in Al-Hawtah city, in addition to arresting one outlaw element, aged 40, wanted in the province.

SANAA, June 2 (Reuters) – Yemen, scrambling to silence secession calls in the south, took a former ambassador to court on Tuesday on charges of threatening national unity.

Former envoy to Mauritania Qasem Jobran denied the charges at the inaugural hearing and declined to answer questions until he had legal representation.

Jobran “has committed criminal acts with the intention of harming the country’s unity and inciting armed dissent against authorities”, prosecutors said in a charge sheet presented to a state security court.

People in the south, home to most of Yemen’s oil facilities, have long complained that northerners have abused a unity agreement to grab their resources and discriminate against them.

It was not clear in what context Jobran made the alleged calls for armed resistance.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday to ask King Abdullah to block the flow of funds from Yemeni expatriates to separatists in the south, a Yemeni government source said.

Four people were killed in clashes this weekend in the southern town of Dalea between Yemeni police and protesters, residents said.

The three convicted of spying for Israel Iran! have a whole other back story that has nothing to do with spying but rather a variety of commercial ventures that were in competition with regime associated individuals. Its complicated, but as usual, nothing is as it seems and the judiciary is a political tool.

Marebnews.com

Bassam al-Haydari, who was convicted of collaborating in the interests of Israel a few months before, told from within prison in Sanaa, the details for the first time disclosed a means for information, noting that Ihab Tawfiq was the reason behind the president and his involvement in the issues of terrorism and intelligence with Israel, and defended himself by saying: “God is enough, yes agent “, in reference to what was raised about the mere allegations are false. (Read on …)

The the level of organization and formalization of the command structure of the Houthis is unclear. While the upper level leadership is clear, the following article from a government mouthpiece indicates regional formal command structures, and just because its from a stooge paper doesn’t mean its doesnt have some validity. The three were later sentenced to terms upto 12 years and another 25 have been brought to trial (of 190). (I’m a tad behind.)

Mayon News, (govt funded)

Bani Hashish recognize gang to collect 100 million to buy weapons
الثلاثاء, 12-مايو-2009 Tuesday, 12 – May -2009
مايو نيوز/ طارق محرم – عقدت المحكمة الابتدائية الجزائية المتخصصة جلستها اليوم لمواصلة النظر في قضية المجموعة الخامسة من عصابة القتل والتخريب في بني حشيش. May News / Tariq Muharram – The Specialized Penal Court of First Instance on Monday to continue its consideration in the case of Group E of the gang murder and sabotage in the brown grass. وفيما استمعت الى اعترافات 3 من عناصر المجموعة حددت المحكمة الثلاثاء القادم موعدا للاستماع لاعترافات بقية المتهمين في القضية . While I listened to the confessions of the 3 components of the court set a date next Tuesday to hear the confessions of other defendants in the case. (Read on …)

Including credit for time served… The same court and same judge sentenced al Khaiwani to six years for a demoralizing article, but these planning murder get sentences of 2 1/2 and 3 years. The judicial bias against anything to do with Sa’ada, and in favor of al Qaeda, is dramatic.

Musseik Cell members sentenced to three years imprisonment SANA’A, May 04 (Saba) – Sana’a Primary Specialized Court issued Monday two years and half to three years imprisonment sentences to four persons who are convicted of forming armed gang called Musseik Cell to carry out criminal acts and targeting tourists. (Read on …)

No surprise there but this is an odd little story.

Ynet Report: Hizbullah deceived its activists in Egypt:

Sources involved in investigation against members of Shiite group arrested in Egypt tell Arab newspaper terror cell’s leaders misled activists into believing they would be working for Fatah’s military wing

The leaders of the Hizbullah cell seized in Egypt recruited activists by misleading them into believing that they would be working for the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – Fatah’s military wing, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Monday, quoting sources involved in the Cairo investigation.

The sources told the paper that the leaders of the Hizbullah organization in Egypt told the activists they were being recruited by the Palestinian group in order to ease their mobilization.

According to the sources, the organization members also used a worker at the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s embassy in Yemen. (Read on …)

SANA’A, April 08 (Saba)- Sana’a Primary specialized court starts next Sunday prosecuting a second group composed of ten people accused of committing killing and sabotage acts in Bani Husheish district, Sana’a Governorate.

Judicial authorized source told 26 september. net website that the penal court has interrogated 116 accused, 12 of them have been referred to the court last Monday. Next week the prosecution will interrogate other 17.

The source made it clear that those who were brought to justice last Monday and the others who would be presented to the court next Sunday represent a number of the first group which includes 50 accused. The source revealed also that the second group includes 66 while the third group is composed of 17, being interrogated currently.

The source made it clear that the prosecution has released 57 accused for lacking enough proves against them.

Worth to mention that Bani Husheish district witnessed last year sabotage and criminal acts and killings against the citizens of the district and the army individuals by outlaws.

In a televised statement Hassan Nasrallah refutes Saleh’s claim that Hezbollah elements trained the Houthis :

وتوقف عند تصريح الرئيس اليمني علي عبد الله صالح عن حصول الحوثيين على دعم من عناصر في الحزب، وقال: «لا معلومات لدينا عن ما يحصل في اليمن. He stopped at the statement of President Ali Abdullah Saleh Houthis access to support from elements in the party, said: «we have no information about what is happening in Yemen. ولسنا طرفا في هذا الصراع لا من قريب ولا من بعيد، وما أعرفه أن حزب الله منضبط، ولا يوجد عناصر تتصرف من تلقاء أنفسها»، داعيا السلطات اليمنية إلى تقديم أي معلومات عن عناصر مفترضة في الحزب تقوم بتدريب الحوثيين. We are not a party to this conflict, either closely or from afar, and I know that Hezbollah disciplined, and there is no element of acting on their own », calling on the Yemeni authorities to provide any information on the elements in the party is supposed to train Houthis.

At the time, when the regime cut off food supplies to Bani Hushaish as a tactic to pressure the civilian population to capture the rebels, neighborhood informants were pointing out unknown people at the check points, and thats who got arrested. Saleh has made a lot of preparations for the sixth war. Its getting close. As usual, there’s mixed reports on the mediation by Faris Manna (equal opportunity arms dealer) and the new clashes.

Sana’a, Yemen - Twelve Shiite insurgents appeared before a state security court in Sana’a on Monday accused of battling government forces near the Yemeni capital last year in support of Shiite rebellion in north-western the Arab country. The men, aged between 19 and 34, faced the charges of “forming an armed gang to carry out sabotage, murder and bombing acts,” according to the charge sheet.

Prosecutors said the group were among 190 insurgents captured by security forces during the battles that broke out in Bani-Hushaish last May and continued for nearly three months.

They said the accused were fighting government forces in in Bani-Hushaish, some 30 kilometres north of Sana’a, to support Shiite rebels battling the army in the northern province of Saada.

The Saada rebels are led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and are known as Houthis.

Prosecutors told the court that the defendants use heavy and light weapons in their fight that led to the killing of “a big number of army and police troopers as well as women and children.”

This is pathetic. It must be so frustrating to live in a country with no judicial system, or actually a judicial system that functions as a political weapon.

Court Acquits al-Belad of Libel Against Rahma Hujaira
By: Radhia Khairan-Editor: Jane Novak

Two al Belad newspaper employees were acquitted of insult and libel charges brought on behalf of two civil activists, Rahma Juhaira and Hafeth al-Berari. The plaintiffs claimed they were libeled by a highly insulting article published by al Belad in 2005.

On Sunday, the Secretariat Northern-West district court acquitted the Editor-in-Chief of the al-Belad, Abdul-Malek al-Faishani, and journalist Ishak Mohammed al-Baseer. The court’s verdict found no tangible evidence against them for insult or libel. The charges were originally filed on May 25, 2005 by the Press and Publication Prosecutor.

Ms. Juhaira’s lawyers appealed the decision.

Rahma Hujaira is the chief of Media Women Forum (MWF) and her husband Hafeth al-Bekari is the Secretary General of Yemeni Lawyer Syndicate.

Journalist Isshak Mohammed al-Baseer wrote an inflammatory article insulting both claimants without evidence. Al-Belad newspaper published the article in its issue (no. 0).

Al-Khaiwani was convicted after his pardon (??!!), lets see what happens to al Qarni. I can almost hear Rodney Dangerfield: I was pardoned by President Saleh but somebody forgot to tell the judge.

Pardoned Comedian al-Qarni’s Second Trial Delayed:
The Court Awaits Prosecution Paperwork
By: Radhia Khairan-Jane Novak

The Western District Court of the Secretariat circuit Court set March 10 as the date for the Prosecution to bring a copy of Fahd al-Qarni’s presidential pardon. Four other defendants in the case are required to bring an explanatory argument.

In March 2006, the Press and Publication Prosecutor filed charges against Mr. al-Qarni, a well known entertainer and comedian. Mr. al-Qarni was charged with “insulting the Yemeni President” by disseminating two unauthorized cassettes of political humor in the genre of folk songs. The Cultural Ministry sued al-Qarni for producing two cassettes in which he made caustic jokes about the government and the ruling party, presided over by the President al-Saleh.

In the prior session, the Court ordered the Prosecution to bring a copy of al-Qarni’s presidential pardon. In yesterday’s trial, the court did not hear the explanatory defense or receive a copy of the pardon because the Prosecutor has not yet received a response from the General Prosecution.

Health issues prevented the defendant al-Qarni from attending the trial. He was represented by a lawyer assigned by The Allawo Law Firm who asked for a delay.

Interestingly, Al-Qarni had been tried as a fugitive and in absentia by one court while he was on trial in another.

The Western District Court of the Secretariat circuit labeled al-Qarni a “fugitive from justice” although the defendant was on trial in Taiz province. In the Taiz trial, al-Qarni was also charged with insulting the president. The case centered on a live comedy performance that included political humor. The Taiz court issued a guilty verdict and sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment and a fine of 500.000 YR(2500$) . The president granted al-Qarni a pardon after two months. Nevertheless, his case file was opened again later on.

Article19 and HOOD issued a statement calling for closing al-Qarni’s file before the Western District Court of the Secretariat circuit. HOOD seeks the application of the Presidential pardon decision for the second charge as well as the first.