Armies of Liberation

Click this: Kamal Art for Kamal Sharef’s website. He was arrested because he is a friend of Abdulelah Shaea, who has access to AQAP. Sharef’s work includes a lot of social commentary diametrically opposed to the Al Qaeda ideology including opposition of child marriages and support of w omen’s rights.

Its the same type of charges they brought against al Khaiwani but the world objected. They lie so often that its difficult to believe anything. Shaea is BFF with Anwar Awlaki and interviewed Fahd al Quso and Nassir al Wahishi, by itself, not a crime. We’ll have to see what the next magazine looks like.

Security source said that the case of the journalist Abdualah Shai’a will soon be referred to public prosecutor in preparation for his trial, pending the completion of investigations. The Security authority has accused Shai’a as being an active affiliate of al-Qaeda offering logistical support to the leadership and its members.

According to the security Shai’a offered cassettes from al-Qaeada operations in Yemen to the media and received money which he used to support the organization. The security authorities also concern Shai’a as one of the most enthusiastic defenders and promoters of al-Qaeda and its operations through the satellite channels where he presents himself as an expert on al-Qaeda. (Read on …)

Several international correspondents were also assaulted. The cartoonist Kamal and the SABA news “al Qaeda expert” Haider are still imprisoned without charges. Amnesty International noted: Under pressure from the United States and others to confront threats from al-Qaeda, along with Zaidi Shi’a rebels in the north and growing demands for secession in the South, the Yemini government is using national security as a pretext to stifle criticism and reject human rights in a campaign of unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and unfair trials.

Yemen Times SANA’A, August 25 — Yemen Times journalist Khaled Al-Hilaly was assaulted by two men from political security wearing civilian clothes after he covered a sit-in organized by the Journalists Without Chains organization condemning the abduction of journalists Abdulelah Shae’ and Kamal Sharaf.

Al-Hilaly was cornered as he was returning home after the event by two security men with wireless walkie-talkies. They demanded that he hand over his camera, which is worth more than USD 600, or else he would be arrested. When the journalist tried to verify their identity or give them the memory card instead of the camera the security men hit him on the head and violently snatched the camera. (Read on …)

At the same time journalist for the state propaganda agency SABA and “al Qaeda expert” Abdulelah Haider Shaer was arrested, political cartoonist Kamal Sharef’s house was raided and he was dragged off to an unknown location and is currently held incommunicado. Topics covered by Sharef include womens’ rights, corruption, bigotry,and child brides and other progressive commentary on social issues.

News Yemen: Security authorities arrested on Monday cartoonist Kamal honor of his home in the capital Sana’a, and confiscated his personal belongings including a laptop computer ..
وقال شقيق شرف لـ(نيوزيمن) أن مسلحين بلباس مدني وعسكري قاموا وقت الإفطار باقتحام منزلهم واعتقال شقيقه، وآخرين قاموا بمحاصرة منزلهم ، ومن ثم قاموا بتكتيف شقيقه ، اقتادوه إلى جهة مجهولة، بناءً على مذكرة حد قولهم باعتقاله. The brother’s honor (NewsYemen) Gunmen in civilian clothing and military as they break into their home breakfast and the arrest of his brother, and others who surrounded their house, and then they Petktev his brother, took him to an unknown destination, according to a warrant for his arrest they said. (Read on …)

The regime is getting lazy lately and running over journalists instead of going through the motions of a bogus trial.

Sahwa Net- The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has denounced repeated violations and abused practiced against journalist Khalid Dhala’. In a statement, it said that these violations increased and became targeting openly his life as he was subjected to a car crash on 13 July 2010. The statement demanded security forces to protect Dala’a, immediately arrest the criminals and bring them to justice

Press release

Jurist information center condemns abuses against journalists, the latest of which was a journalist Khaled Mohsen Dlaq from the threat of his life and he was run over a car driven by unknown persons in the center of the capital Sanaa, which led to suffering a serious injury in parts of his body and was evacuated to hospital in time, which condemns the information center have been exposed jurist journalist Khaled Dlaq it at the same time demanding the Interior Ministry quickly prosecution of offenders and finding them and bring them to justice to receive their just punishment

Issued by the Information Centre jurist Sana
7-8-20010

Its the same wave continuing non-stop since 2004. The May 22nd announcement by President Saleh of a general amnesty was all propaganda, partially because governmental fiefdoms are autonomous from the central government. Investigative reporting on corruption draws the attacks and reform efforts are stymied at every level.

Al-Sahwa Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by a new wave of threats and acts of intimidation against journalists in Yemen. The political class seems to have no qualms about using violence against journalists who write about corruption or embezzlement. Utterly illegal and arbitrary arrests are becoming commonplace.

“The situation is becoming more and more worrying again after the encouraging signs in May when the authorities dropped proceedings against 33 journalists on the 20th anniversary of Yemen’s reunification,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We fear that Yemen is now entering a few phase of violence against media that dare to criticise the policies imposed by the government.” (Read on …)

CPJ, By Mohamed Abdel Dayem/CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator

One opinion was relayed to me repeatedly by numerous journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders during the week I just spent in Yemen: The crackdown against independent and opposition media in the country has not been this concerted at any time since the reunification of the southern and northern halves of the country in 1990. (Read on …)

Mr. Bashraheel who I believe needs to see his doctor in Saudi Arabia for follow-up to heart surgery is being denied permission to leave Yemen. The following notice references his diabetes and that he is unable to walk due to severe circulation problem in his feet. This is slow murder, nothing less.

Health situation deteriorated to the editor of the days suspended suspended since mid last year, according to media sources the validity of Mr. Hisham Bashrahil have increased as a result of his ill with chronic diseases such as diabetes, pressure and swelling of the feet. (Read on …)

No wonder no body knows what the heck is actually going on, via News Yemen:

وزارة الإعلام ترفض منح الصحافة موافقة الدخول لليمن وتطلب من المراسلين التوقيع على تعهد The Ministry of Information press refuses to grant approval to enter Yemen and ask reporters to sign a pledge
22/06/2010 22/06/2010
خاص-نيوزيمن: Particular – NewsYemen:

علم نيوزيمن من مصادر مطلعة رفض وزارة الإعلام في الآونة الأخيرة منح عدد من القنوات الفضائية والصحفيين الأجانب موافقة دخول إلى اليمن لعمل تقارير صحافية. Learned from informed sources NewsYemen rejected the Ministry of Information recently granted a number of satellite channels and foreign journalists to enter the consent of Yemen to the work of media reports.
واشتكى العديد من الصحفيين الأجانب من تلكؤ الوزارة في منحهم الموافقة والتي على أساسها يحصلون على تأشيرة من السفارات اليمنية في الخارج. And many complained that foreign journalists from the reluctance of the ministry to give them the approval and on which get a visa from the embassies in Yemen and abroad. (Read on …)

Everything you need to know about the reality of Yemen but were afraid to ask:

I think calcified is a good word to describe “governance” in Yemen. Beyond the lack of transition of executive power for thirty years, the entire ruling class has also been in place for decades. At most, they trade positions now and then in an extremely profitable and deadly game of musical chairs.

The South Yemeni news agency called Aden News Agency announced that the Agency is formally affiliated with the southern President Ali Salem Al-Bheed’s office.

According to our information, the ANA will be reporting the news in Arabic and English languages and will be the formal and authorized voice of South Yemen people. ANA will be transferring a clear picture to the world about what is happening In south Yemen including the systemic and massive violations of human rights and the Southerners’ rejection of the northerner occupation of their lands

Aden News Agency was formed in February 21, 1970 in Aden, the capital of People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (south Yemen). It was canceled after the occupation of the south by northern forces in 1994

With this announcement today, ANA is the first southern media institution in the south that formally requires the world to recognize them as the authorized mouthpiece of the former president and associated political structure. The site can be accessed at http://www.adennewsagency.com/

Newspapers and news sites in Yemen are largely affiliated with political parties or organizations. For example, al Sahwa is the mouthpiece of the Islah party, al Esteraki is the outlet for the YSP and al Motamar is a state paper affiliated with the GPC. All advance the editorial line of their party within news reporting.

RSF: Two journalists have been freed in the past 24 hours. Al-Ayyam editor Hani Bashraheel, who was arrested on 6 January, was freed yesterday while Moaz Ashhabi, who was sentenced to a year in prison on 16 January, was freed yesterday.

But a harsh crackdown on independent and opposition media continues, with another journalist, Hossein Al-Leswas, getting a one-year sentence last week and more trials due to be held in the coming weeks. (Read on …)

Wow. Jay Nordlinger attended the Oslo Freedom Forum, the human-rights conference in the Norwegian capital and wrote it up for the National Review. Among the speakers was Abdulkarim al Khaiwani). Abdulkarim has won several prestigious awards for his dedication to his ideals and his courage, in between being repeatedly kidnapped, beaten, bugged, smeared and jailed. He’s also an extremely talented writer.

Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani repeatedly appeals for solidarity. I mentioned him in this journal a few days ago — he is the journalist from Yemen who has endured kidnappings, beatings, imprisonment, and other ghastly things. Here in theater, he says that “living in Yemen is like being trapped on a hijacked plane.” Elections are never fair, and the judiciary is directly controlled by the presidency. It is “dangerous” to be a journalist in Yemen, he says — as his life has proven.

He mentions the prominent American journalist Thomas Friedman. He expresses disappointment: saying that Friedman came to Yemen and stuck close to the government, his hosts, without “going into the streets” or “meeting any journalists.” (I have no idea whether this charge is true.) He then says, “I would like to salute the American blogger Jane Novak, who learned about Yemen and led an international campaign to free me. Jane restored my faith in human beings.” He pleads with journalists in free countries to keep an eye on their colleagues in unfree countries, and yell as loud as they can when those colleagues are in danger.

He closes his remarks by saying, “I have made it a tradition to write an article entitled ‘We Shall Continue’ every time I leave prison. And I say to you now, ‘We shall continue.’”

That’s a very nice salute. Actually I led two campaigns to free him, 2005 and 2008, but who’s counting? I had a lot of help from the other bloggers and HAMSA was incredible in the second campaign. Al Khaiwani is absolutely correct that if journalists with rights focused the spotlight on the brutal targeting of journalists with no rights, the world would get better much faster. Information is power, and journalists and bloggers give it to the people. And what do we have? Olberman. The US media entirely ignores the plight of their colleagues abroad when they could do so much so easily.

Update: full Arabic text below

Khaiwani Oslo: failed democratic experience in Yemen.
الإثنين 10-05-2010 01:36 صباحا Monday 05/10/2010 1:36

المصدر صحيفة النداء. Source newspaper appeal.
السلام عليكم.. Peace be upon you .. ونهاركم جميل كأوسلو Beautiful and a Good Kooslo
أولا أشكر منظمة العفو التي جاءت لتقديمي إليكم اليوم. First, I thank the Amnesty, which came to a presentation to you today.
- أولاً اسمحوا لي باسمي وباسم الصحفيين اليمنيين أن أوجه – First let me on my behalf and on behalf of Yemeni journalists to draw
الشكر لمنتدى أوسلو للحريات لإتاحة الفرصة لنقل واقع الحرب Thanks to the Oslo forum freedoms to allow for the transfer of the reality of war
التي تشن على الصحفيين اليمنيين. Being waged against Yemeni journalists. (Read on …)

Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to end their crackdown on the media after one dissenting journalist was jailed and another arrested this week.

Hussein Mohammed al-Leswas, 25, was sentenced to one year in jail by the press court in the capital Sana’a on Sunday for “defamation of a public official”, among other charges, after he wrote articles critical of the government.

The following day, another journalist was arrested for holding a placard calling for al-Leswas’s release. ‘Abdul Salam Mutbeq, a newspaper editor, was detained on Monday for raising the placard at an official event celebrating Yemeni unity in al-Baydah, southern Yemen.

Hussein Mohammed al-Leswas was convicted following articles he wrote in early 2009 accusing the state-owned electricity company of mismanagement.
(Read on …)

RSF: “There are 40 names on this year’s list of Predators of Press Freedom – 40 politicians, government officials, religious leaders, militias and criminal organisations that cannot stand the press, treat it as an enemy and directly attack journalists. They are powerful, dangerous, violent and above the law.” RSF ranks Yemen 167 of 175 on press freedom index.

RSF: Ali Abdallah Saleh had ruled the Arab Republic of [North] Yemen since 1978 before becoming president of the unified Yemen in 1990. The authorities reinforced their already tight control over the media in 2009 in order to impose a news blackout on military offensives taking place in the north and the south of the country. At the same time, vague and subjective concepts in the 1990 press law such as attacking “national security,” threatening “national unity” or undermining “the country’s foreign relations” are used to gag journalists. Since May 2009 many journalists and netizens have been arrested, or in some cases kidnapped, and then sentenced to long jail terms accompanied by an archaic ban on writing. Eight independent newspapers are currently subject to a printing ban for “separatism.” The Internet has not been forgotten. And the authorities have created a special court for press offences, which forms the cornerstone of their repressive system.

because two of the defendants weren’t brought from prison to attend the session… If Saleh wanted them out, they’d be eating lunch at home by now.

Mareb Press: أجلت المحكمة المتخصصة في قضايا وامن الدولة النظر في القضية الجنائية المرفوعة من النيابة الجزائية ضد رئيس تحرير صحيفة الأيام الموقوفة منذ مايو الماضي ، الي يوم الأحد القادم نظرا لعدم حضور كافة المتهمين الذين من بينهم نجلي رئيس التحرير هاني ومحمد اللذان يقبعان في سجن البحث الجنائي Court adjourned specialized in the issues and state security in a criminal case filed by the prosecutor’s office against the editor of the days suspended since last May, to next Sunday due to failure to attend all of the defendants, among whom two sons, editor in chief, Hani and Mohamed, who MSV prison CID (Read on …)

A good listing by RSF of the journalists in jail and on trial, calls for international intervention:

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns a sharp decline in the press freedom situation since the start of the second half of 2009. “What is happening in Yemen now is very serious,” the organisation said. “The situation of the media is getting worse by the day, with one prosecution after another. The international community must intercede as a matter of urgency.”
(Read on …)

I think President Saleh is hallucinating and US and European policy makers are in their own pipe dreams. Attariq publishes in the state run 14 October’s building. When al Hubaishi enters the 14 October building, he has some drummers and musicians precede him like he’s a king, seriously. And the two Bashraheel sons are still in jail.

SANA’A, Yemen: Soldiers stormed the building of 14 October, a national media company based in Al-Ma’ala, in the southern province of Aden, on the evening of 21 April in order to seize the latest issue of Al-Tariq, a daily newspaper it publishes. The building remained surrounded until yesterday morning. (Read on …)

That would be very good.

France24: AFP – Yemeni authorities have reached agreement with management of the banned Al-Ayyam daily to free three detained staff members, the newspaper’s director told AFP on Wednesday.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh met with Al-Ayyam staff members Tuesday and promised to ensure the trio would be freed, said the director, Bashraheel Hisham Bashraheel.

He named the three as Hani Hisham Bashraheel, Mohammed Hisham Bashraheel and Arhab Hassan Yassin. (Read on …)

AFP – Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticised on Tuesday the situation of press freedoms in Yemen, saying it was worsening by the day.

RSF “strongly condemns a sharp decline in the press freedom situation since the start of the second half of 2009,” the organisation said.

It described the situation in the war-stricken country as “very serious”.

“The situation of the media is getting worse by the day, with one prosecution after another. The international community must intercede as a matter of urgency,” it said. (Read on …)

This poor guy is in jail for a year for publishing news of the southern unrest on his website.

Sahwa Net – Editor-in-chief of a Yemeni news website, Faud Rushdi was attacked on Thursday by a group of prisoners inside the Central Prison in Sana’a’.
(Read on …)

I really hope this is true, not only for the individuals detained but also for the chance of a lasting peace in the Sa’ada War. It would be the first evidence of learning I’ve seen yet, usually its the same mistakes over and over, and bigger and bigger. The political prisoners are a hot button issue that just creates more instability and resentment. Of course this is coming on the heels of the sentences in the south including the college professor sentenced to three years for an article. As always the same caveat, I’ll believe it when I see it. The regime announced the release of 635 Houthis several times from 2005-2008, but they were never actually released. Now they are announcing 161 prisoners were released but no one can confirm it yet. Another tangential question is, are there going to be al Qaeda mixed in, as an accommodation to the fact that some of the leadership fled to Somalia.

News Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered the release of all detainees in connection with anti-government protests in Hadramout province over the past months including journalist Fuad Rashid.

President Saleh’s order came in response to a call by leading members of the Joint Meeting Parties, political and social figures and members of the local authority and the Shura Council for the release of all detainees, MP for Islah party Mohsen Basura told News Yemen.

The JMP’s members have urged President Saleh to release detainees in order to pave the way for a national dialogue and making peace in Hadramout, Basura said.

On Monday, President Saleh ordered the authorities in Hadramout to release journalist Awadh Kashmim who was detained for two weeks.

The authorities have also recently released 161 Houthi rebels arrested during conflict with the army in northern Sa’ada.

Last Wednesday, the opposition Joint Meeting Parties demanded that the authorities release detainees and stop pursuing political activists and journalists as one of several conditions to start a real dialogue on political and economic reforms in the country.

They are both in extremely poor health. They were probably released because they were both on hunger strikes and half dead. Al Maqaleh was tortured since his detention in September. No charges were ever filed against either. The two Bashraheel sons to be released March 27. Several editors remain in jail along with thousands of political prisoners.

News Yemen: Authorities have released editor-in-chief of the Aden-based Al-Ayyam daily, Hisham Bashrahil, and editor of aleshteraki news website, Mohammad al-Maqaleh, for “health reasons”….Bashrahil was detained last January 6 for charges of “supporting anti-government protests in south and harming the unity.” Al-Maqaleh was arrested in late September 2009 over “encouraging Houthi rebels in northern Sa’ada to fight against the army.”

Al Ayyam reported the news of the southern protests, and al Maqaleh reported on a September airstrike on refugees in Sa’ada that killed 87.

News Yemen: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today accused the Yemeni authorities of “brutal inhumanity” in their treatment of a leading editor who has been subject to kidnapping, detention and denial of access to basic medical treatment for six months.

“The ordeal of Mohammed al Maqaleh is a scandalous story of neglect and brutal inhumanity,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “We fully support our colleagues in the Yemen who demand his immediate release and an end to all the violations of his rights.” (Read on …)

Numerous people are injured with gunshot wounds. They even arrested blood donors: Local sources said that the security forces in Aden governorate arrested on Saturday night, more than five persons who were near the hospital, Captain of Aden, on the background they come to donate blood for a number of injured in the demonstrations on Thursday in Dali and developed the plaza, as well as several of their relatives.

Many doctors were arrested during the Sa’ada War for treating injured civilians or suspected rebels. The state denied MSF access to the injured as well. These barbaric tactics have become the norm for the Yemeni state.

Update: And of course the only logical thing to do at this point is confiscate al Jazeera’s transmitter: Argument Net: press reports revealed that the security forces on Thursday raided the Office of the channel “Al Jazeera” in Sanaa and the confiscation of the transmitter of the Office because of his coverage of opposition protests. The development of the past after violent clashes erupted between Yemeni security forces and elements of mobility in the southern Dali and pilgrimage. al Masdar has an interview with Al Jazeera correspondent Murad Hashim in which he reports threats from the authorities to take this step if al Jazeera broadcast news of the southern protests.

Yemen Post: Families in Yemen’s southern province of Dhale are fleeing the city to other safe places as security remains tight and raids on homes and arrests in connection with the search for outlaws and separatists continue.

Many families have left their homes after they came under attack since last Saturday when security forces imposed a security cordon around many districts in the province and started to bomb homes and arrest innocents. (Read on …)

Press Release: Women Journalists without Chains

35th Sit in the Liberty Square : Security enhancements are great, continued preventing journalists and activists from photograph the sit-in, the protesters moved to the Justice Ministry to demand to stop unconstitutional special court for journalists and the release of Journalists: Bashrahil, Maqaleh, Ghanem, Saklady, Rashed, Rabeezy and to Free JAASHEEN in IBB governerate (Read on …)

This case is a snap shot of the brutal tactics of Yemeni government in suppressing popular efforts to create a better Yemen. Al Wazir was kidnapped, held incommunicado, tortured, charged with bogus allegations, given an unfair trial and sentenced to eight years. Twenty-five rights organization are expressing full solidarity with al Wazir and demanding his release.

IFEX: – 4 February 2010 – The undersigned organizations wish to express their grave concern about the worrisome deterioration of the state of human rights in Yemen. The Yemeni authorities are increasingly taking retaliatory measures against human rights defenders who have the courage to expose human rights abuses in the country, both those occurring in the context of the war in Saada in the north and those accompanying the repression of social and political ferment in the south.

The undersigned organizations condemn in particular the unfair prosecution of rights defender Yasser al-Wazir, a member of the Yemeni Organization for the Defense of Rights and Democratic Freedoms, who just a few days ago was sentenced to eight years in prison. This wrongful punishment is only the most recent of a string of abuses targeting al-Wazir – abuses closely related to his activities as a rights activist and the role his organization plays in documenting abuses related to the war in Saada, where members of the Zaidi confession, who constitute a majority of the population in Saada, have been exposed to all manner of collective punishment, discrimination, and repression because of their faith.

Yasser al-Wazir was abducted more than 18 months ago by the political police. For more than three months, his whereabouts were unknown and he was denied family visits. It is believed that he was tortured and spent long stretches of time in solitary confinement during this period. Al-Wazir remained detained without charge until two months ago, when the authorities referred him to trial on trumped-up charges, including charges of forming an armed group, although al-Wazir was never questioned about this accusation.

His trial was conducted in semi-secret conditions, in closed sessions, and al-Wazir was not informed about the trial dates. His attorney did not attend the trial, which was conducted before the Special Criminal Court, a state security court whose constitutionality is questionable. Defendants in this court are not given the procedural and legal rights that guarantee due process and a fair trial.

The undersigned organizations express their full solidarity with Yasser al-Wazir and all members of the human rights movement in Yemen, which is currently working amid an atmosphere of fear in which the authorities are blocking all avenues of peaceful expression and silencing voices critical of the catastrophic policies of the Yemeni regime, which threaten to completely tear apart what remains of the central state structure. (Read on …)

As I noted earlier, corruption triggers media repression in Yemen. Often when journalists are kidnapped, beaten, imprisoned or, as in this case, murdered, it comes back to their investigative reporting on crime or corruption. While the extent of dire and growing water shortage is becoming clear, less obvious is the extensive black market on water, tied to powerful officials, sheiks and businessmen that impedes the implementation of water regulations and reforms. Al Rabue was murdered for exposing the dangerous quality of water sold by the water barons in Hajja. His family was attacked and injured a week earlier. In the climate of impunity established by the Saleh regime, a fair trial is unlikely.

Yemen Times: HAJJA, Feb. 17 — Journalist Mohammad Al-Rabue’, who wrote for Al-Sahwa and Al-Qahira newspapers, was murdered on his way to work, on Sunday, February 13, in Bani Qais district, Hajja governorate. The journalist, who wrote about the violations committed in the governorate was said to be killed by Ahmad Awoni and his four sons. (Read on …)

Lawyer and leading Human Rights activist Mohammed Allaow, at a symposium on the establishment of the new Special Press Court, expressed his opinion that the court was unconstitutional. He is not alone in this view. Many judicial experts also consider the Specialized Terrorism Court unconstitutional, based on their reading of the law. This week Allaow was charged with “insulting the judiciary” for his statements. The US State Department’s latest report on Human Rights in Yemen found that Yemen is not an electoral democracy, as Yemenis are unable to change their government. They are unable to discuss it without retribution either.

HOOD Online: Mansour Shayee, head of Yemen’s new “Special Press Court,” has transferred charges against Mohammed Naji Allaow, a leading human rights activist, to the prosecution.

Mr. Allaow, a lawyer and former Parliamentarian, was charged with insulting the judiciary. Allaow is chairman of the Yemeni Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, a pioneering rights group, better known as HOOD.

The court’s decision was based on Allaow’s criticism of the establishment of the Special Press Court itself. Allaow’s remarks came during a symposium held by Sajeen organization in March 2009.

Al-Balagh newspaper published the proceedings of the symposium, and the newspaper was also referred to trial. The session will be on February 27, 2010.
(Read on …)

We knew that but its nice to have documentation. Dozens of Yemeni political and news sites are blocked in Yemen. Yemen Portal publishes their content. (see “English translated pages” and then on the right side, “page blocked sites” for automatic translation of the blocked sites.)

Al Sahwa – Yemen Net, the only provider of internet in Yemen has admitted that it blocked Almasdar Online (www.almasdaronline.com) on the bases of security directions. Deputy Manager of Yemen Net, Yasser al-Emad told the management of Almasdar Online that the security authorities ordered the block of the news website. (Read on …)

An article by Dhaif Alsoolani, the editor of Adengulf.net and YAATC representative in Yemen. On January 31, security authorities raided his home in Aden and arrested his younger brother, age 25, and two of his relatives, 19 and 15 years old. The prisoners were beaten with rifle butts at the PSO prison, (Alfateh). More here. In June 2009, another editor of the website was targeted, details here.

The Official Yemeni Terrorism: Roots and Origins

By Dhaif Hussein Al-Solani

During the times and eras, Yemen (Yemen Arab Republic) was and still a country full of weapons, with different kinds (sorts) and marks, and on all different occasions the Yemeni officials are proud of this state which specify their country to other neighboring and far Arab countries without any reasons to cause that type of pride. According to the last census by more than one local rightful and media organizations, there are more than 60 million pieces of Kalashnikov gun machines available for the Yemeni public, in addition to the other different medium-sized and heavy weaponry owned by the big tribes backed up personally by the Yemeni President such as the Hashed, Baked, Maareb, Hajjah, Al-Mahweet, Sa’adah, and Amran tribes.

The storage of such huge weapons has no logic meaning of being proud, moreover, it has made Yemen a hot center point for permanent fighting between the people in all situations over nonsense reasons for long different periods of the history. Many overseers agree that Yemen is the most known country in the world for the smuggling of weapons and mainly exporters, even to present today there are still countryside weapon markets surrounding and spreading to the capital city of Sana’a and other main cities and this is the best evidence of an environment with the color of blood and gun powder. (Read on …)

Update: He worked for the very good organization, SEYAJ for the protection of children: SEYAJ Organization Condemns the assassination of Muhammad AL-Rboey one of its staff in Hajjah governorate ” a journalist and defender volunteers jurist

SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protecting
Yemen-Sana’a- New University Sq.
Phone:009671228184
Fax:009671228145
Mobile:00967712020332
Hotline:009671257505
PO Box:5642
E-mail: info@seyaj.org
Website: www.seyaj.org

His family was attacked last Thursday by the same gang and three persons are hospitalized. They don’t do this unless they know they can get away with it. An investigative journalist killed by “a gang” that he had written about. Most criminal enterprises in Yemen are partners with state officials. Mareb Press

قتل اليوم السبت بمحافظة حجة الزميل محمد الربوعي على يد مسلحين. Was killed Saturday province argument colleague Mohamed Rabuai by gunmen. وقالت معلومات إن عصابة إجرامية أقدمت على قتل الربوعي في محافظة حجة على خلفية قضية نشر, مضيفة أن الزميل الربوعي قام بكشف الأعمال الإجرامية لتلك العصابة وتعرض لعدة تهديدات بالتصفية الجسدية. The information that a criminal gang proceeded to kill Rabuai in the province of the argument against the background of the issue of publication, adding that his colleague Rabuai reveal the criminal activities of this gang and subjected to numerous threats of physical liquidation.

وقد تلقت الأوساط الإعلامية اليمنية نبأ مقتل الزميل محمد الربوعي مراسل صحيفة القاهرة المحلية بمديرية بني قيس والذي مثل فاجعة كبيرة للأقلام الحرة بالمحافظة إثر تعرضه لاعتداء آثم من قبل عصابة فجر اليوم على خلفية قضايا نشر صحفية. Has received among the media of the killing of a fellow Yemeni Mohammad Rabuai reporter Cairo local Department Bani Qais, who represented the great tragedy of the free pens to maintain he was exposed to a vicious assault by a gang at dawn today against the background of deployment issues a press release.

If, in its quest to mitigate al Qaeda in Yemen, the Obama adminstration has lost all democratic idealism and committment to civil rights and human rights, you would think on a pragmatic level they still would do one of two things: support freedom of the press for its open source intel value alone or insist that Yemen censor and block Al Qaeda sites and forums on the web as strictly as it censors and blocks the refomers’ sites, independent news sites and opposition newspapers. The internet is a major terrorist theater, for both recuitment and operations. (Awlaki anyone?) Its also where the indigenous counter-narrative to al Qaeda exists and spreads. All the good guys are blocked inside Yemen, while the bad guys have total freedom on the internet. Head to head, the good guys win, but they don’t have a chance to compete when their part of the internet is censored from the Yemeni public’s view.

Al Sahwa: The management of Almasdar Online has accused the Ministry of Communication of blocking its news website on Tuesday, expressing, in the meantime, its surprise as the ministry resort to such illegal acts, pointing out that it knows the causes behind the blocking.

While the management of Almasdar Online held the Ministry of Communication responsible for the blocking, it stressed that it would sue a file against the ministry.

It further demanded the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate to confront what it described a “farce” practiced by Yemen’s authorities against news websites in Yemen, calling all journalists, activists and civil society organizations to stand by the website.

Four months of uncertainty surrounding the fate of kidnapped editor, Mohammed al Maqaleh, came to an end this week when he was brought to trial. The journalist’s court date was marred by numerous irregularities including the exclusion of his court appointed lawyer. Mr. al Maqaleh disclosed details of his torture by Yemeni security forces in an interview with a union representative. Yemen is one of the world’s worst violators of press freedom and notorious for prisoner torture. (Read on …)

A bright spot on an otherwise bleak landscape, Walid al Saqqaf wins international recognition for his pioneering work short-circuiting government censorship. This is what is going to change the Middle East.

Yemen Times: OREBRO, Feb. 7 — Walid Al-Saqqaf former editor in chief of Yemen Times and currently a university scholar and software developer has been awarded the Democracy Prize for 2010 by ?rebro University in its Annual Academy celebration held today in ?rebro, Sweden.

Al-Saqaf, is pursuing his higher studies at ?rebro University in media and communications was chosen based on his research work that was ‘grounded in the true democratic ideals and ambitions’ according to the nominating committee. Al-Saqaf developed YemenPortal.net, which was the first country-specific aggregator in the Arab world, and is specialized in collecting news, forum, opinion, blog and video content from dozens of online sources. Since it was launched in 2007, the engine indexed around 1.8 million items ranging from news and opinion articles to video clips, most which are related to Yemen. (Read on …)

One of the funnier or perhaps pathetic things about Freidman’s article was his praise of the vibrant Yemen Observer newsroom, when it is the primary English language propaganda machine of the Yemeni government. One of the most despicable was his omission of any mention of the kidnapping and torture of editor Mohammed al Maqaleh and the fact that the Bahsraheels and hundreds of others are likely undergoing the same depraved treatment. Considering Freidman who didn’t meet with, perhaps he’s just an ignoramus. But the information is easily available on open source including the fact that Yemeni civil society is regularly cloned, bribed, threatened and assaulted, somewhat tempering their message and work product. Maybe Freidman thinks he can accomplish more by self-censoring and sucking up to the Yemeni government, but its been unsucessfully tried before by some rather impressive people. The US alliance with Saleh is akin to the US alliance with Saddam while he was gassing the Kurds.

Letters to the International Herald Tribune
Yemen’s Human Rights Record

Thomas Friedman rightly praises the emergence of strong civil society organizations in Yemen, (“Postcard from Yemen,” Views, Feb. 8), but he ignores the repression they suffer under the Saleh administration.

If Muhammad al-Maqalih, the online editor of an opposition publication, had tried last autumn to send a postcard, for example, it would have been postmarked from an unknown prison. Government agents, not Al Qaeda, snatched him on Sept. 17, 2009, after he accused Yemen’s military of war crimes against Houthi rebels. After denying to Human Rights Watch in December that it held him, the government is now prosecuting al-Maqalih before the state security court.

The Yemeni government has brazenly “disappeared” and unfairly prosecuted critical journalists and academics and quashed civil society efforts to promote the rule of law.

The United States praises Yemen for its counter-terrorism efforts, but glosses over its human rights abuses, which generate local support for Al Qaeda.

Christoph Wilcke, Munich

Senior Middle East researcher, Human Rights Watch

Update: OK Friedman gets one right when he notes the Yemeni public schools including grammar schools are biased toward the Wahabbi philosophy. As I noted in 2005, in the diverse religious environment of Yemen, the state’s support of Salafism in schools creates friction and is one of the main reasons the Houthi rebels have always demanded the right to run their own schools.

Political Security authorities raided the house of Dhaif Alsoolani, the editor of the Adengulf.net web site and arrested his younger brother and two of his relatives on Sunday Jan-31-2010 in Aden.

The raid occurred within the ferocious campaign against journalists and southern political activists and their families. Authorities arrested Alsoolani’s younger brother Saleh Hussein Alsoolani 25 years, and his relatives Salah Al-ganhi 19-yeara and Ali Al-ganhi 15 years. They were taken and confined to the Political Security Prison (Alfateh).

According to our sources there, the security soldiers beat the detainees with rifle butts.

Within the last year, Yemeni security authorities raided the homes and arrested of many southern journalists and confined them to the prisons in Sana’a. Currently held are Salah Al-sakldi’ detained since April of last year and Salah Rashed editor of Almukla press .com Also Hesham Basharaheel editor of Al-Ayyam daily, along with his two sons. Journalist Ahmed Al-rabeezi and a hundred of the southern political activists been in prison more in one year without trial.

Not one word from the international community or Madam Secretary in reference to freedom of the press.

RSF

The 66-year-old editor of the daily al-Ayyam, Hisham Bashraheel, was arrested on 6 January, the day after the security forces lifted a 24-hour siege of his newspaper in Aden. One of his sons, managing editor, Hani Bashraheel, was also arrested at the same time. Another son of Hisham Bashraheel, Mohammed Hisham Bashraheel, was arrested on 5 January. It is not known where they are being held or what the charges against them are.

In other news, the UK raises its alert level prior to the Yemen conference, the US is searching for Western female suicide bombers trained in Yemen, and Carlos Bledsoe says his lethal attack on a Arkansas recruiting station was jihad, justified by Islamic law and that he is linked to AQAP.

Sahwa Net – Thousands of people in various areas of South Yemen have taken into streets on Thursday, protesting the release of detainees of what is called the Southern Movement and calling the London Conference to be held on next Wednesday to consider their grievances.

In Radfan city, thousands of people took into streets shouting anti-regime slogans, calling in the same time, the London conference to put and end to violations against newspapers and journalists in Yemen.

During the protest, one person was wounded and other 25 were arrested by the Yemeni authorities which shot fire and heavily used tear gas to disperse the protests.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called an international conference in London to discuss how to help Yemen to tackle extremism.

Amnesty International: Yemen must set aside prison sentence on female journalist, 19 January 2010

Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to set aside a three month prison sentence imposed on a woman journalist after she was convicted of defaming President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Saleh.

According to media reports, Anissa ‘Uthman, a journalist working for al-Wassat, a weekly newspaper, was prosecuted because of articles she wrote criticizing the arrest and imprisonment of human rights activists. (Read on …)

Amnesty International:

YEMEN ANNOUNCES IT IS HOLDING JOURNALIST

Yemen’s Minister of Information has announced that the Yemeni authorities are holding journalist Muhammad al-Maqalih. However, the authorities are still refusing to give any information about him, including his whereabouts. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

Muhammad al-Maqalih was abducted on 17 September, by men in civilian clothes, believed to be from the security forces. Eyewitnesses told his family that he was taken by a group of men who arrived in a white minibus, which had its licence plates obscured. In December 2009, the Minister of Information officially announced that the security forces are holding him. It is not clear which security force is holding him or where he is being held, and the reason for his detention is not known. (Read on …)

Where is US Ambassador Seche, who visited the Bashraheels previously when they were under house arrest? Al Ayyam under the bus in exchange for Saleh’s pretense of cooperation against al Qaeda. And its a poor pretense at that. The US will never diminish the al Qaeda threat from Yemen as long as the adminstration keeps siding with the wrong people (thieves and killers) and keeps sacrificing “those seeking justice” who Obama mistakenly says we support. More here.

URGENT ACTION

another son of Hisham Bashraheel arrested

Another son of al-Ayyam editor-in-chief Hisham Bashraheel is now known to have been detained after a demonstration about action taken by the authorities against the newspaper. Like his father and brother, he is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

Muhammad Bashraheel is now known to have been arrested on 5 January, the day before his father Hisham Bashraheel and brother Hani Bashraheel were detained. The three are being held at the Criminal Investigation Department in Aden. All of them were allowed to see their families and lawyers today, having apparently been denied access to them before. It is unclear whether the three men will be allowed regular contact with them. They may be prisoners of conscience, held solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

The three men had been taking part in a sit-in protest at the newspaper’s offices in the southern city of Aden. The protest began on 4 January to mark eight months since the authorities effectively banned them from printing and distributing copies of al-Ayyam. The security forces opened fire on the protestors on 4 January and the newspaper’s security guards returned fire: one member of the security forces was killed and three wounded; one security guard was killed and three wounded.

The authorities confiscated every copy of al-Ayyam from street news stands and distribution points in the capital Sana’a and southern cities on 30 April 2009, taking similar action against six other newspapers on 4 May, when the offices of al-Ayyam were also then blockaded by the security forces to prevent copies of the newspaper from being distributed. Members of the security forces were then stationed outside al-Ayyam until 6 January when security forces raided its offices and confiscated computers. On 5 May the government announced that they would be banning all newspapers which they considered had expressed support for the secession of the south of the country in coverage of protests in the region. Despite this, al-Ayyam published some news on its website during 2009.

UPDATE: The sentence was one year ban from writing and three months imprisonment, RSF statement below the fold.

Yemen: Imprisonment And Suspension For A Year
Against The First Female Arab Journalist For Insulting the President

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said that on 16/1/2010 Yemen has witnessed the first female journalist to be sentenced to prison for insulting the president. Two years ago, “Anisa Mohammed Ali Osman” published two opinion articles : ” Bullying children.. by presidential orders” and “Power: A monster on the armless .. a blind mouse on enemies “. In addition , she was suspended from writing for a year and the editor of “AlWasat” newspaper where the articles were published, Jamal Amer, was fined to 10,000 Yemeni Rials. (Read on …)

The PSO is one of President Saleh’s main instruments of terror and intimidation of civil society, journalists and the forces of progress. Lets not forget about the Mohammed al Maqaleh disappeared since August, the closure of al Ayyam and the recent arrest of several of its editors and the continuing detention of Salah Alsagalde, Fuad Rashid, and Ahmed Alzubairi and the continuing ban on several newspapers, and the destruction of News Yemen, and the blocking of dozens of political websites in Yemen (but not the jihaddis ones).

Threats to liquidate the managing editor of Sahwa Net:

إشارة إلى الموضوع أعلاه، فإن مدير تحرير الصحوة نت الزميل محمد العلواني تلقى تهديدات هاتفية بالتصفية الجسدية من الرقم (777128007) من شخص قال بأنه يعمل في الأمن السياسي. A reference to the above subject, the managing editor of Sahwa Net colleague Mohamed al-Alwani, received telephone threats of physical liquidation of the number (777128007) from someone who said that he was working in the Political Security. (Read on …)

Such total garbage, but its a good example of how the Yemeni government spins every event for the western audience.

Free Media : VIENNA, 7 Jan. 2010: The arrest on 6 January of the editor and publisher of Yemen’s Al-Ayyam newspaper, Hisham Bashraheel, has reinforced concerns that Yemen’s high-profile clampdown on militants is being used as a pretext to further suppress media freedom. (Read on …)

Member of Parliament and rebel spokesman Yahya al Houthi, translated by the Iranian Press TV, alleges al Qaeda infiltration into key Yemeni ministries (media and intelligence). But its not news. I’d like to add to the list the Political Security, National Security, aspects of the military as well as the certain passport and tourism offices as additional Yemeni government institutions subverted by al Qaeda.

A Yemeni Parliamentarian says al-Qaeda enjoys strong support from the government of President Ali Abdullah Salih and runs key ministries in his cabinet.

Exiled Yemeni lawmaker Yahya al-Houthi — who is the brother of the Shia leader, Abdul-Malek — accused the government of allowing hundreds of al-Qaeda militants into the country.

He said members of al-Qaeda are in charge of many key ministries in the Salih administration including ministries for media and intelligence. (Read on …)

I lost the link! I think its from the Yemen Times, I have to check it.

Governmental offices’ corruption cases are totaling to more that YR1.5 trillion in illegal transfering, equivalent to the current state’s budget, said a first draft report by Yemen Journalists Against Corruption (Yemen JAC), in collaboration with the Journalists Without Chains Organization.

The report registered 126 corruption cases last year. The oil sector, registering 19 cases, was at the top of the list, with more than YR700 billion in corrupt deals. Aden Oil Refinery Company illegally bought oil products worth YR300 billion alone without announcing bids. “This contradicts the Bid Act by which all companies should abide,” said Nabeel Abdurab, one member of Yemen (JAC). (Read on …)

Following the seige of al Ayyam newspaper, police arrested 23 in Aden who were participating in a funeral march. There is no official word yet on the status of those arrested the day of the assault, including the editors of the paper.

Aden / Aden agency news / special / January 11, 2010 – Last update: 04:30 م
The security forces in Aden South Yemen to arrest dozens of mourners for the funeral of “peace Yaf’i” morning after the completion of the burial ceremony, according to local sources. (Read on …)

For local news from Yemen, go to Yemen Portal, a Yemen news aggregator. Then click on the left sidebar’s “English translated pages” for the Arabic news translated, then on that right sidebar “page blocked sites” for the content of some of the websites the Yemeni government is censoring, handily google translated. That’s where the interesting stuff often is. The Portal even distinguishes between the government media and the independent and opposition, to give some important context on each story. In Yemen, there are some independent papers and websites, but traditionally each political party has its own news papers which advance the party line. The government’s media brings Stalinist propaganda tactics to a new level.

Saleh has a blank check to target his domestic opposition with violence and the judiciary. Odds on how soon Yemeni authorities will try to re-package it as a counter-terror raid?

SANAA- Yemen police Wednesday arrested the owner and editor of the main southern newspaper, Al-Ayyam, following clashes between police and armed guards of the banned daily, a security official said.

Hisham Bashraheel, 66, was taken into custody over clashes since Monday in which a policeman and a guard were killed and seven people were wounded, the official said from the southern city of Aden. (Read on …)

Update 3: Yemeni security forces attacked al Ayyam again at 2:49 am Tuesday morning, the attack is in progress with Yemeni security forces using live rounds and tear gas to attack the newpaper headquarters and residence of the editors.
(Read on …)

AT 4:07 pm today, Yemeni security forces opened fire with live rounds on a group of citizens holding a peaceful sit-in in front of al Ayyam newspaper in Aden, Yemen. The demonstrators were protesting the independent paper’s unconstitutional closure since May 2009.

The civil rights protest also centered on the the kidnapping of journalist Mohammed al Maqaleh in August after he reported on a government air strike on a refugee camp in the northern Sa’ada province that killed 87.

The extreme clamp down on the press in Yemen coincides with the increasing frustration of the citizenry, which among other things, provides a greater pool of recruits for al Qaeda. The incredibly corrupt Yemeni government is quite inefficient at running the country and providing basic services but quite good at 1) mis-appropriating public funds and b) devising propaganda on the state controlled media.

Yemen Times In a similar activity, organized by the ‘Women Journalists Without Chains’ organization, in Sana’a, on Tuesday, Dec, 22, the organization protested for the 27th time to release the Al-Ayam newspaper that was confiscated and banned from publishing in April and release the disappeared journalist Mohamed Al-Maqaleh. Mohamed Al-Maqaleh disappeared in August.

It is worth mentioning that this year witnessed the biggest campaign against the press in Yemen that included the confiscation of around eight local newspapers and seizing international newspapers at the airport such as the Al-Quds newspaper.

Yes they do. Human Rights Watch reports on state murder, arbitrary arrests and media repression in southern Yemen. Arabic follows. Update: thats a really complete and accurate report, excellent work in documenting the systematic brutality:

Yemen: End Harsh Repression in South
Shooting of Unarmed Demonstrators, Attacks on Media

(San’a, December 15, 2009) – Yemeni authorities should stop using unjustified lethal force against protesters and end attacks on the media in southern Yemen, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 73-page report, “In the Name of Unity: The Yemeni Government’s Brutal Response to Southern Movement Protests,” documents attacks by security forces on supporters of the so-called Southern Movement as well as on journalists, academics, and other opinion-makers. Based on over 80 interviews with victims in the southern Yemeni cities of Aden and Mukalla, the report finds that security forces used lethal force against unarmed demonstrators on at least six occasions. Over the past year the authorities arbitrarily arrested thousands of people for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, suspended independent media critical of government policies, and detained journalists and writers on spurious charges. (Read on …)

Quite well deserved indeed.

Ace , Freedom Of The Press Award 2009

The ACE Freedom of the Press award, continues to recognise and reward the bravery of many of our editorial colleagues and publications in bringing to us coverage of events from difficult and treacherous places around the world.

It is easy on occasions to take for granted a free press. We may, on occasion rail against the content and bias of our press reporting, but we should remember that the freedom enjoyed by our journalists is undreamt of in many countries.

The ACE Freedom of the Press Award acknowledges and rewards all of these brave individuals and publications.

This year’s winner is: Al Ayyam Newspaper

“The Al Ayyam newspaper has shown enormous commitment and bravery by covering sensitive stories despite paying a high price for being out spoken in Yemen, one of the World’s most closed countries.”

Created in 1958, Al-Ayyam is one of Yemen’s leading dailies. It has no political affiliation but, with headquarters in the southern city of Aden, it acts as a mouthpiece of the inhabitants of the poor southern provinces and has provided extensive coverage of the social unrest in the south in recent months.

After it lost YR40 million

News Yemen calls press freedom advocates to support it against attack
News Yemen website has set up an old webpage for limited usage after the web experienced a horrible piracy last November 28th. The webpage will be available temporary.

News Yemen apologizes for being unable to post more news stories but coverage of the consequences of the piracy and robbery against the web and efforts the web staff and its partners are exerting to solve technical and material problems.
On Saturday, the website Editor-in-Chief, Nabil al-Sofi, received a promise from the Minister of Telecommunication, Kamal al-Jebri, in a meeting on Saturday to provide all necessary information on the web hacker and to ask for assistance of international experts. Al-Jebri confirmed that anyone from the ministry proved involved in the attack on News Yemen would be punished.

According to the hosting company, based in the United States, the ID of the hacker was for Yaser al-Emad, the director of the Internet Department in the Ministry of Telecommunication, but the minister al-Jebri said the government respects the performance of newsyemen. (Read on …)

The number of Yemeni journalists taken out by the Yemeni government, one way or another, in the last few years is staggering. The attacks and assaults are getting more brutal and the thresh hold lower with time. The kidnapping of Mohammed al Maqaleh in September really put a chill on independent reporting in Yemen. No one has heard from him yet, and security officials are still maintaining the pretense that they don’t have him in custody. Its mind boggling the way western nations consider violations against journalists a peripheral issue, when so much of their intelligence relies on open source reporting. The red line in Yemen is burning bright. There are certain issues off limits. According to the following article, when News Yemen received the inevitable threats, the proprietor agreed to avoid certain hot topics. But it didn’t help; the ruins of the website are here.

One subject that triggered continuous and multiple attacks on journalists in Yemen is the southern unrest. Al Ayyam, a well established independent paper in the South, was attacked physically, shut down and its copies seized and burned. Another topic is the war and near genocide that has been occurring in Sa’ada for several years now. Abdulkarim al Khawani was first arrested in 2004. He was repeatedly and violently targeted in the ensuing years, culminating in his kidnapping in 2007 and trial in 2008. But al Khaiwani is only the most high profile journalist suffering as a result of his journalist product; there’s many, many more. The Yemeni regime and some in Yemen believe that reporting the facts to society and the world is so detrimental that it rises to subversion. In reality, a free press reduces social tensions and increases social cohesion, but it holds government to account. The Yemeni government is allergic to sunlight for a good many reasons. In related news, al Needa and four other news papers are scheduled for trial in a few weeks, story below the fold.

Yemen Observer: The NewsYemen website was attacked on the day of Eid, November 28th, and as a result, all of the data on the website was lost.

According to NewsYemen’s publisher, Nabil al-Sofi, the attack came from a virus that was sent by the Internet Administration at the Ministry of Telecommunication. Al-Sofi directly accused the government of damaging the website. (Read on …)

The Twenty-Fourth Sit-In to Demand the Release of Alayyam Newspaper and Journalist Mohamed Almaqaleh and journalists Alsaglade and Rashid

On Tuesday 17/11/2009 hundreds of lawyers, politicians , journalists and relatives of kidnapped and forced hidden people, sit in the twenty-fourth protest in Freedom Square to demand the release of Alayyam newspaper and the release of journalist Mohamed Almaqaleh and journalists Alsaglade and Fouad Rashid, and for the lifting of the violations of Almasdar and Aldiar newspapers.

In the sit-in called by the Organization of Women Journalists Without Chains Sultan Alsamaee the parliamentary spokesman for the Movement for Justice and Change said the express of solidarity with freedom of expression, and with all the journalists against violations under scrutiny, and emphasized the importance of continuing the peaceful sit-ins in order to reach the rights and punish those who violated the rights of the people of this nation; journalists, jurists and citizens. (Read on …)

Kidnapped September 18th and held incommunicado by security forces after publishing news of a military strike on a refugee camp that killed 87 civilians.

Good!

News Yemen The U.S. Embassy in Sana’a has reaffirmed its support for freedom of press in Yemen.

On November 3, the U.S. Ambassador Stephen Seche met with al-Masdar Chief Editor Samir Jubran at the Embassy and discussed with him the recent ruling by the Special Court for Press and Publications against Jubran and the Yemeni-American journalist Munir al-Mawiri, a press release by the U.S. Embassy saidm on Monday. (Read on …)

News Yemen: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the conviction of Sameer Jubran, chief editor of weekly Al-Masdar, and Muneer Al-Maweeri, Washington based journalist, for insulting the President of Yemen in an article published by Al-Masdar in 2008. (Read on …)

The funny thing is Lawzi is insisting there is a free press in Yemen. The media is understood by some as a tool for use by political powers, not as a mechanism of transparency against them.

RSF: Convictions and bans pile up against journalists amidst unacceptable indifference

Reporters Without Borders today strongly condemned the decision of a court specialising in press offences that sentenced journalist Munir Al-Mawari of independent weekly Al-Masdar in his absence to two years in prison for libelling President Ali Abdallah Saleh and also banned him for life from working as a journalist. (Read on …)

This insane sentence is not only a punishment for the two journalists, Yemeni-American Munier Mawari and Samir Jubran of al Masdar, for daring to question the God-like wisdom of Field Marshal Saleh. Its also a message to the other journalists as was the kidnapping of Mohammed al Maqaleh. (The Committee to Protect Journalists has an article profiling Tawwakol Karaman and the drive for press freedom and civil rights in Yemen.)

News Yemen: The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to end the intensifying judicial and media campaign to silence critical journalists and eradicate press freedom.

On Saturday, the newly established Press and Publications Court in Sana’a sentenced Munir Mawari, a Washington-based Yemeni journalist and contributor to the independent weekly Al-Masdar, to two years in prison on charges of defaming the president, journalists told CPJ.

The court also barred him for life from practicing journalism in Yemen. The court handed a suspended one-year jail term to Samir Jubran, editor of Al-Masdar, on the same charge and banned him from writing and running his newspaper for one year.

The case stems from a November 25, 2008, opinion piece in which Mawari called Saleh’s leadership style a kind of “weapon of mass destruction. (Read on …)

Among the latest violations by the Yemeni government was snatching Editor Mohammed al Maqaleh off the street over a month ago and continuing to hold him incommunicado. Another sorry designation, Yemen remains in last place globally on the ranking of gender equality.

Yemen Times SANA’A, Oct. 27 — With the latest public protest by journalists last Tuesday prevented by security, the Yemeni government has continued a trend it started in the beginning of this year against press freedom. The journalists were protesting the detention of colleagues.

“This year has been very bad for journalists,” says Saeed Thabet, secretary general of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has ranked Yemen’s press freedom at 167 out of 175 countries it has surveyed this year. This rank is twelve points lower compared to last year and by this not only is Yemen in the list of ten worst countries regarding press freedom in the world, it is also the only Arab country in this margin. (Read on …)

Women Journalists Without Chains Condemns Oppression of its Sit In in Liberty Square and Attacks on its Activists, and Calls for Solidarity

‎Women Journalists Without Chains Condemned the behavior of the Ministry of Interior as it did on Tuesday 6 – October -2009 when it prevented journalists and civil society activists from their protest in solidarity with the Al-Ayyam newspaper, and to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Maqaleh and the attack on president of the organization Tawakul Kerman and the coordinator of unit of rights and freedoms of the Organization, Lubna Alqadasi when they started the photography and raising the banners and also the breaking of the camera of the organization. (Read on …)

Just a quick clarification to the prior post, although al Maqaleh edits al Eshteraki and is an official in the YSP, he’s not a southerner per se, but is from the Ala’aood area near Wadi Bana in Ibb. Thanks everybody.

Committee to Protect Journalists: In Yemen, critical journalist disappears
New York, September 25, 2009—The Committee to Protect journalists calls on Yemeni authorities to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance and current whereabouts of Muhammad al-Maqaleh, editor of Aleshteraki, a Web site affiliated with the opposition Socialist Party. Al-Maqaleh was detained by unidentified men on September 18 in Sana’a, according to local news reports.

A local journalist, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told CPJ that although many independent and opposition Web sites have covered the ongoing military offensive in the northwestern town of Saada, Aleshteraki’s coverage has been the most comprehensive. He also said that the site has been blocked frequently inside Yemen. Al-Maqaleh is vocal critic of the government’s attack on the region, according to local press reports.

Two Yemeni rights groups, human rights group Hud and journalists’ group Women Journalists Without Chains, covered the disappearance on their Web sites. Both directly accuse security forces of being behind the detention. Multiple local news sites also report possible government involvement, citing a history of similar incidents.

“The government must disclose all the information it has about the disappearance of Muhammad al-Maqaleh,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “Al-Maqaleh was writing critically about the government’s handling of the conflict in Saada.”

Al-Maqaleh’s disappearance came after Aleshteraki posted, on September 15, graphic pictures of civilian victims of airstrikes in the Saada region where the military has been battling rebels, local journalists told CPJ. Since 2004, regular battles have erupted several times between the Shiite al-Huthi rebels and government troops in the northwestern region of Yemen. The rebels accuse the government of neglecting the region and demand more autonomy. The latest round of fighting broke out in mid-August, according to media reports. Dozens of civilians have died and thousands have been displaced, according to humanitarian agencies.

In 2007, plainclothes men in an unmarked vehicle abducted, threatened, and severely beat journalist and editor Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani. At the time, other journalists told CPJ that they believed government agents were behind his detention. CPJ has documented similar incidents in 2005 and 2006.

On Thursday, journalists in Sana’a staged a third sit-in protest demanding authorities disclose the fate of al-Maqaleh, according to local press reports. The sit-ins were organized by the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate. In April 2008, al-Maqaleh was imprisoned for two months for “mocking and insulting the judiciary” after he burst into laughter during trial of renowned Yemeni journalist Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani.

In recent months, media outlets and journalists in Yemen have faced unprecedented attacks by the government after clashes broke out between the military and armed protesters in southern parts of the country in late April. Dissatisfied southerners accuse the government of marginalizing the region. Authorities also instituted extensive censorship and arrested journalists to curb press coverage and silence opposition voices.

URGENT ACTION, YEMENI JOURNALIST ABDUCTED

A male Yemeni journalist, Muhammad al-Maqalih, has been abducted in the capital, Sana’a, after criticizing the government over continuing armed clashes in Sa’da province, northern Yemen. Muhammad al-Maqalih’s whereabouts are unknown, and his life is at risk.

Muhammad al-Maqalih, a 49-year-old father of seven children, was abducted from a street in Sana’a at 11pm on 17 September. Eyewitnesses told his family that he was taken by a group of men who arrived in a white minibus, which had its licence plates obscured. The men took Muhammad al-Maqalih, and deflated one of the tyres on his car, which was nearby. There has been no news of Muhammad al-Maqalih since.

Muhammad al-Maqalih is a journalist and a member of the Yemeni Socialist Party. Human rights activists in Yemen suspect that he may have been abducted by plain-clothes security forces personnel because of his criticism of the government, in particular with regards to the clashes between the army and followers of a Shi’a Muslim cleric in Sa’da. His comments criticizing the army’s killing of civilians were published on the Yemeni Socialist Party’s website (http://www.aleshteraki.net).

Abduction of political opponents and critics of the state by security agents is a known practice in Yemen, particularly during political crises such as the clashes in Sa’da. Those abducted are often tortured or otherwise ill-treated.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, English or your own language:
n Calling on the authorities to clarify Muhammed al-Maqalih’s whereabouts and to release him without delay if he is being held solely for his criticism of the government;
n Noting that, if this is the case, Amnesty International would consider him to be a prisoner of conscience; (Read on …)

Yemeni security forces kidnapped leading editor Mohammed al Maqaleh Thursday in apparent retribution for reporting on the Sa’ada War. Human rights groups have expressed concerns of probable torture.

Mr. Al Maqaleh is the editor for the opposition Socialist Party’s website, Al Eshteraki. On Wednesday, al Eshteraki reported on the Yemeni military’s air strikes targeting civilians that killed 87 people and injured over a hundred. The victims were internal war refugees, mostly women and children, sheltering in an open field having escaped the fighting in Sa’ada City. The military launched a second air strike as the survivors fled to a nearby bridge.

Yemen is a state that regularly kidnaps critics, activists, journalists and opposition figures. As human rights groups note, arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention are the hallmarks of the Yemeni justice system. In dozens of instances, plain clothes intelligence operatives driving vehicles with military plates have snatched journalists off the street who are then “disappeared” and often tortured.

According to witness reports, five gun wielding masked men in a minibus intercepted Mr. al Maqaleh’s car on Taiz street in Sana’a Thursday evening. They dragged a struggling Mr. al Maqaleh into their vehicle and sped away.

Torture is systemic in Yemen. Tactics include severe beatings, burnings, sexual assaults, threats to family, whipping and depravation. It is likely that editor al Maqaeh is being subjected to these tactics currently.

His cell phone is off and his car found abandoned with the tires slashed. Yemeni authorities refused to take a report from his family, who were turned away at both the police station and the Criminal Investigations Division.

The Yemeni government’s targeting of journalists and suppression of newspapers and web sites is an attempt to cover-up military war crimes committed during the ongoing Sa’ada War. These war crimes include wholesale civilian slaughter, bombing of cities and villages, intentional starvation, and the withholding of medicine and water. Other collective punishment includes the discontinuance of electric and telephone service to Sa’ada. The effected region is home to 700,000 citizens, and comparisons are often made to Darfur.

The Yemeni Center for Human Rights expressed “grave concern” over the safety of the press and especially editor Mohamed al-Maqaleh. The YCHR strongly condemned the kidnapping, demanded his prompt release and the indictment of the perpetrators of this crime.

In 2007, Mohammed al Malqaleh was imprisoned for several months for “disrespecting the judiciary” after he laughed during a particularly absurd moment in the trial of award winning journalist, Abdulkarim al Khaiwani, who was charged with subversion for writing about an earlier round of the Sa’ada war.

-Jane

It never ends. You can’t change reality arresting the journalists who report the news. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate stopped advocating for jouranalists since the last YJS election.

Referred the political security file colleague Fouad Rashid, editor of Al-Mukalla Press on behalf of the state security, Rashid was arrested on 5 – May forum Alkhisp cultural Mukalla and deposited the Political Security Prison in Al-Mukalla and Sana’a, transfer to 23.6.2009 and since his relatives were allowed to Sanaa yesterday 2/9/2009 visit did not allow non-relatives, journalists and activists to visit him or visit the rest of the detainees at the disposal of mobility in the southern governorates
On the same level appealed to the family of our colleague Iyad Ghanem, who has been in prison since the patience of the province of pilgrimage 1/7/2009 (Read on …)

You would think that Yemen’s main opposition political party alliance would be capable of issuing a statement in English. It really limits their impact on the broader discussion when all their thinking and policies are only presented in Arabic. Even the Houthis are issuing English statements now, the Southerners are getting better at it (at least theres some websites now). The JMP doesn’t even have a website.

Each party has a paper and often a website. In the case of Islah’s al Sahwa, the webiste is accessable in Yemen, but the Socialists’ al Esheraki is often blocked from being viewed in Yemen. Still the alliance itself should a) have a website and b) issue statements in English, even as a summary of the main points of the longer Arabic statements.

Sahwa Net -Yemen’s main opposition parties, the Joint Meeting Parties, have again called for stopping Saada war between government forces and al-Houthi rebellion.

JMP affirmed that violence only escalates strains, sheds further blood and complicate problems.

JMP also demanded to allow local and international relief organizations to access the damaged areas and help the displaced, expressing its willingness to take part in any national efforts to solve the Saada crisis.

Well thats good. I’ll go back and update the prior post also. Odd that the Yemeni government was praising Kuwait’s decision, well not that odd.

News Yemen: A diplomat source in the Kuwaiti embassy in Yemen denied press reports that the Kuwaiti government had shut down the Yemeni Suhail TV.

The Kuwaiti diplomat said in an interview with Anneda independent newspaper that Kuwait has not issued a license to Suhail TV to broadcast from Kuwait and has not banned it.

Local press reported last week that the Kuwaiti authorities had banned Suhail to broadcast from Kuwait.

“We welcome this positive decision by the Kuwaiti authorities as Suhail TV’s programs incite sedition in the country,” media cited an unidentified Yemeni official as saying.

Minister of Information, who is also the spokesman of the government, praised the Kuwaiti decision and relations between the two countries.

Suhail TV, which is owned by Hamdan al-Ahmar, brother of well-known opponent Hamid al-Ahmar, denied any political involvement and affiliation with any political organizations.

A source in Suhail TV said it would resume broadcasting from a western country.

Update 8/30/09: Kuwaiti diplomat denies the station even asked for a license and thus Kuwait never pulled it despite Yemeni government statements to the contrary.

Original post: Yemen is trying to shut down speech that they find too illuminating everywhere- including here in the US. Did Zindani ever get his programing up and running? That initiative was welcomed by Saleh but Hamid Al Ahmar’s satellite channel was fought vigorously through diplomatic channels. There was some prior tension between Yemen and Kuwait when Sana’a set up mourning tents for Saddam.

Kuwait government’s decision of closing down Suhail TV Channel, welcomed
Tuesday, 25-August-2009
al Motamar
Almotamar.net – A Yemeni official information source on Tuesday welcomed a decision taken by the Kuwaiti government on closing down transmission of Kuwait-based Suhail Satellite TV Channel owned by Hamid al-Ahmar.

The source said that positive decision has been received with big welcome by by the yemerni people’s circles owing to what that channel was broadcasting of programmes promoting to oisons of sedition , division and delusion of the public opinion and offending the reputation of the Yemeni people.

The source has , meanwhile , praised the brotherly relations between yemen and Kuwait and that of their two political leaderships in addition to the steady development of those relations in interest of the two Yemeni and Kuwaiti peoples.

Yemen also regrets the Iranian media “provocative campaign.”

The Director of South Youth Forums recieved death threats here in the US.

Raed Qasim Ismail is a political activist and director of the forum and website of the South Youth of Aden, Shababshaib, editor of the Algnoub Alhur Magazine.

Mr. Ismail was threatened during telephone calls, emails and messages received from anonymous persons who ordered him to stop his journalistic activities and close down the South Youth website. The callers said “they” knew where he lived in the US, were monitoring his movements and his continued activity would result in harm to himself and his family both here and in Yemen.

Mr. Ismail said said he is accustomed to such threats, adding that there were attempts by unidentified bodies to hack the website several times.

Despite the death threats by email and telephone, Mr. Isamil confirmed that he will continue to exercise his right of free speech, adding that he is not afraid of such threats, and nor will he be deterred from continuing his career with his (Southern Yemeni) people until their independence.

Mr. Ismail is concerned by the threats that were received by his family in Yemen, noting that the Sana’a regime and his men bear the full responsibility for any harm to him or any one of his family members.

The existance of Yemeni intelligence operatives here in the US is well known, and numerous Yemeni-Americans in the US have been threatened by Yemeni operatives for engaging in their legally protected rights of assembly and speech in the US.

Acting as an undeclared agent of a foreign state is illegal.

تواصلا للانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها صحيفة “الأيام” وناشراها رفض المسئولون في مصلحة الهجرة بعدن طلب تجديد جواز سفر تقدم به الأستاذ هشام باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام” إليهم يطلب فيه تجديد جواز سفره الذي انتهت صلاحيته في شهر يونيو من هذا العام .
ورفض المسئولون في إدارة الهجرة والجوازات التجديد بناءً على أوامر صدرت إليهم من مدير أمن محافظة عدن العميد عبد الله عبده قيران .
ويأتي رفض التجديد تواصلا لحملة استهداف شخصية لآل باشراحيل لا تستند إلى أي نص قانوني، حيث أصدر رئيس مصلحة الهجرة والجوازات والجنسية بتاريخ 12 مايو 2009 قرارا يقضي بمنع كلا من هشام باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام” ونجله هاني باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام الرياضي” من مغادرة البلاد والقبض عليهما في حال ما إذا حاولوا ذلك عبر المنافذ الرسمية للبلد.
(Read on …)

I’m still getting caught up…

U.S. Embassy expresses concern over press freedom in Yemen
August 08, 2009

On August 8, officials from the United States Embassy in Sana’a visited the staff of al-Ayyam and al-Tariiq newspapers in Aden. During the meetings, the American officials reiterated the support of the United States government for the role of independent and responsible media in Yemen. They also expressed concern regarding measures taken recently by the Government of the Republic of Yemen to impede the operations of several newspapers.
Responsible and independent media perform an essential function in a democratic society by providing timely information and analysis of events that affect the lives of its citizens. The obstruction of press freedom and imprisonment of journalists deprive people of this fundamental right and undermine a core principle of democracy.

السفارة الأمريكية تعبر عن قلقها حول حرية الصحافة في اليمن
قام مسئولون في سفارة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية يوم 8 أغسطس بزيارة للعاملين في صحيفتي الأيام والطريق بعدن. وفي اللقاءين, أكد المسئولون الأمريكيون دعم الحكومة الامريكية لدور وسائل الاعلام المستقلة والموثوقة في اليمن. كما عبروا عن قلقهم من الاجراءات التي اتخذتها الحكومة اليمنية مؤخراً والتي تعيق عمل العديد من الصحف.
إن وسائل الإعلام المستقلة والموثوقة تؤدي وضيفة حيوية في مجتمع ديمقراطي من خلال تقديم معلومات أنية وتحليلات للاحداث التي تؤثر على حياة المواطنين. لـذا فإن إعاقة حرية الصحافة واعتقال الصحفيين يحرم الناس من هذا الحق الأساسي ويضر بأهم مبدأ من مبادئ الديمقراطية.

Good! And they went to Aden, even better.

al Tagheer: Aldiaar newspaper, a weekly independent newspaper publish in Sanaa, confiscated for publishing news of the South.

Change – SANAA: Yemeni authorities have confiscated all the copies in Sanaa today remaining in the stalls of the number (101) of the civil-Diyar newspaper, said the newspaper’s editor, Abid Almhdhiri for “change” that the seizure of the number of the paper is background material on the issue related to the speech dealt with the extreme contrast an activity known as “the extreme mobility of the South, who is also regarded by enemies of the unit rule of Yemen as well as other substances on the thorny issues boldly,” stressing that it is not the first time in which the paper’s confiscation.

الجدير بالذكر أن صحيفة الديار الأسبوعية كانت احتفلت منذ أسبوع بإصدارها العدد ( 100 ) وهي تحمل 6 قضايا نشر في ظل حضورها الملفت والجريئ في بلاط صاحبة الجلالة . It should be noted that the homes weekly newspaper a week ago was celebrated by issuing number (100) was published in 6 issues, under the bold and striking presence in Her Majesty’s court.

To follow, al Tagheer published published an Arabic statement by al Ayyam detailing the chronology of the events surrounding the closure of al Ayyam, the confiscation of its papers, assaults on its drivers and vendors, the violent police siege on the offices, the later arrest of protesters, and the prohibition of its editors from leaving Yemen, although the elder Mr. Bashrahil requires urgent medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.

(This is the CPJ statement from May; things just got worse after that. )

التغيير – صنعاء : Change – SANAA:

أصدرت صحيفة “الأيام” بيانا وضحت فيه مجمل الأحداث التي تسببت في توقفها عن الصدور ، والذي قالت إنه بمثابة بلاغ منها إلى الرأي العام في الداخل والخارج وإلى المنظمات الحقوقية والصحفية العربية والأجنبية لتوضيح حقيقة الأوضاع التي فرضتها عليها قوى في الداخل ، مشيدة بكل من تضامنوا معها من أشخاص وجهات ومؤسسات . Issued the “days” a statement setting out the overall events that caused the suspension of the publication, which said it was a communication to the public opinion at home and abroad and to human rights organizations and Arab and foreign press to explain the fact that conditions imposed by the forces in the home, built in all of them have shown solidarity the views of persons and institutions. (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.

The solution is not to hide the truth but to change the truth. Report from the Yemen Post:

Sana’a: The reporters of Al Jazeera satellite channel in Yemen were threatened to be killed if they did not stop covering the protests in the south of the country, said the director of the Sana’a-based office on Sunday. Murad Hashem, director of the office, said he received a call at 10:30am, telling him to stop covering what’s happening in the south….Murad Hashem and his colleagues received many similar threats, especially for covering the protests. Earlier this month, an MP from the ruling party called for closing the office of Al Jazeera in Yemen.

Computers and phones stolen by three persons, two dressed as sanitation workers, who broke into the offices at 7 am Sunday according to a press release.

The JMP has quite reasonable preconditions to dialog- release the prisoners, un-ban the newspapers and withdraw the new military checkpoints. The checkpoints give southerners the feeling of being occupied; the new outposts were an affront. There’s no dialog without a free press, and the Southern and Sa’ada prisoners are illegally detained. Its all very reasonable and logical, unfortunately the Yemeni dictatorship is not.

Yemen Times translates Al Sahwa:

• JMP accuses ruling party of disrupting agreement

Spokesman of Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) Mohammad Al-Qanis accused the ruling General People Congress of seeking to renege on an a agreement with the opposition parties, the website reported.

He further charged GPC with stalling, disrupting dialogue and dragging the country into unknown fate.

“JMP purposed three points to settle the crisis; remove new military checkpoints in the southern provinces, release all detainees of the Southern Movement and Saada War, and lift ban on all suspended newspapers allowing their printing and publication,” he went on to say.
(Read on …)

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 …)

All they do is lie. Its really a very Stalinistic regime- they lie big lies. From the ruling party’s website- no one was hurt in Dhalie:

Almotamar.net – Yemeni official information source has on Thursday (6/25) denied Al-Jazeera TV channel and other media instruments reports on occurrence of killed or wounded in the massive demonstration supporting the unity in Al-Dhalie governorate on Wednesday. The march was organised by political, social and cultural activities in the governorate in loyalty to the unity and in condemnation of the voices calling for separation, sedition and sowing feelings of hatred among the sons of the one homeland.

On the other hand the source condemned the attack on Al-Jazeera TV channel team while it was heading for Dhalie to cover the march in support of the unity, at the hands of anarchic outlaw elements.

Second statement by Southern Yemeni Womans Union:

Our fighting sons and revolutionist brothers,

We as southern women believe in the right to restore our land, the land of law and order, The Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen.

We came to protest in front of the Ayyam newspaper, the paper that provided the truth, and acted as a torch of light and liberty in the darkness that the occupation made us live in. We reject the repression of freedom that was given to us a right in all the constitutions and international covenants. (Read on …)

The Yemeni government has shut down seven independant Arabic language newspapers and established a new press court for trials of journalists. Now the government is taking aim at the English language Yemen Post, warning the paper not to cooperate with international media- or else.

From the Yemen Post

Over the last two weeks, the Yemen Post received numerous threats from different sides due to its coverage of the foreigners that were kidnapped and killed. The Yemen Post was the main independent source for 90% of the international media. Its comments were even given priority over the government and what it announced.
Last week, meetings took place between the Yemen Post and leading figures of the government. In the meetings, The Yemen Post was firmly asked not to work with international media outlets and to limit its self to local media. Direct threats were given. The option on the table was to agree to cooperate with the government whether it was right or wrong in what they announce. In the end, the Yemen Post refused.
It is sad that these people don’t understand that the job of media is not covering what it is asked of it to cover, but to cover the truth.
Yemen has not yet understood the difference between independent and governmental media, and the Yemen Post has vowed to show everyone the difference.
What I clearly want to say is that the Yemen Post is doing what it was established to do, and that is lead Yemeni media, raise its standards, and through its sources throughout the country, be able to serve not only Yemen, but the international community with concrete information about what is really happening.
Even with the threats we are given, the Post will not soften its stance and will work to be the most trusted local and international news source in Yemen.

Good!

RESEARCHERS’ APPEAL TO THE YEMENI GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT A FREE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE LOCAL PRESS

Your Excellency,

We researchers, who had the special opportunity to conduct our studies on Yemen, are writing to express our deep concern about the current situation of the Yemeni press.

During the past month, May 2009, we noticed a sharp increase and intensification of confiscation of newspapers, restriction of access to printing facilities and distribution systems, lawsuits against publishers, detention of journalists, blocking of web sites, and use of force against press offices as well as the announcement of establishment of a special press court. We would like to express our particular worry that all of this seems to harm not only the Yemeni press, but also Yemen’s international reputation. While reports, articles and books used to testify to the comparatively free press of the Republic of Yemen, we fear Yemen is losing this distinction among the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

However, the Yemeni press – its diversity of viewpoints, capacity of reporting and multiplicity of newspapers and magazines – is, in our professional experience, an essential source for historical, political, social and economic understanding of the country.

For this reason, we jointly decided to appeal to your position of leadership in the Yemeni government to end these restrictions on the press and to support to free circulation of ideas, opinions, and information.

Conscious that we share a common dedication to the study of Yemen, we respectfully ask your consideration of our appeal.

Sincerely,
- Paul Aarts (the Netherlands)[1]
- April Alley (the United States)
- Caroline Blayney (the United States)
- Robert D. Burrowes (the United States)
- Sheila Carapico (the United States)
- Nora Colton (the United States)
- Susanne Dahlgren (Finland)[2]
- Marina de Regt (the Netherlands)[3]
- James Dickins (the United Kingdom)
- Charles F. Dunbar (the United States)[4]
- Iris Glosemeyer (Germany)
- Bradley Heinz (the United States)[5]
- Jean Lambert (France)
- Kamil Mahdi (the United Kingdom)
- Brinkley Messick (the United States)[6]
- Martha Mundy (the United Kingdom)
- Monica Perini (Italy)
- J.E. Peterson (the United States)
- Charles Schmitz (the United States)[7]
- Jillian Schwedler (the United States)[8]
- Anna Wuerth (Germany)
(June 15, 2009)

[1] Senior Lecturer International Relations, Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam.
[2] Academy Research Fellow, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
[3] International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam.
[4] Professor of International Relations, Boston University.
[5] Stanford University.
[6] Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York.
[7] Towson University
[8] Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

الرئيس علي عبدالله صالح

السفارة اليمنية c/o
;فخامة الرئيس, تحية طيبة و بعد

.نحن الباحثين ممن كانت لهم الفرصة للدراسة في اليمن, نعرب لكم عن قلقنا الشديد في الوضع الراهن للصحافة اليمنية
ًًًًًًًًًًخلال الشهر الماضي, مايو ٢٠٠٩ , لاحفظنا تزايداً ملوحظاً في مصادرة الصحف, تقييد للطباعة و النشر, دعاوى قضائية ضد رؤساء التحرير, اعتقال للصحافيين, حجب مواقع على شبكة انترنت و استعمال للقوة ضد مكاتب صحافية و كذلك اقامة محكمة خاصة بوسائل الاعلام

.نود بذلك الاعراب عن قلقنا و أسفنا العميقين, لأن ذلك لا يمس الصحافيين اليمنيين فقط, و انما يمس ايضاً بسمعة اليمن الدولية

.بينما تشهد التقارير و المقالات و الكتب لليمن لحرية صحافتها مقارنة بغيرها من دول شبه الجزيرة العربية, نحن على خوف شديد من ان تفقد اليمن هذه الميزة
.رغم ذلك الصحافة البمنية بتعدد وجهات نظرها, بقدرتها التقريرية, وتعدد صفحها و مجلاتها, بحسب بتجربتنا المهنية, تعد مصدراً اساسياً لتفهم أمور الدولة تاريخياً و سياسياً و اجتماعياً و قتصادياً

ً
.من أجل ذلك كله, قررنا معاً ان نتوجه بهذا النداء الى سيادتكم و من موقعكم في قيادة الحكومة اليمنية, لانهاء هذه القيود على الصحافة اليمنية,و دعم تبادل الأراء و الأفكار و المعلومات

.علماً بأننا جميعاً نتاشرك في تفانينا و فخرنا بالدراسة في اليمن, نتوجه اليكم بكل تقدير وبتبجيل بأن تأخذون بالحسبان نداءنا هذا مع فائق الشكر

(ترجمة احمد)

Its very good of the CPJ and RSF and other journalists organizations are staying on top of the assualt on the Yemeni media, but why are the donors so quiet on the issue that is so clear cut?

From News Yemen:

Six newspapers the Ministry of Information have suspended since a month have lost Yr 80 million (almost $400,000) and as many as 200 staff lost their income sources due to the suspension and suppression against those newspapers, said a press report prepared by journalist Mohammad al-Hakimi.

A source in the Aden-based al-Ayyam daily said the newspaper lost Yr 181 million until now, approximately Yr 21 million per a week. He said the paper continues to lose money. It added that 1185 vendors who used to circulate the paper have lost their income resource due to the suppression against the paper.

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to end censorship of independent newspapers and to identify and prosecute those who assaulted Al-Jazeera journalists on two occasions in the south of the country.
Fans of the suspended newspapers organized in Karesh district in Lahj last Thursday a protest to the government’s policy against newspapers.

More from the Yemen Post:
(Read on …)

Lets see if Mujawar can get his orders implemented and if the Ministry of Information recognizes his authority. Government journalists to get a raise. Meanwhile the non-governmental media has been crippled.

Mujawar order to transform journalists’ inspiration into action SANA’A, June 25 (Saba) – Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar on Thursday ordered the relevant authorities to implement the March 10 cabinet decision on the journalists job description as soon as possible.

The project calls for job description and classification at the media institutions including the Yemen News Agency Saba, the General Radio and Television Corporation and the military media institutions.

The PM’s order comes in reply to notes sent by the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate in which the government was urged to transform the idea into a concrete action as well as providing necessary funds for the media sector within the next year’s budget.

Mujawar also ordered to give back money cut from the budget allocated for the journalists and approve salary increases ordered previously.

He also called on the Ministry of Public Health and Population to care of the journalists and their families through enabling them to get special treatment at the public hospitals.

The PM also called on the Communication Ministry to provide free internet services for the journalists, asking them to go after many Arab countries.

He also ordered the Information Ministry to continue publishing national newspapers at the al-Thawra Printings according to contracts signed with papers.

Not only is the Yemeni government beating up journalists and arresting them, but by confiscating the newspapers and not allowing them to print- they are driving them out of business.

Oh and Obama is increasing aid!!! Apparently without conditions. How pathetic is that? Pushing the counter-terror priorities at the expense of civil rights is a short sighted, counter-productive strategy especially considering the duplicity of the Yemeni regime on the terror issue.

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465‑1004 Fax: (212) 465‑9568 Web: www.cpj.org E-Mail: media@cpj.org
Contacts:
Mohamed Abdel Dayem, program coordinator
Phone: (212) 465-1004, x103; E-mail: m.abdel.dayem@cpj.org

Mariwan Hama-Saeed, research associate
Phone: (212) 465-1004, x104; E-mail: mariwan@cpj.org

Months-long assault on media continues in Yemen

New York, June 24, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to end censorship of independent newspapers and to identify and prosecute those who assaulted Al-Jazeera journalists on two occasions in the south of the country.

Yemen’s popular daily, Al-Ayyam, the weeklies Al-Nida and Al-Watani, as well as five other independent newspapers, were banned by the government in early May. Al-Ayyam and Al-Watani remain banned, journalists told CPJ. Although the ban against Al-Nida and the five other publications has been lifted, the state-owned Al-Thawra printing house has refused to print the papers, according to several journalists. As a result, Al-Nida remains out of circulation. The five other newspapers have since contracted with smaller printing houses, journalists told CPJ.

Sami Ghaleb, editor of Al-Nida, told CPJ that government officials had promised to instruct the state-owned Al-Thawra printing house to print his weekly, but that has not happened thus far. Even those newspapers that have resumed publication, he said, have faced sporadic confiscation.

On Monday, Al-Jazeera’s Aden correspondent, Fadel Mubarak, was assaulted by masked individuals while covering protests in Jea’ar in the southern governorate of Abyen. Mubarak, whose camera was also stolen, was treated at a local hospital and required stitches to his head, journalists told CPJ.

On June 17, unidentified individuals threw rocks at an Al-Jazeera crew on its way to Daalea City, in southern Yemen, to cover a rally organized by the ruling party, the satellite news channel reported. No crew members were hurt, but the vehicle was damaged.

“We condemn the continued harassment of independent journalism and the criminal assaults on Fadel Mubarak and other Al-Jazeera personnel. All independent papers should be allowed to resume publication, and the individuals who attacked Mubarak must be brought to justice,” said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “We hold the Yemeni government responsible for the censorship they have imposed and for their failure to ensure the safety of our colleagues.”

The Freedoms Committee of the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate said it has documented dozens of attacks against the press since May. The syndicate and numerous other sources said official and pro-government media have run repeated commentary blaming recent unrest on independent news outlets that offer critical coverage of sensitive issues and interviews with opposition figures.

In previous years, CPJ documented numerous assaults on independent journalists, including Jamal Amer, editor of Al-Wasat and CPJ International Press Freedom Awardee in 2006. No one has been brought to justice in that case, despite government promises to do so.

The most recent round of hostility to independent journalism reached its peak on May 13 when security forces fired on the offices of Al-Ayyam in Aden, the country’s second-largest city and a hot-bed of opposition to Saleh. Physical assaults have been coupled with dozens of arrests of independent journalists, editors, and bloggers, the latest of which was today’s arrest of Abdel Rakeeb Al-Hedyani, editor-in chief of Al-Watani. Al-Hedyani was released later in the day, journalists told CPJ.

CPJ has documented a number of other arrests. Fuad Rashid, editor-in-chief of the news Web site Mukalla ‎Press, who was arrested on May 4, remains in custody, said Samia al-Aghbry of the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom around the world.

URL: Here

Great expose on the causes, mechanisms and outcome of media repression in relation to the Sa’ada War from AMS:

Restricting access to information can be as serious a threat to journalism as overt censorship or government persecution. The ongoing insurgency in Yemen’s northern governorate of Sa‘ada is one example of how a state’s attempt to enforce an information blackout has helped hide and sustain a conflict that has festered over four years, killing thousands and leaving a city destroyed, and continuing to stoke fears of a return to violence.

The Sa‘ada governorate, located in Yemen’s mountainous northern region on the border with Saudi Arabia and home to around 750 thousand people, has witnessed stop and go wars since 2004.[1] Precise numbers of the dead and wounded are unknown because no organization, national or international, has been allowed full access to the area to make an independent account of the violence, although most estimates put the death toll well into the thousands. (Read on …)

What is that? One office for every newspaper that they want to drive out of business?

Yemen Post

As Ministry of Information has recently been transformed to a new site, President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid a short visit to the new ministry building earlier this week. News about the visit has two different sides.

The state-run news agency “Saba” reported that the President congratulated the ministry employees for the new building, and urged members of various media organs, audio, visual and print media, to improve and upgrade the information content and provide a meaningful messages that help the country towards progress and advancement adding that he inspected the various facilities of the ministry, the ongoing work as well as the work plan of the various institutions and organs of the ministry, however informed sources said that the President’s visit had a completely different aim.

Sources at the Ministry of Information said that during his visit to the ministry building, the President directed the ministry leadership to vacate the new building of the Ministry.
“Due to the huge size of the building compared with the small staff number of the ministry, President directed that the ministry should be moved again to the previous building giving no more details about any other body that might receive the building instead ” the source said.
The new six-store building of the Ministry of Information was inaugurated in March 19 2009 at a total cost of YR1, 899,984,000.

The building contains 142 offices; set In 264.43 square meters .It includes a kindergarten for the employees’ children, a hall for events, activities and workshops, in addition to two gardens, inside and outside car parks for more than 300 cars.

Mr.Abdul Rahman Saleh Al-Samty is a political activist in the Governorate of Lahj. He was arrested 20 days ago and through the fastest court proceedings ever he was convicted after 3 court sessions.

The charges were:
1. communicating with Hasson Baom.
2. establishing the committee of Al-Ayyam Newspaper Supporters in his area.
3. receiving funds from abroad.
4. being a member of “The National Council to Retrieve The South”

The court found him innocent of all charges except No. 2 , and during the trial he was asked repeatedly “why do you support AL-AYYAM?” to which he replied ” because of the injustice the newspaper in facing”… the prosecutor then asked “What injustice are you talking about?”

It was very clear to everyone who attended the court sessions that the main charge that got him arrested was supporting AL-AYYAM Newspaper.

He was sentenced to 3 months in jail.

The oppression of all media reporting on the southern protests continues full swing.

Yesterday morning, 18th June, northern security forces abducted the South-Yemenite Journalist, owner and chief editor of the Adengulf–website, Salah Al-Saqladi, and brought him to jail in unknown location. This act is part of the brutal campaign of official terror against southern media and southern political activists who struggle for freedom of expression of opinion and
coverage of the southern movement

The soldiers of the security service of the occupation authority broke into the house of Mr. Al-Saqladi morning in the city of Aden with dozens of military crews surrounding the house from all sides intimidating women and children in an inhuman and barbaric way. They confiscated his computer, private papers and tools they could find in his house.

The Adengulf-News condemns this criminal act and the repressive practices of the regime in Sanaa to its chief editor, Salah Al-Saqladi and all southern people. It stresses that the regime will have to take full responsibility of Al-Saqladi´s life and security. At the same time, Adengulf assures all its readers to continue Al-Saqladi´s work in exposing the crimes of the occupation of Yemen and to continue the struggle and the delivery of information to the world.

Adengulf-News takes also the opportunity to appeal to all local and international media and human rights organizations to carry out their duties to condemn such practices by the occupation authorities against southern media and journalism and take immediate actions to force the government of Sanaa to release Mr. Al-Saqladi and all other southern detainees. This regime should respect the freedom of expression of opinion and stop the information blockade against the South and unblock southern websites and newspapers

Oh yes lets have dialog and local council empowerment… As long as no one speaks their mind, everything should be fine. There’s also something going on with one of the reporters from al Ayyam, but I haven’t clarified it yet. The following is from Aden Press:

In the brutal campaign of terror against media and media southern dozens of soldiers of the security services of the occupation authorities to break into the house of Yemeni human rights activist and freedom fighter, a journalist, media Alsaglde Salah Ahmed, editor of the Gulf of Aden, the news this morning on Thursday in the city of Aden Khormaksar, with dozens of crews of military surrounded his house from all sides.

وقد قام جنود الاحتلال باقتحام منزله وإرعاب أهله وأطفاله بصورة همجية لا إنسانية وصادروا جهاز كمبيوتره الخاص وعبثوا بالأوراق وأدوات السقلدي الشخصية بعد ذلك قاموا باختطافه إلى مكان مجهول . The occupation soldiers broke into his house and intimidate the people and children are barbaric, inhuman and confiscated his computer system and messed with the Securities and Alsaglde Personal tools then they abducted to an unknown location.
ويأتي اختطاف الصحفي السقلدي بعد أقل من شهر من تلقي جهات في الأمن الساسي اليمني أوامر قهرية بالقبض عليه على إثر نشاطه الإعلامي والصحفي والحقوقي . .

This is in addition to the considerable propaganda network set up already. Working as an undeclared agent for a foreign government is illegal in the US, just ask Amen Ahmed Ali.

Gov’t agrees on media plan draft for expatriates
[09 June 2009]
SANA’A, June 09 (Saba) – The cabinet agreed on Tuesday on the national plan draft of activating the media role for expatriates submitted by the Ministerial Committee headed by Minister of Expatriates Affairs.

During the cabinet’s weekly meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, it approved the establishment of a committee under the chairmanship of Expatriates Affairs Minister to implement the content and directions of the plan in coordination with the concerned authorities.

The plan aims to activate the media role targeting this social segment and ties it with its country as well as working to highlight the developmental role of expatriates and saving their cultural and regional identity.

The plan also targets to shed light on the expatriates’ intellectual creativity and raising awareness on their legal rights abroad.

Yemen Times

“Yemen’s constitution prohibits the establishment of exceptional courts,” said Mohammad Naji Allaw, Chairman of the National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, known as HOOD.

“Nowhere else in the world has a press court ever existed,” he pointed out.

“In the special court for journalism related cases, the government will be able to choose any judge who is ready to do what the government asks,” Allaw explained.

Allaw suggested to journalists to avoid dealing with the new court which he thinks was mainly established because the government discovered that journalists who were cleared from charges at courts turned into patriotic heroes, embarrassing the government.

“If formalists think the special press court is illegal, they can submit an appeal against it,” said Dr. Abdullah Farawan, head of the Judicial Inspection branch at the Ministry of Justice.

Sami Ghalib, editor-in-chief of Al-Nida newspaper, was investigated two weeks ago by the special press prosecution on Tuesday, June 9 because of his editorial “April 27: Militacracy Day” published in issue 194 of Al-Nida. He was investigated along with three others of his staff: Abduaziz Al-Majidi, Shafia Al-Abd and Foad Musad.

Minister of Information Hassan Al-Lawzi denied any orders by his ministry to stop newspapers. He did however officially order publishers and publishing houses to put their names on the newspapers they publish.

Journalist Hamoud Munasar described the new court in his own words. “The government kept silent for a long time, and when it finally decided on something, it came out with an ungrateful decision.” Munasar supported the call to avoid dealing with the press court.

Ali Al-Jaradi, whose newspaper Al-Ahali was confiscated in Taiz by security asked the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate to be more effective in accounting the establishment of a special press court.

Three challenges face journalism in Yemen: the judiciary which sometimes lacks integrity and independence, laws that restrict freedom of expression and the security behavior of attacking and kidnapping journalists, according to journalist Abdulbari Taher.

“This court is a historic mistake by the government,” said MP Abdulrazaq Al-Hajri. “It harms the country and its government.”

The government’s special press court has disappointed journalists and human rights activists both inside the country and around the world. It was approved by the Supreme Judicial Council and established at the beginning of May at the suggestion of Minister of Justice Ghazi Shayef Al-Aghbari, who said the decision to establish it was “not politically motivated, but purely professional.”

BMC

Press freedom ‘damaged’ in Yemen crackdown

The growing separatist unrest in southern Yemen and the ensuing government crackdown has already made a casualty of press freedom.

Eight publications independent or critical of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s administration were suspended in early May when police halted their distribution and seized all copies.

The information ministry accused them of violating the press law which bans the publication of anything that could threaten the unity of Yemen, the poorest Arab country.

The regime accused the seven weeklies and the main southern daily, Aden-based Al-Ayyam, of siding with anti-government protesters in the south. (Read on …)