10/25: He was speaking to the International Press Institute’s Naomi Hunt by Skype, which was something of a feat because Skype has been jammed from Yemen since February.

It is just one of the ways in which the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh is inhibiting media coverage in his country.

He clearly wishes to prevent the world from seeing what’s happening in the clashes between renegade forces and his troops.

Only days after the United Nations called on Saleh to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution, at least 12 people were reportedly killed and many more wounded after fighting broke out in the capital, Sana’a.

But Almasmari says the international media is still not paying nearly enough attention either to the protestors or to the bravery of reporters and cameramen.

Here are some of his key quotes from Hunt’s Q&A:

“Journalists in Yemen right now are very much in danger… It’s chaotic; you can see that the freedom of press in Yemen has deteriorated so much. There’s no government, no law. And when there’s no law, anyone’s life is at risk…

That’s why journalists have been killed, four of them, since Saleh came back [on 23 September, from Saudi Arabia, where he was treated for injuries sustained during an assassination attempt]…

With the absence of law and any government, it’s easy for anyone just to attack a journalist or just to kill him, making this a lesson to others that anyone who goes against a specific group will not be safe.”

Hunt: The journalists who have been killed over the last month were covering protests. Do you think they were among the protestors, or do you think they were singled out?

“They were singled out for sure… It’s not only being attacked and being killed, it’s the harassment journalists go through. The tons of phone calls, the tons of visits to the office… their kids being at risk of being kidnapped…

It’s more a direct threat to journalists; anyone seen with a camera, anyone seen with a recorder, anyone seen with a pen and paper writing down notes is automatically targeted.”

Hunt: Tawakel Karman, the Yemeni journalist and activist, was one of this year’s Nobel peace prize awardees. Has that helped to focus more attention on the situation in Yemen?

“No. [She] received her prize for her advocacy and peaceful protest and not for her media work… The international media has been ignoring press freedom in Yemen…

There is not one single foreign journalist in Yemen right now; it’s all local work. And our government, in its efforts to stop any connection with the world, [prevents] any network, any TV network, any media outlet, any foreign media journalist from entering the country… and yet they are still not giving the much-needed attention and support that’s needed…

“The [international] media should not forget Yemen. There’s a revolution going on. There are people being killed…

These things should not be ignored. Different revolutions only took less than 40 days; in Yemen it’s now entering its tenth month. The world should not ignore Yemen and should respect that.

That is the only way that the current regime will understand that it will be held accountable for its crimes, but if Yemenis continue to be ignored, that gives the green light to those who are against democracy and press freedom to continue in their mission of killing and attacking innocent civilians, and media houses as well.”

Source: IPI

Yemen Post: Senior Opposition Leader still in Bad Condition; Youth Blaming Government for Incident

Defected military loyal to the opposition warned on Monday that its leaders will be targets of government assassination plots.

One day after the warning, Mohammed al-Mutawakil, the secretary general of the opposition popular front (ed-PFU) party was injured in a traffic accident the opposition call as planned by the government in an effort to kill him.

He was hit by a motorcycle as he was walking down the street. Al-Mutawakil received serious injuries to the head and is now hospitalized.

Hundreds of youth and opposition leaders visited al-Mutawakil and were not happy.

“We are sure this is not an accident. His health is really bad. This is planned and he was one of the respected leaders in the eyes of the pro revolution youth,” said Abdullah Najjar, a youth activist who visited al-Mutawakil

Majority of Yemen opposition leaders have left the country knowing that Yemen is not safe for them anymore. The interior ministry denied that the incident was planned and is investigating with the motorcycle driver.

Saleh has a trail of blood behind him dating back decades. The car accident is among the most repetitive tactics. There are no moral restraints on the regime; its no surprise that the opposition is making this accusation. Its possibly true. The 1999 death of the great Yemeni activist and editor, Abdulazziz al Saqqaf is one event that generates national suspicion. Leaving a lunch with Abdubakr al Qirby (a medical doctor), Professor al Saqqaf was run over and killed by a car in a sequence that made no sense as an accident. Al Qirby later became and remains Yemen’s Foreign Minister. New information came to light in the last months about Saleh’s complicity in the death of at least one former president, prior to attaining the presidency himself. The treachery of Saleh has no bounds.

Update: The motorcycle was driven by children according to buzz. The PFU rejects the Interior Ministry’s announcements issued without conducting an investigation.

Update 2: al Mutawakil transferred to Saudi Arabia for treatement.

Traditionally the US allied National Security under Ammar Saleh has perpetrated most attacks on journalists and activists and may have the lead again in personal threats and assault against the democracy activists now.

Yemen Post: As Yemen is living through its worst spell of violence since the beginning of its popular uprising, with several hundred casualties awaiting medical treatment, the Red Cross is accusing the Yemeni government of theft and abuses.

According to Valerie Petitpierre, the deputy head of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s delegation in Yemen, government forces would have physically assaulted some of her staff as they were trying to confiscate their medical supplies.

“The ICRC delegation is receiving very worrying reports of armed confrontations taking place in Al-Gomhori Hospital and placing many innocent lives at risk,” she said.

Eye witnesses within the hospitals confirmed the allegations, saying that several members of the Red Cross staffs had been beaten and threatened of further reprisals if they insisted in helping the wounded.

Petitpierre went further in her declaration mentioning that “in some cases they have had equipment confiscated, and there have also been incidents in which they were denied access to people in need of first aid.”

She stressed that it was the government’s moral duty to ensure and facilitate medical treatment to all, beyond prejudice or feelings of revenge. “Anyone injured or wounded must be able to receive life-saving health care without undue delay.”

Saleh’s ongoing murder of over 500 protesters since the start of the revolution is exceeded by his war crimes prior (bombing refugee camps etc.) Saleh’s family’s coordination with al Qaeda is well documented as are his criminal networks and looting of the budget. Rebranding Saleh is like rebranding Saddam.

Over 450 serious attacks on journalists have been recorded in the last six months. Fire destroyed the building housing HOOD the leading Human Rights organization, and all its archives on July 18. The deliberate and often random murder of Yemeni citizens is a near daily occurrence over the last months. Security forces containing the CT units under Saleh’s son and nephews have bombed, shot, beaten and burned people alive, including children.

“President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime has hired British PR firm Bell Pottinger , through a subcontract from US PR firm Qorvis to promote a better image for the regime in the US and Europe. Bell Pottinger has hired a big suite inside the Sheba Hotel. The company is received about US 2 million per month from Saleh’s family for publishing articles in international newspapers to improve Saleh’s image and employing its relations with US congressmen in favour of the regime. This is part of Saleh’s regime’s better utilisation the country resources and assistance. I am wondering if these companies can prove the image of Yemeni People as terrorists.” More here (ar).

Yemen Post Over the last week, one journalist killed, another escaped an assassination attempt, two were attacked, and the biggest law firm defending journalist rights in Yemen was burnt to ashes….More than 60 newspapers have shut down in three months after security forces confiscate and burn thousands its of newspaper copies. Al-Neda newspaper office was attacked by gunmen and property was damaged…This comes as government spokesperson Abdu Ganadi accused journalists in Yemen are serving foreign agendas.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Military officials say dozens of Yemeni officers suspected of turning against embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been arrested under orders from his son. The officials didn’t provide a number for the detained but said Friday they were arrested for either allegedly holding secret talks or leaking information to Saleh’s opponents. The officials say most of those arrested were from the highly trained Republican Guards, commended by Saleh’s son Ahmed.

Sahwa Net-: BBC correspondent in Yemen Abdullah Ghurab has revealed that he was threatened by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s assistant Ahmed Alsufi. Alsufi who is the news secretary of Saleh had accused Ghurab of avoiding objectivity in his reports about Yemen , And working for the favor of foreign agendas. Ghurab affirmed that he was subjected to menaces of killing, holding the Yemeni Interior Ministry responsible for his safety

Ghurab was reportedly attacked by so-called “baltagiyya” or thugs, who support the government, in February, 2011 in Sana’a, during his coverage of demonstrations in support of and against the regime .

- HOOD mandated, 15 days ago, a team to initiate a site visit to Alhasabah. The team documented 152 damaged houses as a result of gunfire or missile attacks. The severity of damages is relative and requires assessment by expert architects. Field Documentation is ongoing. Moreover, the team documented 102 martyrs of civilians and residents and Al-Ahmer’s guards and 359 others injured.

Yemen Post: The authorities arrested on Tuesday a senior opposition leader while he was on his way to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia. Hassan Zaid, secretary general of Al-Haq Party, was arrested at Sana’a International Airport. Zaid is known for his criticism of the Saleh regime and crack down on the protesters.

His party said in a press release that the national security arrested Zaid, a member of the supreme JMP council, early Tuesday and took him to an unknown place, but did not say why he was arrested. (later released)

Separately, the security at Sana’a International Airport arrested Mani Al-Matari, a member of the organizational committee of the popular youth-led revolution. Al-Matari was arrested as he landed in Yemen coming back from Qatar where he was hosted by Aljazeera on several shows that spotted light on the Arab spring. (remains in incommunicado detention)

VOA: Tens of thousands of Yemenis have joined a rally in the capital, Sanaa, to protest the government’s handling of an Islamist insurgency in the southern province of Abyan….The demonstrators accuse the Yemeni government of not doing enough to combat Islamist militants who took control of parts of Abyan in late May. Yemeni opposition activists say Mr. Saleh and his allies have been exploiting the Islamist insurgency to try to show that only he is capable of protecting Yemen from al-Qaida.

- “Anti-Terrorist air raids turned out to be anti- opposition raids,” Three relatives of the defected Yemeni parliament deputy head Mr. Mohammed Ali AlShadadi, were killed today when an air raid attacked their houses in Zinjibar, Abyan. This comes after a similar raid targeted the house of Mr. Mogbil, a senior member of the Socialist party in Ja’ar. Also Arhab:

6/26 Sahwa Net – Forces of the Republican Guard have continued on Sunday attacks on some villages in Arhab, an outskirt of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, local sources told Sahwa Net.

Correspondent of Sahwa Net in Sana’a said that the Republican Guard used all sorts of heavy and medium weapons, pointing out that the attacks were severely focused on a house of a Yemeni opposition leader, Mansour Al-Haniq.

He said that a number of casualties fallen down, but there were no precise statistics about that, pointing out that three students were among the wounded persons.

- MarebPress: Zandani announed his rejection of a transitional council and proposed establishment of presidential elections supervised by Hadi. He called for the establishment of an Islamic Shura State.

al Sahwa: Sahwa Net- Defected commanders of the Yemeni army have revealed that the Yemeni regime helps terrorists and provide them with weapons and funds to control Abyan governorate.

They considered the acts of the regime as a conspiracy against the nation, brotherly and friendly states and the international community.

In a statement, they expressed their concerns about Al-Qaeda control on Abyan, affirming that the Yemeni regime does its best to intimidate the regional and international states that its fall would be a victory for Al-Qaeda.

Fighting is still continuing between militants and the defected Yemeni army, the Mika 25 Brigade and the brigade 119 commanded by General Faisal Rajab.

“Saleh’s regime is the maker of terrorism” added the statement, “As the regime failed to undermine the peaceful protests, it resorted to use the terrorism card. As the army moves toward the end of the battle against the terrorists, the regime immediately supports them with funds, weapons and mercenaries with the aim of defeating the army” said the statement.

- Sahwa Net- A Yemeni air forces killed five persons and wounded 12 others as a jet mistakenly bombed a bus in a southern city of Abyan. 6/29

- ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Court officials in Abu Dhabi say six men have been sentenced to jail terms for trying to smuggle 16,000 pistols to violence-wracked Yemen. The verdicts come three months after Dubai authorities uncovered the weapons in shipping containers from Turkey and allegedly bound for rebels in northern Yemen. (more likely to Faris Manna, UN sanctioned weapons dealer, than the Houthis)

- Republican Guards stationed in Al-Sama’a Mountain bombing villages in Arhab by mortar, artillery and Katyusha rockets for the past hour. (Arhab was the site of the US missile attack in 12/09 but currently the RG is fighting tribesmen who took up arms in response to air assaults.)

- National Security kidnaps poet Mujeeb Ghonaim, they ran out of comics apparently.

Yemen Post The United Arab Emirates and Oman plan to grant Yemen millions of crude oil to help the country face the acute fuel crisis coinciding with persistent unrest. (Tragically, much of the donated Saudi shipment of oil was sold on the black market and exported)

An official said on Tuesday, cited by Al-Oula newspaper, that the UAE will start in the coming days sending shipments within a three-million barrels of crude oil grant. The official, who asked not to be named, said that the UAE will also grant Yemen 500000 tonnes of wheat as warnings of a food crisis emerged in the past few days due to acute shortages and associated price hikes.

بعد فرار مسئولين.. أوامر عليا تحضر سفر أي مسئول دون الرجوع لمكتب الرئاسة

الأحد- 13 مارس/ 2011

أفاد مصدر أمني بمطار صنعاء الدولي عن تلقي أوامر رئاسية عليا بحضر سفر أي مسئول دون الرجوع لمكتب رئاسة الجمهورية.
وقال المصدر، الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن هويته، بأن هذه الأوامر أتت على خلفية هروب مسئولين اثنين رفيعي المستوى إلى الخارج ظهر يوم أمس السبت تذرعوا بأنهما وفد مبعوث من طرف النظام الحاكم لتمثيله في مؤتمر دولي.

وأشار المصدر، الذي كان شاهد عيان على هروب المسئولين، بأنهما غادرا وهما يحملان حقائب دبلوماسية.

وأكد المصدر أن الأوامر الرئاسية قضت بمنع أي مسئول من السفر حتى وإن كان يحمل تأشيرة وزارة الخارجية، ويشمل ذلك أصحاب المهام الدبلوماسية.

وتأتي هذه الحادثة بعد أن نقل موقع أمريكي خبر تقدم أحد أفراد الأسرة الحاكمة بطلب اللجوء إلى سلطات الولايات المتحدة يوم الجمعة الماضية.

Marib Press
He told (Marib Press) that he supported the survival benefit of president for life
Chief of Defence of the unit in Aden: ready to carry out martyrdom operations against militants in the southern movement
الأحد 02 January to January, 2011 at 19:00 / Adan – Marib Press – Abdul Rahman Anis:

Expressed on the Kurdish leader of the so-called “People’s Organization for Defending unity” in Aden governorate, the willingness to implement what he described as “martyrdom operations” against the activists of the southern movement.

The former jihadist in Afghanistan and the so-called “father of Israel” for “Marib Press” Commenting on his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat recently in which he said he will carry out martyrdom operations against the movement: “It is not a condition activists mobility only, all trying to be detrimental to Yemen whatever will exercise These actions against him; because the defense of the homelands of the hypotheses of objects, “he said.

He denied the Kurdish provide power any support to the bodies of the defense of the unit, saying: “We pay from our pockets and strengthened our children to spend on the body and seat of the Organization was the seat of my own, I have to lease and then turned it into a forum Sons of Aden unitary and made it the seat of the body,” adding, “We formed the Kmtdharrin because of us who killed his father and some of us sentenced to death and one of his relatives to this day is still a lot of members of the families looking for some hidden. ”

He spoke of the “Marib Press” for the battle earlier in Afghanistan, saying: “The credit for this goes back to the Yemeni Socialist Party; because we did not know anything about Afghanistan and the Socialist Party displays the bars inside the camps shows that the Americans are killing Muslims and burning the Koran, asked us and we learned, The Saudi media has had a big role in this aspect that I traveled to Afghanistan for jihad. ”

And his relationship with al Qaeda, he said: “Al-Qaida was not selected for the elements at random but had a size and terms of performance and ethics,” adding that he was not eligible for membership in al Qaeda, but it was a mujahid; “because the rule to choose elements from within the camp during training and not randomly,” adding, “I went to defend the country’s Muslims in Afghanistan and was a religious duty on and on all Muslims.”

The Chairman of “the defense for the unity of Aden and the presence of al Qaeda operations in Yemen, saying:” If there were elements will be sleeping like any of the States and the ongoing promotion of the rule today is to trick an American to extort money from the American people and to facilitate the U.S. occupation of Yemen promoted by the CIA with reporters The artists and representatives, “noting that” the U.S. base scenario does not rule out standing behind America and bombings of churches in Alexandria. ”

He denied the relationship with al Qaeda, including being of operations in Yemen, said: “Al-Qaeda exists as an organization in all countries of the world, but I rule out undertaking any operations in Yemen.”

Revealed jihadist the Kurdish had not been charged with a major in the case of the USS Cole, but was a suspect and released and that he was refusing to get out without compensation, explaining: “When imprisoned, we are subjected to treatment dirty jailers and Shiite officials who were punishing us and beat us while the owners of Houthi, walking in the Balznazin. ”

He denounced the Kurdish at the conclusion of his statement, objection common to the amendments made by the General People’s Congress to clear the presidential term, and said: “We support the open period of the presidency over the life of Ali Abdullah Saleh or any president comes after; because the conflict for the presidency destroying the country and its people; and because Everyone wants to be judged if we have opened this door. “

Yemeni government releases 428 Houthis and gets back 10 military vehicles
30/12/2010 News Yemen: The government on Thursday released 428 Houthis who in return freed 10 military vehicles.

Spokesperson of Houthis, Mohammad Abdulsalam, told News Yemen that they have received 428 Houthis who have been released from prisons in Sana’a and Sa’ada.

This comes after rounds of Qatari mediation between the government and Houthis.

Abdulsalam said that Houthis in return handed over to the Qatari Mediation Committee 10 military vehicles in Harf Sufyan district in Amran province.

A rally of hundreds of Houthis has welcomed the released detainees.

AbdulSalam said that some of the released prisoners have been in prison for nearly 8 years. He said the released included those received judicial sentences and called “Sana’a Cell”.

This step comes within the framework of the implementation of a recent Doha agreement that stipulates that the government release detained Houthis and Houthis hand over military vehicle they have taken over during the conflict.

The conflict in Sa’ada broke out in 2004 and came to end in February 2010.

Almost 300 000 people were displaced, but only 20,000 returned to the city of Sa’ada, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Every Thursday, the Southern Movement holds protests in southern provinces that demand the government to free southern detainees, whom the government accuse of “calling for secession.

Hundreds of Sa’ada prisoners released
Yemen Times

Published:03-01-2011
SANA’A, Jan. 2 — Nearly five hundred Sa’ada war prisoners were released on Thursday in exchange for weapons, Mohammad Albasha, the spokesman of the Yemeni embassy at Washington told the Yemen Times.

Albasha explained that the Qatar mediated and brokered the peace deal as part of proceedings initiated in August 2010.

Almost 270 prisoners were released from prisons in Sana’a and around 200 were released from political security prisons in Sa’ada, according to Mohammad Al-Mansoor, spokesman of the Shiite Al-Haq Party said to be in contact with the Houthis.

Al-Mansoor told the Yemen Times that the detainees were released after the Houthis returned 31 weapons to the Yemeni army. The weapons were taken by the Houthis in Sa’ada and Harf Sufian during the sixth round of the war between August 2009 and March 2010.

Concerns of those released

Some of the detainees claim that their property was seized when they were arrested and never returned back to them.

For Khaled Abdulwahed Shareef, who was arrested in June 2008 and released at the end of the same year, getting his cars from the port has become almost impossible.

Shareef, 26, imports cars. He buys them second hand from the USA and sells them in Yemen. He said that when he was detained by political security in Sana’a, he received four cars from the US that were seized by the political security.

“It has been around two years since I was released and I have still not got my things back that were with me at the time of my arrest,” said Shareef. “I have spent around USD 1,500 in procedures with the government to try to get my possessions back but have received nothing.”

Shareef said that besides from the four cars, two digital cameras and a university certificate were also taken from him when he was arrested. His certificate was for an Information Technology degree from the USA.

On Saturday, the Yemeni Organization for Defending Human Rights released a press release asking the government to compensate the released prisoners.

According to the head of the organization, Ali Al-Dailami, around 30 of those who have been released have registered their names at the organization in order to help them retrieve their possessions.

“The 30 cases we have are only a few of the actual number of cases as people are also going to other human rights organizations that are appealing for the return of their possessions,” Al-Dailami told the Yemen Times.

“Now, the organization is working on getting these possessions back to their owners,” he added.

He also explained that some prisoners became infected with diseases as a result of their time in the political security prison.

“The organization calls on the government to treat the prisoners who were infected with dangerous diseases – such as heart and gastric problems – as well as to return their properties back to them,” Al-Dailami said.

In a telephone call with the Yemen Times, Mohammad Al-Qaedi, the Press Officer at the Ministry of Interior, said he is not authorized to give any information regarding this issue.

Possible re-arrests

Despite the release of the prisoners, their families are still concerned about whether they will be arrested again.

Fatima Al-Ezzi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard on Thursday that her husband, Al-Ezzi Rajeh, was among those prisoners released from the political security prison in Sa’ada. Despite her happiness at her husband’s release, she said that she was still afraid that he may be arrested again if the government accuses him on another charge.

Al-Ezzi was arrested in 2005 and released in 2007 and then later that same year he was arrested again before being shortly released. On both occasions he was accused of having relations with the Houthis simply due to his position as both an Imam and a Zaidi.

The prisoners are still concerned that the government is not going to compensate them for the loss of their property as well as for the health risks they suffered while in prison.

There are still nearly 500 people in prison accused of conspiring with the Houthis, according to Al-Haq party.

According to estimations by the Yemeni Organization for Defending the Human Rights, approximately 8,000 people have been arrested on the charge of being either Houthis or of conspiring with Houthis since the beginning of the war in 2004.