ARCHIVES: Yemen
Freedom of expression in Yemen remains in peril. there have been a series of blows to press freedom in the past few days in this peninsular country. Authorities banned distribution of the monthly Abwab and the weekly Al-Sabah on March 14. The website www.aleshteraki.net , the mouthpiece of the main opposition party, has been inaccessible since March 12. At the same time, the daily Al-Sharea , its editor, Nayef Hassan, and freelance journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani are being prosecuted for... MORE
Yemen banned a new magazine Sunday for publishing a picture of the nation's president deemed "inappropriate" by authorities, the Associated Press (AP) has reported quoting the magazine's editor. Nabil al-Soufi, editor of Abwab , said the security authorities banned the first issue of the magazine because they believed the picture of President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the cover made him look dour. "They told me the picture reflects a crisis," al-Soufi told the Associated Press. Al-Soufi said the... MORE
Reporters Without Borders today urged the authorities to stop the prosecution of Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, a freelance journalist and former editor of the now closed weekly Al-Shoura, on a charge of “publishing information liable to undermine army morale” under article 126 of the criminal code, for which the maximum penalty is death. “Khaiwani is critical of the government headed by President Ali Abdallah Saleh but that does not make him a rebel,” the press freedom organisation said. “We remind... MORE
The staff at a fledgling weekly newspaper in Yemen accused of damaging national security face death sentences if convicted. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Thursday warned that the recent charges brought against Al-Shar’a (The Street) and a raid on the newspaper’s office signalled a disturbing attack on independent media in the country. IFJ condemned the Yemeni government for accusing Al-Shar’a of damaging national security and bringing charges against the newspaper in a court... MORE
Yemeni authorities are questioning a journalist over alleged links to Shiite Muslim rebels accused of planning attacks against strategic sites, the ruling party said Thursday. Abdelkarim Al-Kiwani, editor of the Al-Shura weekly of the Union of Popular Forces Shiite party, "is currently being questioned ... about a link to the terrorist cell" led by Abdulmalik al-Huthi, it said on its website. Tribal chief Huthi is the leader of Shiite rebels who have battled since 2004 to restore the Zaidi... MORE
Journalists in Yemen rallied in protest after police arrested a Yemeni opposition editor accused of backing the country's Shiite rebels. Dozens of journalists gathered in front of the general prosecutor office in the Yemeni capital, San'a, demanding the release of the Al-Shura weekly's editor Abdel Abdul Karim al-Khawinay, taken by police to jail earlier in the day. Undated photo shows Yemeni security forces patroling a remote area in Saada province, 250 kms north of Sanaa. A ceasefire is... MORE
Reporters Without Borders today condemned new media censorship in Yemen, where access to at least two websites has been blocked since the start of the year, in one case for three months, and the information ministry is now censoring the distribution of news to mobile phones by SMS message. “It is disturbing that the Yemeni government is attacking new technology in this way,” the press freedom organisation said. “It never showed any open-mindedness towards the opposition media and these new... MORE
The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by criminal defamation prosecutions of three Yemeni editors. Independent weekly Al-Deyar Editor-in-Chief Abed al-Mahthari was charged with defaming Watani Bank for Trade and Investment; Al-Shoura.net Editor Abdelkarim al-Khaiwani was charged with publishing false information about the Defense Ministry and defaming Armed Forces Moral Guidance Department Director Ali Hassan al-Shater; and independent Al-Wasat Editor Jamal Amer was charged... MORE
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