New York, May 23, 2006 - Newspaper editor Mohammed al-Asaadi is on trial in Yemen on criminal charges of insulting Islam by running edited versions of some of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons that created an international storm. Al-Asaadi, editor of the Yemen Observer, faces severe jail time and a possible death sentence for his editorial decision.
The case, which also led to the three-month closure of the Observer, is among at least two dozen punitive actions taken by governments in 13 countries worldwide, the Committee to Protect Journalists has found in a new report. At least nine publications were shut down and 10 journalists criminally charged; censorship orders were issued against two newspapers and government-sponsored harassment was reported in three cases. Over all, CPJ's Ivan Karakashian writes, these governments used the controversy as a pretext to retaliate against the press and to deflect public attention from domestic problems.
Al-Asaadi, whose newspaper denounced the cartoons, published obscured versions of three drawings in order to provide context in the debate over the Prophet cartoons. Today, he said, "I am facing death threats in all corners of the streets for nothing but practicing my job and calling for understanding."
