Security forces surrounded the home of Akhbar Al-Youm reporter Mohammed Al-Louzi for three hours on April 25 because of his coverage of current events in Yemen. Members of the Republican Guard stopped Abdel Aziz Al-Majidi, the editor of the newspaper Al-Shahid, at a checkpoint the same day, preventing him from entering Taiz province. Copies of his newspaper were seized at the same checkpoint the day before.
These were not isolated incidents. Several regional newspapers have not been distributed in Aden and Taiz provinces. The latest issues of the opposition newspapers Al-Qadiya and Al-Yaqeen were seized at the security checkpoint at the entrance to Taiz province on April 23. Copies of Al-Yaqeen and Al-Shari’ were also seized by security forces at the southern entrance to Sana'a on April 22. The driver transporting copies of the daily Akram Octobre to Taiz province was attacked.
In a similar case of censorship, copies of Al-Oula Al-Youmiya were seized in the capital on April 20 and a distributor was detained for several hours.
Several journalists have also been physically attacked by security forces. Photographer Rashid Al-Menifi was beaten by members of the security forces while covering a demonstration in Sana'a on April 19. His camera was broken and he was taken to an intensive care unit. Dahan Al-Shamri, the correspondent of the newspaper Al-Wahdawi, was attacked by supporters of President Saleh on April 22 because of his coverage of the demands of young people in Bani Qais province.
Journalists have been the target of a smear campaigns by certain media. Fikri Qasim, the editor of Hadith Al-Madina, a weekly distributed in Taiz province, has been one of the targets. His newspaper was confiscated recently because of its critical coverage. Journalists and activists Samia Al-Aghbari, Bushra al-Maqtari and Tawakkol Karman have been the targets of an online smear campaign. Journalist Mohammed al-Abasi has received telephone threats.
