Press community stands in solidarity with al-Khaiwani [Archives:2002/36/Front Page]

The press community in Yemen has expressed solidarity with Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Umma Newspaper and the Head of the Political office of the Al-Haq Party and the official spokesman of the Joint Meeting Parties after he was outrageously beaten up at midnight on Friday after he left his newspaper’s premises late at night.
According to Al-Khaiwani, while he was driving home, he was stopped by two unnumbered vehicles and once he went out of his car armed men coming out of those two cars beat him severely and threatened that they will punish him further if he continues his writings. He was also warned not to continue his role in coordinating between the opposition and the ruling party.
Al-Khaiwani is a Yemeni journalist well-known for his critical articles and courageous stances concerning democracy and freedom of the press, and strong opinion concerning human rights violations resembled in his columns either in his own newspaper or in other local and regional newspapers. He is also a well-known personality on the regional scale.
It is expected that the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate would release a statement condemning this act and will issue and send a letter to the authorities requesting them to bring those who committed this crime to justice and compensate for this irresponsible act.
On the other hand the Haq party executive committee issued Saturday a press release condemning the aggression on Mr al-Khaiwani describing it as a savage conduct violating the constitution and law and represents a detrimental act against political pluralism and democracy. The statement has also demanded the competent authorities to act speedily against that criminal group. It has also asked all political parties and organizations and civil society organizations to express their denunciation of the brutal act and stand against it.



——
[archive-e:36-v:2002-y:2002-d:2002-09-02-p:./2002/iss36/front.htm]