Government closure of newspaper triggers international concern [Archives:2008/1147/Local News]

By: Saddam Al-Ashmouri
For the Yemen Times
SANAA, April 16 ) International non-government organizations raised concerns about the situation of freedom of press and expression in Yemen after the closure of Al-Wasat weekly newspaper.

Scores of journalists and human rights activist staged a sit in on April 16 in the capital city of Sana'a, condemning the information minister's decision to withdraw Al-Wasat's license. Protestors said the minister's decision represents a serious violation against freedom of the press and is part of a series of violations that increased early this year.

Article 19, an international human rights organization which defends and promotes freedom of expression, said it is alarmed by the recurring attacks against freedom of expression in Yemen. The organization observed three violations against freedom of expression and the press.

“In the past week alone, Tawakkol Karman, director of Women Journalists Without Chains, received death threats from an unknown caller. Comedian Fahd Al-Qarni was arrested by security agents, and the Al-Wasat's license was withdrawn on orders from information minister Hassan Al-Lawzi,” it said in a statement released on April 14. The organization added that the ban on YemenPortal.net's alternative domains persists and there have been reports of a new law to control the Internet.

Article 19 Executive Director Agnes Callmard said the latest measures taken by the Yemeni government cast additional doubts on the country's continued commitment to its reform agenda and to protecting media diversity and freedom of expression. “The positive trends recorded two years ago are being reversed,” he said, calling on the government to return to its original commitments.

Yemen ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and is legally required, under international law, to respect the right of its citizens to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Article 19 of the ICCPR, the organization noted.

In 2006, under the National Reform Agenda, the Yemeni government made further commitments to freedom of expression and to the creation of a diverse and pluralistic media environment. These steps have often been cited as an example for the region, Article 19 added.

Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders, an international French organization, criticized the ban on Al-Wasat newspaper, accused by the government of reporting news that “undermined national unity, stirred up religious divisions and damaged relations with neighboring countries.”

In 2007, the organization put Yemen at 143 in its annual index that measures the level of press of freedom in 196 countries worldwide.
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