A Journalist Harassed [Archives:1999/16/Local News]

On April 14th, the office of the Yemen Times received a fax message from Mr. Khaled Muhssen Dallak, Chief Editor of Hagarn newspaper, member in the former Journalists Syndicate. Copies of the fax massage were also sent to a number of senior officials in the
government including the Prime Minister Dr. Al-Iryani. In this massage Mr. Dallak is appealing to the concerned parties in the government and in the NGOs to “promptly interfere to put an end to the frequent acts of violation and harassment against my freedom, financial dues, personal belongings and employment,” as he puts it in his letter. Mr. Dallak accused Brigadier Ali Al-Shater, Chief Editor of the weekly 26 September newspaper, as the person behind it. The dispute, as Mr. Dallak points out, arose for financial reasons when Khaled Dallak, a former staff member in the 26 newspaper, was denied his financial rights for the services he rendered to the paper during his employment with the paper. He said that after successful assignments, he was charged with promoting the paper’s advertisement policy along with performing the paper’s technical editing. It was agreed between the two sides that Dallak should get a 30% interest in case of a rise in the paper’s financial gains resulting from his new assignment. However, when results began to appear, he was denied the percentage increase previously agreed upon. Instead, he was fired, and charged with fabricated and insubstantial accusations. He was also subject to illegal detention several times , with no legal proceedings being taken against him. And finally, his personal car and a $1000 camera were taken away from him. Mr. Dallak concludes his message by asking that his dispute with Brigadier Ali Al-Shater should be settled through a court of law that can establish a fair and honest justice. Is he asking too much?!

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