Another Journalist Harassed [Archives:2000/23/Front Page]

Arafat Mudabish, correspondent of UAE Al-Itihad newspaper and the Yemeni Al-Ayyam newspaper in Yemen, was severely and brutally beaten up by policemen at 10 o’clock Monday 29.5.2000 in front of the secretariat court of appeal.
They attacked him as he tried to enter the court and take some pictures of the trial of Mohammed Adem Omar, the morgue assistant at Sana’a university, who was accused of raping, killing and mutilating 16 Yemeni young women.
Mr. Arafat suffered serious injuries in different parts of his body. Bruises of the police cudgels were clearly seen on his body. This attack happened in the presence of lots of people estimated at 1000 who tried to protest. However, the police used their cudgels to disperse the crowd and kept following them to Al-Adl street.
Mr. Arafat was immediately rushed for treatment at the Military Hospital by some journalists from 26 September newspaper. In a press release by the harassed journalist, Araft considered the act as ” brutal and goes against press freedom”.
This incident happened a few days after detaining Khalid Al-Hamadi, correspondent of London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper Wednesday, May 24 by Criminal Investigation officers who also took his camera by force and broke it while taking out the film. That happened to Mr. Al-Hamadi when he wanted to take photos of the demonstrations of Sana’a University students in front of the cabinet building protesting the crimes of the serial murderer Mohammed Adam Omar.
On the other hand, the Yemeni Syndicate Union issued a statement denouncing the ruthless attacks on journalists.

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