Journalists harassed at Sana’a Airport [Archives:2006/950/Front Page]
Mustafa Rajeh
SANA'A, May 27 ) The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) is preparing to hold a plenary meeting to begin protest activities regarding practices against journalists in response to the two-hour airport detention of journalists Jamal Amer, Al-Wasat newspaper Editor-in-Chief, and YJS Secretary-General Hafidh Al-Bukari. All papers and books they were carrying were confiscated after they were subjected to what they described as humiliating searches.
Al-Bukari, who was returning from a conference in Tunis last Thursday, said airport political security personnel held him for two hours and seized his personal papers, adding that they demanded he admit activity against the nation during his visit to the United States, despite the fact that he was not visiting the U.S.
On the other hand, Amer was returning from the United Arab Emirates where he had interviewed Mujahid Al-Qahali, a prominent opposition member abroad. Amer said political security representatives at the airport searched him and accused him of being a danger to the nation.
A YJS statement released about the incident, a copy of which the Yemen Times received, denounced measures of detaining, searching and questioning such as Al-Bukari and Amer experienced. The statement indicated that the syndicate preserves its legal right to sue security apparatuses committing such practices outside the law and demanded punishing them according to the law.
While Prime Minister Abdulqader Bajammal ordered an investigation of those conducting the acts and holding them accountable, the Ministry of Interior mentioned Saturday that investigation into the case disclosed that the two journalists were not exposed to extraordinary measures, considering the search and seizure of their papers a legal measure.
Such statements came several hours after statements by the head of the government last Friday. The Interior Ministry considers the syndicate's statement a fabricated media fuss, pointing out that no one is above the law.
In its latest statement, the YJS expressed curiosity at the Interior Ministry's statement and expressed concern about the continuation of such practices and means of terrifying journalists, even its own secretary-general. It considers such practices an indication of the government's lack of credibility regarding its commitment toward journalists and promises made in a YJS council meeting with Bajammal less than a month before.
The statement also reminded the interior minister of his pledge to commit to finding secure circumstances for journalistic work and respecting the law and the Constitution.
Political security and national security organizations are not under the prime minister's or the interior minister's authority, but rather linked to the president directly. They are two institutions met with many complaints by journalists, including oppressive searches at Sana'a Airport during their departure and return.
YJS Chairman Saeed Thabit said retaining journalists and interrogating them during their travels abroad, their return or because of their political opinions is behavior violating the law and the Constitution.
Al-Bukari and Amer were not accused of any charge necessitating interrogation, except that of questioning them about their relationship with the U.S., a measure the Interior Ministry deemed as legal.
Al-Bukari said a ranking security member spoke to him by telephone, demanding he remain silent about the incident; otherwise, he'd be held fully responsible. Al-Bukari has faced repeated accusations of being a U.S. agent, as published in the ruling party press.
According to observing journalists, Interior Ministry directives were to prove that political security and national security are not under the authority of the head of the government, but rather under the president's authority.
The News Yemen web site quoted a leader of these apparatuses as saying that the government shouldn't interfere in what doesn't concern it, adding that their establishments possess information on journalists' movements that the government doesn't have and that their apparatuses alone are concerned with protecting governance.
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