Journalists’ liberty costs assaults, trials and imprisonment [Archives:2006/923/Front Page]

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February 23 2006

By: Yasser Al-Mayasi
SANA'A, Feb. 21 ) Northeast Capital Court conducted several sessions to try and issue a number of judgments, holding its second trial session Wednesday, Feb. 22, for the English Yemen Observer newspaper. The Observer is on trial following the Ministry of Information's suspension of its license. Editor-in-Chief Mohammed Al-Asaadi has been jailed two weeks following accusations that the newspaper defamed the prophet Mohamed by republishing Danish caricatures of him.

The Observer's first trial session was last Wednesday, wherein its editor-in-chief was accused of defaming the prophet by republishing the caricatures. Al-Asaadi denied such accusations. The Observer's lawyer said the republication was to defend the prophet.

Another session was held Saturday, Feb. 18, to try Al-Hurriya newspaper on the same charge of publishing the prophet caricatures. Prosecution accused Editor-in-Chief Akram Sabrah, 35, and reporter Yahya Hussein of republishing the drawings. They denied such accusations, explaining that their intention was to defend the prophet Mohamed and Islam, not to insult. Their defense lawyer said the republication was motivated by enthusiasm to defend the prophet and denounce the Danish and European press insult to him.

Facing the same accusations, the trial of Al-Ray Al-Aam newspaper did not begin because its editor-in-chief was absent, despite suspension of its license.

The trials were not limited to journals that republished the caricatures with good intentions, as their editors allege. Al-Thawri (mouthpiece of the Socialist Party) Editor-in-Chief Khalid Salman was convicted in a scorn case and the newspaper fined YR 50,000. Al-Thawri still awaits other trials, among them a case filed by Taiz Financial office and other publication cases.

A court also convicted Al-Nahar newspaper and its Editor-in-Chief Shihab Al-Ahdal in a case filed by Ba'ath party General Secretary Qasim Salam in 2004. The newspaper was fined YR 350,000 an extra as compensation. Managing editor Haji Al-Jihafi also faces a lawsuit filed against him by Shoura Council member Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Bin Mansour because of articles criticizing some of his wrong behaviors.

The court also issued a judgment to shut down the Nasserite opposition party's Al-Wahdawi newspaper due to two cases filed by republican guard leadership and central security forces in Hajah governorate. The court decided to close the paper as well as arbitrarily detain Editor-in-Chief Ali Al-Saqqaf. However, the newspaper's lawyer requested the court suspend the closure decision, to which it agreed until trial sessions end. Al-Wahdawi faces another case by a cleaning fund in Al-Dhale.

Other newspapers are facing trials as well, but this is only a review of the latest.

In related news, the Journalists Syndicate condemned last Sunday's assaults against journalists for Akhbar Al-Yom and Al-Shomo' newspapers. Syndicate member Ali Al-Jaradi held the Ministry of Interior accountable for what happened to the journalists, yet he wondered why their attackers were not disclosed, despite repetition of the attacks. All such attacks were registered against unknown persons, indicating that there is a formal connivance.

Akhbar Al-Yom Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Mujahid was attacked with sticks and iron rods, seriously injuring his head, feet and other parts of his body. Journalists for Al-Shomo' and Al-Ray Al-Aam also received threats.

A Journalists Protection Committee report this week confirmed that Yemeni journals and journalists face violent assaults and oppression. The report urged the government to reform the press law, which inflicts imprisonment on journalists. It also affirmed that present debate over the press law should be for the good and liberty of journalists. It asserted that legal harassment of journalists is not as annoying as assaults by security, police and armed individuals working for officials. The report included several journalists who had been oppressed and network premises that had been hacked into.

On Wednesday, Southeast Capital Court released Yemen Observer Editor-in-Chief Mohammed Al-Asaadi after two weeks in jail. The court ordered Prosecution to release him on commercial bail.

The judge warned the press not to attribute to the court what it did not say. He pointed out that most newspapers last week reported that it refused to release Al-Asaadi on bail, whereas it simply postponed his release.
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