Press gagged [Archives:2002/24/Front Page]

Eight opposition parties issued a statement on May 31, calling for an immediate release of Abduraheem Mohsen. Mohsen is a journalist who was arrested on May 23rd, his present state is unknown.
The opposition parties have strongly condemned the arrest of Mohsen. The arrest was made because of his critical articles published in the Al-Thowri newspaper, the voice of the Yemeni Socialist Party.
The illegal arrest of Mohsen is against the constitution and the law which guarantee the freedom of expression, the statement said.
The statement also called for a stop of the harassment of writers and journalists.
At the same time politicians, men-of-letters and human rights organizations are voicing their resentment over the persecution of journalists.
The Al-Thowri editor-in-chief Khaled Ebraheem, Abduraheem Mohsen and Ebraheem Hussien were sentenced to 5-month imprisonment. This came after the Information Minster brought a suit against the Al-Thowri newspaper for publishing articles that stirred discord and sectarianism.
The judgment heavily relied on personal prejudice, this is a huge catastrophe on judicial performance and a threat to the freedom of the media, Ebraheem Hussien said to the Yemen Times.
On the other hand, the Yemen Times received a petition last Thursday signed by a number of Yemeni children. The petition demanded the authorities to return the smile of Raheel, daughter of Abdurahman Mohsen by releasing her father.
Raheel is deprived of her fathers love. Raheel whose mother passed away upon giving berth to her, is the only child of Mohsen. She is now left without a parent, the petition says.
To my mom, Waheeba Fare and to all human organizations, I need my dad, Raheel said.


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