Who would save Al-Sofi? [Archives:2005/885/Front Page]
Mohammed bin Sallam
SANA'A-Oct. 10- Yemeni Journalist Syndicate, issued a communique last Monday in which they commiserated with their colleague Nabil Alsofi, Editor of (News Yemen) site and his staff, over the campaign which poses a threat to their lives.
The Syndicate requested that the Islah party leadership to live up to their political and ethical responsibility and stop the campaign which is targeting their colleague, Nabil Alsofi.
The communique asked all parties to stop misinterpreting journalists, and not to hold them responsible for policies that they do no more than report. They also requested them not to instigate hatred against them.
Shelkh Alzindani's office considered what was published in (News Yemen) about the international list that demands the freezing of Zindani's balances as an accomplish to expose him. They think that it is a prompt for foreigners to target Al-iman University and The Sheikh.
In an interview with (Shora net) site, Alsofi said ' News Yemen has no personal problem with Sheikh Alzindani. We referred the news we reported to their original sources. The Zindani's office could have refuted these allegations instead of attacking us. But instead of that the Sheikh chose to hold us responsible as if we are the real sources of those accusations and not the USA and the Security Council.'
Alsofi added, 'the transparency with which the press tackles each case, is for the good of Zindani, because it keeps him in touch with the international movements over his case. These are the same information that he had complained before that the government conceals from him.'
'It seems that the head of the islah Shora and Aliman University thinks his only problem is the media and not the USA which accused him of financing terrorism. In the releases which he often publishes, he says that the sources of the American accusations are the local media accusations to him.'
The report that News Yemen published on Zindani, coincided with three other articles in local press. This made Zindani's office think that it is an organized campaign.
The journalists are concerned and are taking serious the release of Alzindani's office, because it placed News Yemen in the same manner as it holds UAS accountable. They consider the site and USA as traitors and instigators against the government and Sheikh Alzindani, as one of the journalists put it. He added, 'A release such as this, that is published by a cleric is considered a religious fatwa waiting for some one to carry it out'
Other sources belittled the Alzindani's report over News Yemen. They think that 'press terrorization is not the aim of Alzindan's office. It is a message to the government that they had attacked before, accusing it of abandoning Alzindani in his plight and describing the effort as defeatist.
In previous interviews Alzindani disclosed that he had complained to President Saleh about the governments inaction over his case.
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