Yemeni-American detainee Khalid Al-Sherif held without charges by PSO [Archives:2008/1187/Local News]

By: Khaled Al-Hilaly
SANA'A, September 1)The US Embassy provided an American citizen, Khalid Al-Sherif, 23, who is being held by the Political Security Organization (PSO), with a list of Yemeni lawyers to defend him though there are no charges against him.

Al-Sherif, who recently graduated from a U.S. college in Atlanta, Georgia, came to Yemen four months ago to visit his mother in Sana'a. According to a source close to Al-Sherif, on June 16, he left his grandmother's home and headed for shopping in nearby market, only to be sounded by several armed men in civilian clothing and was forced to enter their car.

The National Security Bureau (NSB) held him in secret for over 50 days. According to the source, knowing that the U.S. Embassy was searching for him, the NSB decided to transfer him to the PSO until August 11 when the U.S. Consul in Sana'a, Mr. Terry West, met him at the PSO for the first time.

According to a US Embassy spokeperson, Al-Sherif, who is still in PSO custody, “has yet to be charged with a crime and the U.S. Embassy has provided him with a list of Yemeni lawyers.””

At the time of Al-Sherif's kidnapping