Yemeni newspapers protest Al-Khaiwani imprisonment [Archives:2004/773/Front Page]

Yemen's opposition newspapers decided Tuesday to cease publication for a week to protest the imprisonment of an opposition journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani.
A statement by the opposition Weekly Al-Wahdawi, organ of the Nasserite Organization, said the strike was requested by Yemeni journalists to express solidarity with Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, who was sentenced to a year in prison and whose Al-Shoura newspaper was closed for six months.
“The attempt to silence the opinion of others is also an attempt against us all and the arrest of our colleague journalist is aimed at us as well.” The statement said.
“As such all opposition newspapers and publications will
not be issued for a whole week,” it added.
The Yemeni Journalist Syndicate had urged the minister of human rights to intervene immediately to secure Al-Khaiwani's release.
In a letter addressed to the minister, the syndicate denounced the “aggression against Al-Khaiwani” which it said “is aimed at intimidating journalists in general.”
Al-Khaiwani was convicted of writings that supported the rebellion of anti-US. Cleric Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi, who was killed in a military offensive last week, and of slandering President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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