National media under attack, say journalists

Local and international journalists' organisations are calling for greater press freedom in Yemen after a marked rise in abuses in 2004, which have seen the country drop 33 places in the world press freedom index over two years. "It [2004] was the worst year for press freedom and journalists in Yemen," Mohammed Sadeq al-Udaini, director of the Centre for Training and Protection of Journalists' Freedom (CTPJF), told IRIN in the capital Sana. He said that the CTPJF reported over 120 cases of violations against journalists in Yemen, adding that this marked the most ruthless attack on press freedom since the country's unification in 1990. "There has been an unprecedented 80 percent increase in the number of court verdicts passed against journalists and newspapers. It is the first time that journalists have been sentenced to jail terms without suspension. This is very dangerous and paints a scary picture of the environment in which journalists in Yemen work," he said. Yemen, a fledgling democracy, is one of the Middle East's poorest countries and is struggling to implement market reforms to boost the economy and to fight widespread corruption. It is unclear why the number of violations of press freedom have risen so rapidly in the past year, but media representatives say it is in response to greater press criticism of the government. The annual worldwide press freedom index published recently by press watchdog Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) showed that Yemen's position had dropped from 103 in 2002 to 136 in 2004, listing it below Afghanistan (97) and Somalia (130). On 26 December, a Yemeni court issued suspended prison sentences ranging between four and six months to four Yemeni journalists and writers for criticising the neighbouring Saudi regime. It also ordered them to refrain from publishing anything on Saudi Arabia in the future. A few days later, the same court passed a heavy sentence against the editor-in-chief of Al-Hurriya newspaper, Abdulkareem Sabra, and one of the newspaper's reporters, Abdulqawi Al-Qubati. They both received two-year jail sentences, while the newspaper was suspended for one year for publishing an article that was considered an "overt insult to the president" of the republic. In theory, the constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press "within the limits of the law". However, the government has been accused of attempting to influence the media and restrict its freedom. Also under the Penal Code, the publication of "false information that threatens public order or the public interest" or "false stories intended to damage Arab and friendly countries or their relations with Yemen" is punishable by fines and sentences of up to five years in jail. Akram Sabra told IRIN that his father was still on the run and receiving medication at a hospital on the outskirts of Sana. Sabra, who is the managing editor of Al-Hurriya, also said that the police were still hunting for al-Qubati. "What is happening is a real sign of how bad the situation of press freedom in Yemen is," he said. RSF has been very critical of the various forms of harassment of the media in Yemen and said that the latest prison sentences passed on five journalists ended a year in which "at least 24 press freedom violations have been registered and the harassment of journalists by means of summons, prison sentences or physical attacks has become common". One case that has been closely watched is that of Abdulkareem al-Khaiwani, editor-in-chief of the opposition weekly, al-Shura. Al-Khaiwani was detained on 5 September 2004 following a court verdict sentencing him to one year in jail and closing his paper for six months. He was accused of supporting the rebellion of the radical cleric Hussein al-Hawthi, who was killed in a clash with government troops last September, as well as accusing him of abusing the president of the republic. Several local and international human rights NGOs urged the Yemeni government to release al-Khaiwani but to no avail. In a letter sent last November, the International Federation of Journalists asked President Ali Abdullah Saleh to "intervene immediately" to secure the release of Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani, adding that the "trial and imprisonment of Al-Khaiwani have been carried out in a manner that has startled the international community of journalists". RSF has also expressed its concern. "The ongoing imprisonment of Al-Khaiwani is in total contradiction with President Saleh's promise in June to work to put an end to prison sentences for press crimes," Séverine Cazes, head of the Middle East desk at RSF, told IRIN. For its part, the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate is very worried about the deteriorating record of press freedom in Yemen. "It has become very clear that journalists are working in a rather risky environment. Most of the court verdicts came as a result of lawsuits fabricated by the government against the media." The Yemeni parliament recently addressed these violations by summoning the minister of information, Hussein al-Awadhi. When questioned during the parliamentary session on 26 December about the closure of several newspapers by the government, the minister claimed that "there have been no press freedom violations and that all decisions have been taken in accordance with the law".