Journalists demand more liberal press law

Journalists in Yemen are expressing concern over harsh attacks against media freedom. They complain that part of the problem is the 1990 Press and Publications Law, which they say is full of taboos and prohibitions, including prison sentences. At a recent roundtable discussion held at the journalists’ syndicate in the capital Sana, they warned of hard times ahead for local media as the government debates amendments on the present law. The situation looked set to improve when President Ali Abdullah Saleh specifically demanded in June 2004 a removal of the clause allowing the imprisonment of journalists. However, contrary to the hopes of the media community, change in the law has not been completed and allegations and prosecutions of publishers, editors and journalists have risen in the second half of 2004, according to the Centre for Training and Protection of Journalists' Freedom (CTPJF). "It [2004] was the worst year for press freedom and journalists in Yemen, Mohammed Sadeq al-Udaini, director of the CTPJF, a local NGO, told IRIN in Sana. He said that the CTPJF reported over 120 cases of violations against journalists in the country, adding that this marked the most ruthless attack on press freedom since the country's unification in 1990. 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. In theory, the constitution provides for freedom of speech and 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, by law, 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. The current law is full of other shortcomings that constitute a major hindrance for the press to operate freely, journalists claim. For example, to establish a newspaper/magazine, one has to get a licence from the Ministry of Information (MoI). There are huge financial burdens involved in starting a paper. The Minister of Information's Decree No. 9 in 1998 states that for establishing a paper or a magazine, the publisher's capital should amount to US $10,810 for a daily newspaper, $3,783 for a weekly paper, $6,486 for a weekly magazine and a periodical and $540 for an advertisement bulletin. This gives the ministry the power to withdraw or deny a licence. Ahmad Saleh Hashed said that the MoI refused to give him a licence to run an independent newspaper. "I am afraid that the potentially amended law might be full of obstacles, mainly stipulating high capital as a pre-condition to get the licence. I think that the journalists' syndicate should take the initiative and draft a new, more liberal code," he told IRIN while participating in roundtable discussion, entitled "Reality of the Press Legislations and Horizons of Expression". For its part, the Yemeni journalists' syndicate is very worried about the deteriorating record of press freedom in the country. "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," Sami Ghaleb of the journalists' syndicate board told IRIN. "The current law does not go in line with international treaties as it is based on a totalitarian culture. It criminalises criticising the president, this is found only in totalitarian regimes or monarchies. The press law should be in line with the idea of pluralism," advocate, Mohammed Allawo, told IRIN. "It is fine that the president ordered the removal of the clause relating to journalists’ imprisonment. We, as lawyers and journalists, should take this and build on it," he added.