(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the one-year prison sentence against journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, editor-in-chief of the weekly “Al-Shura”, and the suspension of his publication for six months. The organisation has appealed to Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh for his release. On 5 September 2004, a Sanaa court sentenced Al-Khaiwani on the basis of a complaint […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the one-year prison sentence against journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani, editor-in-chief of the weekly “Al-Shura”, and the suspension of his publication for six months. The organisation has appealed to Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh for his release.
On 5 September 2004, a Sanaa court sentenced Al-Khaiwani on the basis of a complaint from the Yemeni Information Ministry. He was found guilty of giving support, through his newspaper, to a rebellion against the Sanaa authorities by Shiite leader Badr Eddin al-Hawthi, and of defaming President Saleh.
“Reporters Without Borders is dismayed at this very harsh sentence against a journalist and intellectual well known for his professionalism and outspokenness,” the organisation said. “We remind the president that he regularly advocates respect for human rights and that this judicial decision is all the more astonishing given that he recently said he opposed prison terms for journalists.”
The editor-in-chief of “Al-Shura”, who often tackles sensitive topics, such as corruption, the use of oil revenues and the issue of the head of state’s succession, was taken directly to prison after his conviction. Immediately after the verdict, Al-Khaiwani’s lawyer Jamal al-Goabi told the judge that he would appeal the decision.
The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) described the sentence as contrary to the constitution. “They have no right to arrest him. They have no legal order from the prosecutor-general. His lawyer can take the case to an appeals court,” YJS Secretary-General Hafez Al-Bukari said in a 5 September statement. The YJS said it planned to organise a protest rally.
“Al-Shura” condemned the trial as an attempt to silence the publication and criticised the political manipulation of the judiciary to this end. The paper also said the court had broken the law by trying Al-Khaiwani while the courts were officially in recess.
