(HRinfo/IFEX) – The following is a 27 April 2006 HRinfo press release: Yemen: Yemeni Independent Newspaper Continue to be stopped Postponement of the trials to next May 27 April 2006 – A Yemeni court decided yesterday to postpone the trial session of Akram Sabra and Yehia Al-Abed, editors of Al-Hurriya Newspaper who are being charged […]
(HRinfo/IFEX) – The following is a 27 April 2006 HRinfo press release:
Yemen: Yemeni Independent Newspaper Continue to be stopped
Postponement of the trials to next May
27 April 2006 – A Yemeni court decided yesterday to postpone the trial session of Akram Sabra and Yehia Al-Abed, editors of Al-Hurriya Newspaper who are being charged for publishing cartoons offensive to the Prophet Mohammed, to a session on 17 May, while freezing the license to print the three newspapers that printed the cartoons.
The Yemeni Ministry of Information had filed a complaint against the three newspapers: Yemen Observer, Al-Hurriya, and Al-Ray Al-A’am, and stopped their license for printing since last February. This was because the three newspapers published cartoons offending the Prophet Mohammed. The cartoons, which were covered, were published in these newspapers within the context of condemning their print in European countries. Following the report, a press campaign held by government controlled newspapers in Yemen started against these three newspapers. In addition, religious men attacked the newspapers in mosques.
Among the observers of the trial against the Yemen Observer was Gamal Eid, Executive Director of the Cairo based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo). The session was postponed to next 3 May, a date that marks World Press Freedom Day. Eid met with Editors of the three newspapers and members of the Yemeni Press Syndicate board, who confirmed the illegality of freezing the license to print these three newspapers.
Mohammed Al-Asadi, editor in Chief of Yemen Observer, Akram Sabra and Yehia Al-Abed, editors of Al-Hurriya Newspaper, were arrested early last February for printing the cartoons. Later, a warrant to arrest Kamal Al-Alafy, editor in chief of Al-Ray Al-A’am, who is currently in hiding, was issued. Trials commenced on 22 February.
The three independent newspapers were confronted by a defamatory campaign led by government controlled media. In addition, they were confronted by a campaign announcing their apostasy that was led by religious men. Religious men collected financial donations that totalled 5 million Yemeni Riyals (US$25,500) to sue the newspapers, according to an Islamic principle (Al-Hesba Al-Islami). This raises concern as the prosecutor allowed the intervention of several lawyers against these three newspapers.
Circumstances surrounding the trial included several violations:
1. The detention of editors of the three newspapers in violation of the Yemeni publishing law that bans the detention in cases related to press and publishing.
2. The place and conditions of detention of Mohammed Al-Asady, Akram Sabra, and Yehia Al-Abed are not up to international standards. The detainees were kept in a cell underground. The cell lacked sufficient air ventilation and had one small window that looked into the rest of the floor. They were detained with dangerous criminals. They had no mattresses or blankets. Sunlight did not enter at all. They were deprived of food and water unless they paid for it.
3. Government controlled newspapers defamed the three newspapers and accused them of offending the prophet, accusing them of apostasy. This endangered the lives of the detainees. Mohammed Al-Asadi found out about the freezing of his newspaper’s license from the media and messages sent to his mobile phone by the Saba news agency.
4. Sheikh Abdel Maguid Al-Zenady committed provocations against the three newspapers in mosques, to the extent that he collected money to pay for lawyers to intervene for the interest of the case against the three newspapers.
5. The court and public prosecutor allowed the intervention of lawyers as adversaries against the Yemen Observer and Mohammed Al-Asadi on the basis of the Islamic principle, Al-Hesba Al-Islami, despite the fact that this principle is not legally recognised. The prosecutor is the only authorised body that can file cases.
It is worth mentioning that the trials of the three newspapers have been postponed as follows:
“Yemen Observer”: 3 May 2006
“Al-Hurriya”: 17 May 2006
“Al-Ray Al-A’am”: 13 May 2006
