Press freedom concerns following media workers beatings

Yemeni journalists are voicing concerns over diminishing press freedoms after two newsmen were beaten by police for reporting on a civil demonstration over pay arrears. "It’s a very dangerous trend,” said Nabil Al-Sufi, editor-in-chief of the NewsYemen website and member of the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate. “Police are mobilising against journalists.” According to a statement from the Paris-based Reporters without Borders, a watchdog organisation devoted to press freedom, two members of the media were beaten and held by police in the capital of Sana’a on 29 October. The two had been covering a demonstration by textile factory workers demanding back pay from their employers. Police reportedly beat and insulted Mojib Soueileh, a camera operator with the Dubai-based satellite news station Al-Arabiya, and Najib Al-Sharabi, a correspondent for the Saudi television station El-Ikhbariyah. The two were then held by police for several hours, the statement said. According to doctors, Soueileh remains hospitalised and is suffering from three broken ribs and internal bleeding. An official at the Ministry of Interior issued a statement on Tuesday, saying the incident was an accident and did not represent government policy. "Instructions have been issued to investigate the incident," an unidentified official was quoted as saying by state-run daily 26 September. "Concerned parties have already begun investigations into the affair, which was accidental, and does not represent a trend or police policy." Nevertheless, the Journalists' Syndicate condemned the attack in a statement, which went on to voice concerns over deteriorating press freedom in Yemen since the beginning of this year. International rights groups complain that 2005 has seen a rising incidence of government violations against local journalists, who have been subject to intimidation and harassment, including beatings and kidnappings. Many reporters have also been put on trial under questionable circumstances. In August 2004, unknown assailants abducted Jamal Amer, editor-in-chief of independent weekly Al-Wasat, from the streets of the capital. Amer says he was beaten and threatened with having his tongue cut off if he continued writing about official corruption. According to Al-Sufi, government distrust of journalists, especially those employed by foreign media organizations, has the effect of subtly encouraging attacks on their freedoms. “Senior officials make statements attacking journalists, and hint that reporters working with media outside Yemen are agents of some kind," he said. "It seems that the authorities don’t want to enforce the rule of law, preferring to use force against anyone they don’t like." Al-Sufi went on to note that the most recent incident “wasn’t even political in nature – it was just a demonstration over wage arrears." In an effort to improve their lot, Yemeni journalists have been demanding a new press law aimed at guaranteeing their rights. Since the beginning of this year, controversy has raged between the government and the press syndicate over the contents of the proposed legislation. While the draft would prohibit prison sentences for journalistic infractions, it is still generally seen by members of the media as containing wide-ranging and ill-defined restrictions. For example, journalists object to clauses forbidding them from "criticising the head of the state" or "publishing anything that directly prejudices monarchs and heads of friendly states.” They also want the new law to allow private ownership of televisions and radios, banned under current legislation. The government has formed a committee to finalise the draft, which will eventually be submitted to the consultative council for perusal. The draft will then be turned over to parliament for ratification. In the meantime, however, critics point to the latest incident as an indication of Yemen’s relatively hostile press environment. "This case serves as a reminder that it is still hard to work freely as a journalist in Yemen," read the Reporters without Borders statement. The statement added, "We urge the Interior Ministry to carry out a thorough investigation to identify and punish the police officers responsible for this disgraceful attack."