On October 13, 2004, the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance filed a lawsuit against Al-Nida Newspaper over what the ministry called slandering and defamation charges after the paper had published reports about corrupt practices in Hajj and Omrah Sector at the ministry.

Four years or so later, the case was referred to a recently established court known as the Press and Printings Court. The court is tasked with looking into the lawsuits filed against journalists and newspapers.

Passing its first ruling, the Press and Printings Court issued its first rule ever which stated that Sami Ghaleb, Al-Nidda newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, is innocent of charges attributed to him by the Endowments Ministry.

As reciting the ruling, Judge Mansour Shaya noted that what was published by the newspaper does not include any defamation or slandering and it does not get beyond the guarantees of the effective laws and constitution.

Prior to the ruling, Ghaleb hoped the Press and Printings Court will stand up for the right to access information and to disseminate it to people in accordance with the constitutional right for free expression of knowledge.

Ghaleb also demanded the government authorities and institutions to give up restricting journalists’ freedom through filing lawsuits against them, maintain the Yemeni government should respond to the calls by local and international organizations to stop the intimidations in the name of unity, national interests and social peace.

He further noted that his paper will stick to its news-writing line based on impartiality, professionalism and fairness, stressing Al-Nida staffers are committed to a code of honor approved by the paper’s staff in August 2006 where the journalist should apologize for any errors in covering events as soon as they are discovered.

Al-Jazeera staff in Sana’a threatened

Head of Al-Jazeera Regional Office in Sana’a Murad Hashem received a threat calls from an unknown caller who claimed to be President Saleh. The caller threatened Hashem with physical liquidation if Al-Jazeera office continues their coverage of events in Southern Yemen.

Similarly, Al-Jazeera staff was prevented from attending a parliamentary session last week. Though the representatives of other media outlets were allowed to attend the session devoted for discussing the security situation in some Yemeni governorates, including Southern provinces, Al-Jazeera reporter and cameraman were not allowed to enter.

Retaliating them for publishing news and reports about the protest and demonstrations in some Southern governorates and areas like Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Al-Dahle’, Radfan and Al-Habilin, Al-Jazeera reports were prevented by local authorities in Aden from covering a conference attended by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Two weeks ago, Member of Parliament Ali Musa’ed Al-Lahbi officially asked authorities to withdraw the license of Al-Jazeera office in Sana’a, accusing them of undermining the national unity and spreading information which are hostile to Yemen and Yemenis.

Last May, a group of armed people attacked Al-Jazeera reporter Fadhl Mubark who sustained serious injuries in his head for which he was admitted to the hospital.

As early as April 2009, the Director of Al-Jazeera Office Murad Hashem and Reporter Ahmed Al-Shalafi received threats of physical liquidation from a caller in Saudi Arabia. The caller asked them to halt their coverage of events and demonstrations in Southern provinces.

International condemnations

Several local and international organizations interested in the freedom of expression and opinion denounced such threats and demanded the government to disclose the identity of the caller and to punish him. Among these organizations is the Committee to Protect Journalists that expressed concern for Hashem and other employees of Al-Jazeera Office.

“The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the safety of Al-Jazeera staff in Yemen after an unknown caller threatened to kill the satellite broadcaster’s bureau chief on Sunday,” said the statement.

For its part, the London-based ARTICLE 19 expressed its deep concern for the threats received by Al-Jazeera Bureau’s Chief and urged Yemeni authorities to investigate threats against Al Jazeera crew.

“Journalists should not be intimidated for doing their jobs,” said Dr Agnes Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. “They should feel safe when reporting on events and the authorities must provide adequate protection for journalists who request it and who feel threatened.”

YJS denounces too

In response to the threats targeting Hashem, Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) denounced these threats and considered them to be signs of moral bankruptcy and it is also a dangerous development that threatens journalist’s work and harms the shrinking margin of press freedoms in Yemen.

“YJS is deeply concerned and upset by the series of threats and incitements against our fellow colleagues in Al-Jazeera Office. This reveals the intolerance and grumbling from the professional role in covering the events in the Yemeni field at highest professionalism,” stated the statement.

The syndicate noted that the government, concerned authorities and security apparatuses is responsible for arresting the perpetrators and bring them before judiciary and disclosing the identities of those who act behind, stressing such methods will never affect their the journalists’ work.