The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today welcomed the release of Yemeni journalist
Abdulelah Haider Shaye, stating that it is a victory for press freedom and
thanking the Yemen Journalists Syndicate (YJS) for its hard work and commitment
in securing his freedom.
According
to the YJS, Shaye was released by the President of Yemen, Adb Rabbuh Mansur
Hadi, yesterday evening, Tuesday 23 July, after serving three years of a five
year prison sentence. He had been pardoned by former Yemeni President, Ali
Adballah Saleh, but was being kept behind bars at the behest of the US
administration for alleged links with al Qaida.
"We welcome
this great news that Abduleh Haider Shaye has been released after three long
years behind bars and can now return to his family, loved ones and colleagues,"
said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. "We congratulate the YJS on this momentous day
and thank them and the Yemeni journalists who kept Shaye's case alive and ran a
three year campaign demanding his release."
The YJS has
thanked President Adb Rabbuh Mansur Hadi for organising Shaye's release despite
pressure from the US Embassy. It has stressed the key role played by the
journalist community in Yemen in securing his release and called for continued
solidarity and unity among journalists in the future.
In a
meeting with IFJ President Jim Boumelha and the YJS leadership in April 2012,
President Hadi hds promised to release the journalist. The recent IFJ World
Congress in Dublin also adopted a resolution urging the Yemeni government to
keep its promise to free Shaye and condemning the US administration for its
continual pressure on Yemen to keep him in prison.
"The IFJ
has worked closely with our affiliate, the YJS, and the Federation of Arab
Journalists (FAJ) to help secure Shaye's release, a hugely progressive step
that is a victory for press freedom, justice and the right of Yemeni
journalists to work freely and safely," said IFJ General Secretary Beth Costa.
"We urge the Yemeni government to continue to improve its support for press
freedom in the country and to develop legislation that will further protect the
rights and freedoms of its journalists."
For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 17
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134
countries