The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the harassment
and intimidation of journalists at the government-owned and army-controlled 26 September newspaper, and wrote to
Yemen's Vice-President Abdu Raboo Mansour Hadi calling on him to order an end
to the threats against these journalists.
In
his letter, IFJ President Jim Boumelha wrote "We support our member union in
Yemen, the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate, in its request that the new political
situation warrants that the status of the newspaper is opened up to a
root-and-branch review, including changes to its management structure and the
introduction of legal and editorial rights."
Journalists
at the 26 September newspaper have
recently faced arbitrary dismissals and threats of punishment, including jail,
for opposing financial and administrative corruption at the newspaper, and went
on strike, demanding major changes to the newspaper's future status.
According
to the IFJ member union, the Yemeni Information Committee in the Department of
Moral Guidance issued a road map to resolve this issue, starting with the
removal of General Ali Hassan al- Shater as chief editor of the newspaper, and
establishing a committee to review the future of the publication and root out
corruption and mismanagement.
The
IFJ says that such moves "could be a useful step to find a negotiated
settlement and establish a firm foundation for the future of the newspaper" and
joined its affiliate in calling for a negotiated settlement to the dispute.
"We
are confident that these journalists and media workers are doing their best to
defend the interest and future of the publication and are acting in the public
interest to preserve its editorial qualities.
"We
cannot therefore accept that they should be intimidated and threatened with
jail, or attacked by thugs under order from your Ministry of Defence. These
journalists are our members and we deem your government to be responsible for
their safety and security. Their colleagues, the world over, will not stand by
and stay silent if they suffer any harm," added Boumelha.
In
a separate development, YJS former president, Naser Taha Mustafa has been the
target of death threats linked to his journalistic work, which the IFJ strongly
condemned. ‘‘It is simply unacceptable that Naser Taha Mustafa, a respected
editor and former YJS president should be threatened for his writings", said
Boumelha.
For more information, please contact IFJ
on + 32 2 235 22 25
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 131 countries