On September 25, 2008 the Yemeni authorities released the Yemeni journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani after receiving a Presidential pardon in the “honor of the holy month of Ramadan”.
DI extends sincere thanks to DI member organisations, DI Defenders, subscribers, supporters and friends for sending letters or otherwise supporting the campaign.
Result of DI campaign:
- On June 9, 2008, Mr. Al-Khaiwani was sentenced to 6 years in prison. DI condomend the sentence issued against him and called on the Yemeni authorities for the immediate release of Mr. Al-Khaiwani and protection from further harassment.
- On September 25, 2008, the Yemeni authorities released Mr. Al-Khaiwani.
- DI extends sincere thanks to DI member organisations, DI Defenders, subscribers, supporters and friends for their assistance, sending letters or otherwise supported the campaign.
Campaign Status: Closed
DI campaign:
Defend International (DI) has been informed by reliable sources of charges brought against Mr. Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani, a journalist and a writer fromYemen.
DI urges the Yemeni government to drop all judicial proceedings against him and giving him a fair trail.
Name: Abdul Karim Al-Khiwani
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Authorities: Yemeni
Category: Judicial proceedings / Freedom of expression
The case:
Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani, a journalist and a writer from Yemen, was on November 10, 2007 tried by the Penal Court specializing in terrorist acts, upon charges directed against him by the prosecutor: “Contacting Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi and disseminating news of the Sada war between the state army and the Houthis on Al-Shoura website (affiliated to the union of the Popular Forces), as well as in other private opposition newspapers”.
According to information received from Yemen “the court session was the seventh in which the court of appeals, chaired by the Judge Mohsen Alwan, reviewed Al-Houthi Sanaa Cell issue. The court previously heard many statements from the 14 suspects, including two women. Verdicts had been issued against members of the cell. Some of them are sentenced to death or three to ten years of imprisonment, while others have been acquitted”.
“The eleventh suspect, Ms. Mona Al-Khalid, mentioned that her statements written down in the session minutes regarding prosecution investigations were untrue, as she was coerced to say them while she was in the Criminal Investigation Prison. She added that detectives were seeking an accusation against Al-Khaiwani during the investigation.”
According to reliable monitors, these charges are directly linked to the fact that authorities are trying Al-Khaiwani as revenge for his articles and points of criticism of the authorities in Yemen.
The main stages in the case
Mr. Al-Khaiwani has studied economics and political science at Sanaa University. He is a former editor in chief of the electronic newspaper Al-Shoura. He was exposed to repression and harassment by the government. He was imprisoned in the end of 2004, which lasted for a year, until a verdict accusing him of many charges, including insulting the president of the republic, was issued against him. During his imprisonment, Al-Shoura newspaper was stopped according to the same verdict. The reasons of his arrest are believed to be related to his criticism of widespread corruption and administrative chaos in local authorities, the mass arrests of members of the Zaidi community carried out by the Yemeni authorities in 2004 and the killings of suspected followers of Hussain Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi by Yemeni security forces.
After the release of Al-Khaiwani in 2005 according to a presidential amnesty, Al-Shoura newspaper was republished until its confiscation recently. Al-Khaiwani was not allowed to travel abroad and he has been exposed to several intimidations including elimination.
Defend International’s involvement in the case
Defend International has run several campaigns for Al-Khaiwani who once again was detained on June 20, 2007. Defend International called for his immediate and unconditional release and to ensure that he is not going to be subjected to torture or any other kinds of inhuman or ill-treatment. The campaign was successful and the judge of the Specialised Criminal Court in Yemen decided to release Al-Khaiwani.
In August 2007 Al-Khaiwani was abducted by 6 armed persons in Zubiri Central Street near the headquarters of “Al-Nidaa” newspaper. He faced torture at the hands of his abductors. Afterward he was found in serious condition. He was beaten to the point of having broken finger and had received multiple body bruises and threats against his life and children, if he choose to continue writing. Al-Khaiwani mentioned that one of his abductors intended to kill him.
In September 2007, through a new campaign, Defend International urged Yemeni authorities to:
- Ensure Al-Khaiwani’s safety and to give assurances that he is not going to be tortured or ill-treated; thus
- Guarantee he will not be abducted once again (for third time);
- Provide the highest level of care and medical treatment for him;
- Put an end to all kinds of harassment against him and to stop threatening his children as each person is responsible for his or her own actions and choices.
Now Defend International is preoccupied by the new judicial proceedings against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and concerned that this model illustrates a determination to:
- Shut down independent journalism;
- Silence virtually all independent media;
- Reduce morale within the media industry;
- Benefit political allies; and
- Silence, limit or compromise the atmosphere of professionalism on which independent journalism thrives.
DI campaign:
Please copy the following appeals, add your signature and address and send them to arrive as soon as possible.
With thanks and appreciation
Defend International
ـــــــــــــــــ
His Excellency General Ali Abdullah Saleh
President of the Republic of Yemen
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Fax: + 967 127 4147
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________
Her Excellency Houda Ali Abdullatif Al- Baan
Ministry for Human Rights
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Faxes: + 967 1 444 838
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________
His Excellency Dr Rashid Muhammad al-Alimi
Ministry of Interior
Sanaa
Republic of Yemen
Fax: + 967 1 332 511
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________
Yemen Embassy – Germany
Budapester Str. 37
10787 Berlin
Germany
Fax : 030-897305-62
Email : info@botschaft-jemen.de
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________
Yemen Embassy – USA
2319 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20008
USA
Tel. : (202) 965-4760
Fax : (202) 337-2017
Subject: Please forward to His Excellency General Ali Abdullah Saleh President of the Republic of Yemen
Email : ambassador@yemenembassy.org
http://www.yemenembassy.org
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________
His Excellency ambassador Mohamed Taha Mustafa
Yemen Embassy – UK
57 Cromwel Road – London
SW7 2ED
United Kingdom
Fax : (+44) 2075893350
Email : info@yemenembassy.org.uk
Your Excellency,
Hereby I am expressing my concern regarding the judicial proceedings against the journalist Abdul Karim Al-Khaiwani.
I urge you to put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Al-Khaiwani and all independent journalists, and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their activities freely, in safety and without any hindrances or fear of harassment or intimidation which undermine freedom of expression, independent journalism and the free flow of information to the public.
Security considerations should not prejudice human rights. Moreover I would like to remind you that you are bound by international standards for fair trail. The proceedings against Al-Khaiwani appear to have failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial. These judicial proceedings raise a number of important human rights issues as they are in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party.
Finally I urge you to ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments signed and ratified by Yemen.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,