ANHRI condemns the confiscation of a newspaper and the attack on journalists

CAIRO, July 3, 2011

ANHRI condemned today suppression of press freedom, attacks on journalists and the confiscation of newspapers by the Yemeni authorities on a daily basis since the beginning of the protests demanding the departure of the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah, despite his treatment in Saudi Arabia -which supports the policy of suppression of protests in the Arab world, particularly in the Gulf region- but this did not reduce the severity of attacks on freedom of the press in the country, where a number of “Ma’rib Press” site journalists had been assaulted by security forces on Thursday, were also 2,000 copies of “Al- Umana’ ” newspaper had been confiscated by border checkpoint in the city of Aden on the same day.

A military patrol had intercepted the car distribution of “Al- Umana’ ” newspaper, which was carrying 2000 copies in a border checkpoint. Headquarter of the freelance site “Marib Press” had been stormed in the capital San’a, its journalists had been assaulted, their press cards and IDs were withdrawn by a group of thugs belonging to Yemeni security for their coverage of current events in Yemen.

ANHRI said “The confiscation, censorship and attacks on journalists is a repressive systematically policy by the Yemeni authorities, to eliminate the remaining margin of freedom that has the lowest level since the start of the demonstrations call for down with the regime and the departure of the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh”.

ANHRI added “the Yemeni authorities are not listening to anybody and take repression as a way for suppressing freedoms in a desperate attempts reflect a severe weakness and disability. The international community and organizations concerned with human rights should pressure more effectively on the regime to ensure press freedoms, response the citizens’ desire for a peaceful transition of power and to make democratic reforms. Rather than the security solution, which failed in all the protests outbreak the Arab world since the beginning of this year “.