Yemen: Newspaper under siege

February 13th, 2012

The offices of a Yemeni newspaper have been surrounded by armed men for over a week. On February 2, state-run daily Al-Thawra was surrounded by hundreds of men loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The attack followed the paper’s decision to print without Saleh’s picture on the front page for the first time in decades. The newspaper has not printed since Friday. In a similar attack, state-run daily Al-Gomhoriah was surrounded by Saleh supporters on Friday and Saturday. The group, who claimed the paper had become a mouthpiece for the opposition, prevented the paper from printing until Sunday. Four other journalists are under threat from a fatwa issued in early February that calls for their deaths and for the closure of the newspapers and websites that carried their articles.

Obama intervention puts Yemen reporter in jail

February 7th, 2011

Journalist Abdul-Elah Haidar Shaye should have been released from prison as part of concessions to protesters in Yemen. But a phonecall from the US president has kept him behind bars. Iona Craig reports
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Yemen: No place for change

January 24th, 2011

Despite the eruption of Tunisia-inspired protests in Sana’a and other cities Yemen calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, regime change seems unlikely. Iona Craig reports.
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