JEDDAH, 30 June 2007 — Yemeni criminal prosecution decided recently to extend the detention of Yemeni journalist and former editor in chief of the country’s Al-Shoura newspaper, Abdul Karim Al-Khiwani, for another month, according to the defendant’s lawyer Khaled Al-Aansi.
Al-Khiwani was detained last week from his home in Sanaa, dragged in his pajamas from his home by police. Although the state controlled media said at the time that his arrest was based on leaked information that linked him to what has been the terror cell of Hussain Al-Houthi, the editor told Arab News that authorities arrested him based on charges of having subversive material related to ongoing religious tensions in North Yemen.
Al-Khiwani said earlier to Arab News last week in a phone interview, “They (prosecution) told me I was arrested because of (some) CDs about the Saada war.” He was referring to the sectarian clashes in recent months that have resulted in dozens of deaths.
“During the investigation they did not charge him of being involved with Al-Houthi movement,” said Al-Aansi. “The only accusation they had against my client was that he met individuals from that cell who handed him pictures of the ongoing war in Saada. This is a normal thing for anyone who works in the media. He is a journalist and he receives all kinds of information. His connection to a terrorism cell is completely unfounded.”
Al-Aansi accuses Yemeni official of forging a decision to detain his client.
He says a Yemeni court must abide by certain protocols before a appeal to extend the detention of an accused person is approved, including the presence of the accused in this proceeding.
“In the detention extension order it was written that Al-Khiwani was present at court, but that never happened,” said Al-Aansi.
The lawyer objected at the court decision and submitted an objection memo to the General Deputy in Yemen, saying that his client detention is a forged one and thus illegal.
“All these investigations could be easily done with Al-Khiwani as a free man,” he said. “There is no legal need for him to be in prison during the course of investigation.”
Al-Aansi accused officials of playing a role in extending the detention for another month while they mull what to do. The decision was approved on Monday, which would keep Al-Khiwani in jail until at least till the end of July.
The Yemeni Journalist’s Union has strongly condemned Al-Khiwani’s arrest, saying that authorities entered his home without a warrant and confiscated papers and computer equipment, a clear violation of Yemen’s Constitution.
“’He didn’t respect the president’s pardon.’ That’s what the forces told my sister while arresting me,” said Al-Khiwani, referring to a previous incident where the government critic was detained and later pardoned for allegedly subversive criticism of the state.
