Yemen imprisons first female Arab journalist

Yemen has witnessed the first female journalist to be sentenced to prison for insulting the president. Two years ago, "Anisa Mohammed Ali Osman" published two opinion articles : " Bullying children.. by presidential orders" and “Power: A monster on the armless .. a blind mouse on enemies ".

In addition , she was suspended from writing for a year and the editor of “AlWasat” newspaper where the articles were published, Jamal Amer, was fined to 10,000 Yemeni Rials.

Anisa Osman wrote both articles while the Yemeni journalist Abdelkarim AlKhaiwani was in prison , one of which was in solidarity with him. Both articles were and published in AlWasat ,on issues #155&156.

Accordingly, the Yemeni ministry of media sued her and the court issued the harsh sentence against the journalist and the editor in chief yesterday.

Gamal Eid, ANHRI executive director said, " Such an initiative taken by the Yemeni government, becoming the first Arab country to convict a female writer for insulting the president, is indeed a shameful and a rather ominous initiative that we wish to discontinue."

The verdict against Anisa Osman comes in the context of an unprecedented crackdown on independent press, affecting dozens of journalists. In addition the enforced disappearance of the journalist, "Mohamed AlMaqaleh" ,editor of “ Ishtraki “, e-forum since September 2009 remains an unrevealed mystery , to which Yemeni security has indifferently responded.

(Source: Ecoterra & ANHRI, Jan. 20, 2010)

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