Monday, June 09, 2008

al-khaiwani: imprisoning free speech

freedom is never free -- ever.  sometimes it costs up to six years of hard labor in a yemeni prison.



you will remember many of us have been blogging about abdul karim al-khaiwani, who has been awaiting sentencing by the government of yemen.  and now we know. 

yemen is a country with little or no regard for human rights, democratic principles, and freedom for their people.  they actively suppress journalists like al-khawani who seek to uncover and promote truth. 

here's a partial report from jane novak who has been leading the blogging charge:

This from the same court that finds it legal and even admirable when Yemenis murder Iraqis in Iraq. But writing about the Yemeni civilians suffering during Ali Mohsen’s personal jihad in Sa’ada is punishable by six years in jail.

Every journalist in Yemen is much less free now. And so is the world.

“Among those sentenced to jail was Abdul Kareem al-Khaiwani, editor of al-Shura newspaper, who is accused of supporting al-Houthi rebellion in Sa’ada because photos of the fighting in Saada were found with him….

Also he interviewed some of the rebels, ergo he is trying to overthrow the state, as opposed to engaging in normal journalistic practices.”


there has been some real truth to come of this whole al-khaiwani's ordeal:

At least no one believes the Yemeni regime anymore. The government has been totally discredited on both the “partner in the war on Terror” and the “emerging democracy” fronts. Its pretty clear they are a mafia like tyranny that is more loyal to bin Laden than to the West with no respect for civil rights.

and we can only imagine what this fine yemeni journalist will go through for the next six years.  this has a chilling effect to any progress made toward democratic principles and freedom of speech in places like yemen.  they wanted him dead but for jane's vigilence, her incredible blogging, and her tireless advocacy. 

Posted by zoey at 11:14:14 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

jane novak, yemen's friend

today they get a pass because the new york times did a feature about one of my Cotillion sisters, Jane Novak who blogs passionately at Armies of Liberation on imprisoned yemeni journalist, Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani.   (you may remember i posted on it a week or so ago)   al-Khaiwani's fate continues to rest in the hands of a corrupt yemeni government which jails journalists who photograph violence and let terrorist members of Al-Qaeda go free... remember the USS COLE?  His sentence could come as early as Wednesday. 

here's an excerpt from the article:

Jane Novak, a 46-year-old stay-at-home mother of two in New Jersey, has never been to Yemen. She speaks no Arabic, and freely admits that until a few years ago, she knew nothing about that strife-torn south Arabian country.

And yet Ms. Novak has become so well known in Yemen that newspaper editors say they sell more copies if her photograph — blond and smiling — is on the cover. Her blog, an outspoken news bulletin on Yemeni affairs, is banned there. The government’s allies routinely vilify her in print as an American agent, a Shiite monarchist, a member of Al Qaeda, or “the Zionist Novak.”

The worst of her many offenses is her dogged campaign on behalf of a Yemeni journalist, Abdul Karim al-Khaiwani, who incurred his government’s wrath by writing about a bloody rebellion in the far north of the country. He is on trial on sedition charges that could bring the death penalty, with a verdict expected Wednesday.

Ms. Novak, working from a laptop in her Monmouth County living room “while the kids are at school,” has started an Internet petition to free Mr. Khaiwani. She has enlisted Yemeni politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others around the globe. Her blog goes well beyond the Khaiwani case and has become a crucial outlet for opposition journalists and political figures, who feed her tips on Yemeni political intrigue by e-mail or text message.

She says her campaign is a matter of basic principle. “This is a country that lets Al Qaeda people go free, and they’re putting a journalist on trial for doing his job?” she said. “It’s just completely crazy.”

right on jane.  

as you can see, jane is a dedicated and influential blogger on important issues of freedom and democracy.  and freedom for Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani continues to be a great need and you can help by going HERE to sign the petition.
UPDATE:  one of my Cotillion sisters, Conservative Belle, writes a compelling post on why so few Americans (1,175 at this point), after a story in the NYT and over 50 blog articles take a stand for democracy and freedom in such a violent country like Yemen.  most curiously missing?  the hollywood liberals, those running for public office, current elected officials...please go read Vivian's blog and then go sign the petition.   please.



Posted by zoey at 16:00:51 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |