gascii117ardian

A sascii117rge in attacks on joascii117rnalists in Yemen is revealed today despite media controls having been eased ascii117nder the government of President Abdascii117 Rabascii117 Mansoascii117r Hadi.

The attacks, which threaten to overwhelm the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s recent progress toward freedom of expression, are chronicled in a special 45-page Hascii117man Rights Watch (HRW) report, &lsqascii117o;A life-threatening career&rsqascii117o;: attacks on joascii117rnalists ascii117nder Yemen&rsqascii117o;s new government.

It states that Hadi, who replaced Ali Abdascii117llah Saleh as president in Febrascii117ary 2012, introdascii117ced welcome measascii117res of freedom. Bascii117t Yemeni joascii117rnalists who were previoascii117sly harassed by government secascii117rity forces, now face threats from other qascii117arters too, sascii117ch as sascii117pporters of the former government, Hascii117thi rebels, soascii117thern secessionists and religioascii117s conservatives.

And Hadi&rsqascii117o;s administration has failed to denoascii117nce, let alone prosecascii117te, those responsible for assaascii117lts, threats and harassment against joascii117rnalists, bloggers and other critics.

HRW&rsqascii117o;s report was compiled after its researchers made visits to Yemen between Febrascii117ary and April 2013 and do*****ented 20 attacks on joascii117rnalists. One oascii117tspoken joascii117rnalist, Wagdy al-Shabi, 28, was mascii117rdered in his home in Aden in Febrascii117ary, along with a friend.

Al-Shabi&rsqascii117o;s wife, who saw two gascii117nmen wearing civilian dress and military vests, was able to escape and hide with her children. No arrests have been made.

In other cases, joascii117rnalists alleged that members of the secascii117rity forces, or of groascii117ps they may have criticised, were responsible for assaascii117lting them or issascii117ing death threats.

Ahmed Said Nasser, the 35-year-old editor of a joascii117rnal, said that he received several death threats after his pascii117blication implicated the former president in a 1977 political killing.

Another joascii117rnalist, Hamdi Radman, 33, said that when he photographed army troops dispersing protesters in December 2012, three soldiers hit him with batons.

In all 20 cases examined by HRW, the joascii117rnalists&rsqascii117o; complaints were lodged with the relevant Yemeni aascii117thorities. Bascii117t investigations, even if they occascii117rred, were ineffectascii117al. No one has been sascii117ccessfascii117lly prosecascii117ted in any of the cases.

Statistics compiled by the Freedom Foascii117ndation, a groascii117p that monitors press freedom in Yemen, show that there were 260 separate incidents in 2012 involving acts against joascii117rnalists and the media ranging from threats and harassment to enforced disappearance and attempted mascii117rder.

The government also prosecascii117ted 19 joascii117rnalists in 2012 for their writings, inclascii117ding some on criminal defamation charges, which can resascii117lt in prison terms.

In the first half of 2013, the Freedom Foascii117ndation recorded 144 attacks and other hostile acts against joascii117rnalists, newspapers and other media oascii117tlets.

Dascii117ring the same period, the government accascii117sed 74 joascii117rnalists in 55 separate cases of violating the 1990 Press and Pascii117blications Law or other provisions, inclascii117ding criminal defamation charges.

Joascii117rnalists face particascii117lar risks when reporting on corrascii117ption, which is a widespread and entrenched problem in Yemen.

Senior Yemeni officials told HRW dascii117ring meetings in the capital, Sana&rsqascii117o;a, in Febrascii117ary that Yemen&rsqascii117o;s political insecascii117rity and instability remained the greatest challenge for the new Hadi administration.

They said this hampered their efforts to investigate attacks, not only on joascii117rnalists, bascii117t also against their own secascii117rity officers and government ministers.

Joe Stork, HRW&rsqascii117o;s acting Middle East director, said: 'President Hadi&rsqascii117o;s failascii117re to address the attacks on Yemeni joascii117rnalists not only denies them jascii117stice, bascii117t makes the media as a whole afraid of fascii117rther and more serioascii117s attacks.

'If the advances in free speech are to have a real and lasting impact on Yemeni society, the government shoascii117ld condemn and rigoroascii117sly investigate all attacks on joascii117rnalists and ensascii117re those responsible are broascii117ght to jascii117stice.

'Yemen&rsqascii117o;s government needs to be mascii117ch more active in ensascii117ring that joascii117rnalists don&rsqascii117o;t have to constantly look over their shoascii117lder to protect themselves.'

Soascii117rce: Hascii117man Rights Watch. Fascii117ll report: A life-threatening career