The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the conviction of Sameer Jubran, chief editor of weekly Al-Masdar, and Muneer Al-Maweeri, Washington based journalist, for insulting the President of Yemen in an article published by Al-Masdar in 2008.  

Sameer Jubran was handed a one year suspended jail term during which he is also banned from practicing journalism. Al-Maweeri, convicted in absentia, was sentenced to two years in jail and a lifelong ban on his journalism.

"This verdict handed down by a court that has no standing in Yemeni law is a scandal and must be repealed" said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "It now seems as if the Yemeni authorities have declared war on their journalists and are determined to muzzle them. We call on the country's president to order an immediate stop to this shameful onslaught on journalists."

The prosecution was launched after Al-Masdar published an opinion piece by Al-Maweeri which described President Saleh as "Yemen's Weapon of Mass Destruction".

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), an affiliate of the IFJ, also condemned the sentencing which it described as an ‘escalation of the attacks on press freedom, confiscation of liberties and infringement of people's rights to freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution.' 

The YJS also questioned the authority of the specialized ‘Press Court' which handled the case. The Press Court was controversially established in May this year specifically to deal with ‘journalistic crimes'.

For more information contact the IFJ at   +32 2 235 2207       
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide