State will loosen controls on media, says ministry

News follows weeks of media protests

Journalists, lawyers, and ordinary citizens demand an unrestricted press.

The Ministry of Information plans to allow private ownership of television and radio channels, said Minister of Information Hassen al-Lawzi this week.   “This law will eliminate the state control of the radio and television, and give private institutions the possibility of investing in radio stations and television,” he said. The new law will also establish guidelines for the electronic press, he said. Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Information said that the new law will be the subject of consultations with all interested parties, particularly the Yemen Journalists Syndicate, to create the best formulas to reflect the evolution of press freedoms in Yemen.

“The new law will resolve the debate on mobile phone messages and the websites releases,” sources said. “It is expected that the new law gives wide area to encourage investment in the field of private satellite stations, after studying similar laws in neighboring and friendly states,” he said. “There is a governmental media policy, but it needs to improve in line with the developments around the world, and launch wider space for freedom of expression and to organize the standards that govern freedom of expression, in order to not turn to the abuse of the freedom itself and the press,” al-Lawzi said. The Ministry of Information is preparing for a large conference to review the governmental media policy and to improve it. 

The ministry is also preparing to develop the second Yemeni channel, in additions to the new channel, to concentrate on education, tourism, and youth issues, al-Lawzi said. “The government is seeking over the next year to open five local radio stations in the governorates of Sa’dah, Marib, Shabwa, and Soqatra in addition to Ibb Radio, which was opened last month,” he said. Many Yemeni journalists hope that the new law will give them more freedom to talk about the troubling problems of the state, such as corruption. Al-Lawzi’s comments come in the wake of weeks of journalists’ protests of the curtailing of SMS news services and the blocking of several news websites.

Protests were held in front of the Cabinet. Women Journalists Without Chains, journalists from many media, and nongovernmental organizations gathered to lodge their complaints about the violations against the media. The protest was attended by more than 100 women, including journalists and lawyers.    “Some ignorant people think that it is not our right to have our newspaper,” said Tawakkol Karman, the head of the Women Journalists Without Chains. It is the right of each individual and organization to have their own websites, said Karman. “When the minister does not allow us to have our newspaper, when the ministry has all that bunch of newspapers, this is unjustified.”   Why have they allowed the army newspaper 26 September? she said.

“It is a constitutional right to have broadcast and print media,” she said.   “I am sending a letter to the Ministry of Information, to ask why there is a newspaper for the army and they got afraid of an SMS of 70 letters,” said Nageeb al-Yafe’ei, the editor in chief of Nass Press website.   Fouad Dahaba, an MP, recited a poem against the Ministry of Information and their illegal acts to the newspapers. As he spoke, he kept gesturing at the Cabinet.   “Where we are today makes us feel that we are really peacefully struggling,” said Jamal al-Jo’abi, a lawyer.

“They used an American technology to block the websites,”    “People have the right to have free media, and when the government gets control of all media, it is thus in control of all decisions,” he said. “In the national broadcast TV, there is so much bias to the officials or to their friends. Therefore, why can’t the parties or the other organizations have their own newspaper?”  “Tawakkol Karman speaks here under the sun, they are banned from having their own tents by the Ministry of Interior Affairs,” said Khaled al-Anesi, the executive manger of Hood Organization for Defending Human Rights and Freedom.   “They call the request for a tent violent,” he said.

The government enhances the culture of violence to get rights, he said. Al-Houthis get their own party when they start fighting, and if someone does violence, his demands will be looked at, al-Anesi said.  “Tawakkol Karman said that she will be able to air her message from other sources, and it is true,” he said. “It is impossible that they could prevent people from using technology. Even the US could not stop al-Qaeda from using internet,” said al-Anesi,” but as they are the most powerful country, they did not ban the internet, even though they could. Because, they are committed society, they won’t punish the freedom. At least by having websites, we know who are they, we could have punished them when they do something wrong.

Do they want people to be out from the bottom of the earth airing messages, they don’t know where it comes and from?”   “Will our country vision be the country of Anisa al-Shuaibi [the woman allegedly raped by some officials in the political security] or the country of the sheikhs’ prisons?” he asks. “We want to learn the peaceful struggle,” he said. “Those women, whose cover did not prevent them from coming, while the government cover all media means,” he said.  If the Prime Minster and the government are not able to do their work; it is better to quit, he said. “Meanwhile we are really run by some kids in the political and the national security,” al-Anesi said.  

“Where are al-Thawra or al-Jumhuria newspapers?” he said. “Maybe tomorrow, you will find them in these newspapers cursing us. We are paying with our taxes to be insulted.”  However, Fatima al-Shariff, a woman working in the Ministry of Information, disputed the validity of the protest. “I’ve been working in media since the 70s and I don’t think that this protest is good,” she said. “They jump to conclusions, and they could make it more peaceful and more civilized, insulting the Ministry of Information is not professional. The best proof that we have freedom of expression is they hold this protest here in front of the Cabinet and say whatever they want.” 

“I came to protest with the other women, my husband tells me to come,” said Omm Anas al-Amir, 35, a housewife.   “I came in protest with WJWC, what is wrong with having an SMS news service?” said Hafsa al-Nozaily, passionately. “We don’t want to hear the news from al-Jazeera or other broadcasters,” she said.  “We are 15 women who came in protest with the newspapers, because we used to receive the SMS news services,” said Mahfozah Aqabat, 34, a housewife.   “We demand our right, and it is not the government’s role to lower the roof of the freedom,” said Sumia al-Qwas, a female journalist.  

The results of the protest are positive, because originally people have the right to work, said al-Jo’abi. “The intervention of the government came in the context of banning not ordering the media work,” he said.   Though some media demands have been met [like unblocking the news websites], there are many things that still need to be solved. “Principles cannot be divided, we protest to posses a real free media,” he said.  “Although the case has been solved temporarily [by the PM’s ordered to unblock the news websites eshtraki.net] but to have ban the freedom of the media by preparing laws, Abdul-Karim al-Khaiwani, the editor in chief of al-Shoura newspaper.

“Yemen will be the first country in the world that prepares law for the electronic journalism,” he said.  “To be a real democratic country, the Ministry of Information has to be cancelled. There are many aims to be achieved at the end. To cancel the financial support to the governmental media, because they have been funded from the national budget. Also, breaking the monopoly of the governmental media is crucial. Therefore, we are working towards these big dreams.”

Related Content

•  Al-Qaeda statement denies official reports
•  Dutch police detains two Yemenis on US flight
•  Mysterious fate of Sa’dah deputy security director
•  Government and Houthis sign schedule for implementing 22 points
•  Final qualifying stage for Yemen poet, Al-Aqeeq channel
•  Economic Media Center demands traders maintain reasonable prices
•  SCER mandates education to review voters tables for 2010
•  More than million children out of school, government report
•  Intensifying al-Qaeda attacks are government’s biggest challenge, President Saleh
•  Abyan al-Qaeda attacks security raising death toll to 23 troops