Yemeni journalist to be jailed for 8 months

A Yemeni court on Wednesday issued a sentence that suspends from working the Yemeni journalist Seif Muhammad Ahmad al-Hadiri, chief editor of the Yemeni weekly al-Shomou' ( the candles) and to fine him by 10,000 Yemeni riyals because he issued the weekly following a decision from the ministry of the information to suspend it "temporarily" because its renewal file has not completed yet.

During the past years, the paper was issued regularly and the ministry of information which filed a case recently to this effect, did not oppose.

The court's sentence also stated to complete measures of getting the official licensing, to resume the issuance of the paper which raised controversy in the government and political circles for its courage in criticizing corruption, targeted several government figures.

A Yemeni court in 2001 issued a sentence providing for suspending al-Hadiri for 10 months from practicing his career ( journalism) and fining him of 51,000 Yemeni Riyals ( USD 800 ) and to stop the paper's publication for one month.

Meantime, the Yemeni ministry of information has warned the Arab and foreign media correspondents accredited in Sanaa against covering news relating to security incidents and events, and what it called in a message addressed to the correspondent on Monday "issues which touch national sovereignty." The ministry urged those correspondents to the need of abiding by the Yemeni press and publication law and to be careful to get news and information from their original source and to avoid depending on any unidentified sources.

It warned that every one who does not commit to these instructions will be legally sued.

During the few past days the ministry summoned on several correspondents of Arab and world media working in Yemen (all of them are Yemenis) to question them on the source of news they recently published.