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Sana'a (Saturday 11/30/2013):
Freedom Foundation (FF) for media freedom, rights and development strongly condemned the
assaulting and beating the photojournalist of European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) in Yemen Yahya Arhab by riot-police of Special Security Forces at Asser area in capital Sana’a, Yemen, as well as confiscating 2 of his professional cameras while he was covering a protest of motorcyclists who prevented from driving in Sana’a for security reasons.
In his report to FF Yahya Arhab explained that he had been banned from coverage the motorcyclists protest and severely beaten with sticks and batons on the head and different parts of his body, then police confiscated 2 of his cameras in which they took them by force and throw one of them to the ground, broke it and its zoom lens, while he was trying to take pictures for the protest, at Asser area in Sana’a, Yemen, on Saturday 30th. November 2013.
Freedom Foundation immediately communicated with the Ministry of Interior on this incident and contacted the commander of the Special Security Forces Major General Fadhl Al-Qawsi, asked them to do urgent action to protect Arhab and returning his cameras and compensate him. Al-Qawsi promised to solve the problem sooner and returning the cameras to Aarab and investigate the perpetrators of this incident. After 6 hours of continuous FF efforts the cameras returned to Arhab but unfortunately one of them already broken and no more working.
Freedom Foundation considered the attack on Arhab, confiscating his journalistic tools and preventing him from practicing journalism is a clear violation for media freedom and human rights in Yemen by the security forces.
FF demanded the Interior Ministry to investigate strictly with the perpetrators of this violation and punish them for committing this violation against the Yemeni legislation and international conventions relating to the essential rights and freedoms.
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