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Sana'a (December 19, 2013):
Freedom Foundation for media freedom, rights and development strongly condemned the prison sentence for the writer and human rights activist
Abdul Rahman Ma’odah by the Press and Publications Court in Sana'a, in which he was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined 200 thousand Yemeni Rials on opinion-expression conviction, on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013; as well as condemned the murder threat for the journalist and human rights activist, Bassam al-Qadhi who received the threat via SMS on Monday dawn, December 16th 2013 in Aden province.
The lawyer Abdul Rahman Barman said that “the Press and Publications Court in Sana'a sentenced his client Abdulrahman Ma’odah 6 months in prison and fined him 200 thousands YR on Tuesday, December 17th 2013”. He added that “Ma’odah was trialed behind the bar and directly transferred to the central prison in Sana'a upon verdict issuance”.
Ma’odah said that the Press and Publications Court held several hearings on his charge of writing an article demanding the President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to dismiss the prosecutor and the deputy prosecutor of the Press and Publications court and the lawyer of the public funds.
On the other hand Al-Qaddi said in his report to Freedom Foundation that "I have received SMS from cell phone number 738 327 502 on Monday dawn, December 16th, 2013, in which I was threatened of murder and verbally insulted."
Some contents of the threat via SMS says "Bin Larzaq – the chief editor of Aden Al-Ghad - and Al-Qadhiah newspapers will not going to help you.. your life days are limited.. Think about your youth before losing your life and become a dead”.
Freedom Foundation confirmed that the verdict issuance against Ma’odah is contradicting with the rights of freedom of expression guaranteed by all Yemeni and international covenants. “It brings the shame to the judiciary system, which must be independent and away from political confrontations” the president of Freedom Foundation Khaled al-Hammadi said.
He added “Freedom Foundation also demanded to investigate the threat received by Al-Qadhi in Aden and hunt down those standing behind them to save his life from this serious threat”.
We stressed generally on demanding Yemen security authorities to work hardly and firmly to confront these violations faced by the press and media in Yemen” Al-Hamamdi said.
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