Annual Prison Census 2010 - Yemen
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 8 December 2010 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Annual Prison Census 2010 - Yemen, 8 December 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4d4977de1a.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Journalists in prison as of December 1, 2010
Yemen: 1
Abdulelah Hider Shaea, freelance
Imprisoned: August 16, 2010
Shaea, a frequent commentator on Al-Jazeera, was known for his coverage and analysis of extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was detained after armed security forces raided his home in Sana'a, confiscating his computer and notes, his brother told Al-Masdar, an independent weekly.
Shaea's coverage was critical of government policies in fighting terrorist threats in Yemen. In July, security agents interrogated Shaea for several hours about his reporting. "The interrogators told me to stop talking to media about the government's campaign against Al-Qaeda. They told me it was for my own good. When I told them that I wouldn't be dissuaded from doing my job, they reminded me that they could disappear me at any time of their choosing," Shaea told CPJ at the time.
Arrested in August, Shaea was held incommunicado for 29 days before authorities presented him before a judge. He was accused of "planning to carry out terrorist acts," "providing media support to Al-Qaeda leadership," and "belonging to a terrorist organization." During the first two months in custody, he was allowed to see his lawyer only twice, according to the local human rights group Hood. Reporters and lawyers who attended Shaea's first hearing in September said extensive bruising on his body indicated he had been subjected to abusive treatment in custody.
