Yasser
Alwesabi
Gunmen
loyal to the outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been surrounding the
state-run Al-Jomhoria newspaper for two days after the newspaper commuted its publication policies and became more independent.
An editor of the newspaper, Zakria
Al-Kamali, affirmed that over 100 armed men surrounded the newspaper with the support
of policemen.
He pointed out that the newspaper's
headquarter is located close to the public security, but security forces
remained silent.
Following the formation of the interim
government , Al-Jomhoria witnessed complete changes in its cover and hosted writers
who are disgusted by the Yemeni regime.
Deputy Information Minister Abdul
Al-Jandi who is among the most loyal officials to Saleh had expressed his sorrow
after Saleh's image was removed from Al-Thawra newspaper, threatening that he
will resign.
A day after his convulsive remarks,
armed men surrounded Al-Thawra ,entered the newsroom and took over the
publication.
The Yemeni Journalist Syndicate has
strongly condemned the siege of the state-run Al-Thawra newspapers and its
staff, considering such incident a threat against Yemeni journalists, demanding
the concern authorities to immediately end the siege, arrest the armed men and
bring them to justice.
For its part, the Yemeni Journalist
Syndicate demanded Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi , the
newly-established military commission and all the state that adopted the
GCC-brokered power transfer to end such violations against Yemen's press
institutions.
It further held the interim
government and the military committee responsible for protecting journalists of
the newspaper.
YJS said that the armed men
affiliated to Saleh attempt to raise turbulence and chaos with the aim of
disturbing the early presidential elections scheduled for February 21.
