SANAA - A Yemeni newspaper editor said on Wednesday he had been abducted and beaten up by gunmen claiming to act on behalf of military officers. âGunmen in civilian clothes were watching me as I came home (in Sanaa) from work at 4:00 am (0100 GMT) Tuesday,â said Jamal Amer, editor of the independent weekly Al-Wasat.
âWhen I got out of the car, one of them approached me and asked me to come with them,â claiming they were acting on instructions from military officers, Amer told AFP. âThey bundled me into a vehicle with army license plates, blindfolded me and drove me to an unknown location outside Sanaa, where they threatened me, beat me up and inquired about my sources and material published by my newspaper.
âThey cursed democracy and accused me of collaborating with the US and Kuwaiti embassies,â he added. Amer said he would not specifically accuse anyone for the assault but insisted that the government should track down the perpetrators and punish them.
| "Please don't let them kill me!" |
Military and security sources contacted by AFP declined to comment on the alleged involvement of military officers pending an investigation.
Dozens of journalists flocked to the journalistsâ syndicate in Sanaa on Wednesday to denounce the attack and express solidarity with Amer. Syndicate chief Mahbub Ali said the attack on Amer amounted to an âattack on all Yemeni journalists,â and authorities had a duty to track down and punish the assailants. The Arab Federation of Journalists condemned what they called a âcriminal attackâ and called on Yemeni authorities to find the âarmed gangsâ responsible and bring them to justice, said a statement issued in Cairo.
Yemeni opposition parties also denounced the assault.
| "Yeah, why didn't they kill him?" |
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