US embassy cable - 05SANAA696

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000696 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KMPI, YM 
SUBJECT: KHAIWANI RELEASED VIA PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY 
 
REF: SANAA 04 2498 
 
Classified By: CDA Nabeel Khoury for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) On March 22, the Sanaa Appellate Court upheld the 
September 6 conviction of "as-Shura" opposition newspaper 
editor-in-chief, Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani (reftel).  Khaiwani 
was sentenced to one year in prison for violating the 1990 
Press Law for "supporting" the al-Houthi rebellion, 
"publishing reports damaging to the public interests, and 
"public humiliation" of the President.  In response, the 
Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) issued a public appeal 
expressing its "extreme disappointment" in the verdict. 
 
2. (C) Despite the March 22 verdict, journalists expressed 
optimism the morning of March 23, as rumors rapidly spread 
throughout Sanaa that Khaiwani would soon be released by 
Presidential decree.  Said al-Thabet, deputy chairperson of 
the YJS, confirmed the rumor to Poloff saying that he 
received "official news" from a "reliable source" that Saleh 
has decided to release Khaiwani.  Agence France Press and 
Al-Arabia correspondent Hamoud Munasser also believes the 
information is true, according to information he received 
from a member of Judge Hamoud al-Hittar's Committee for 
Intellectual and Theological Dialogue.  The source informed 
Munasser that in a March 23 morning meeting with Hittar's 
committee, President Saleh announced that he would issue a 
decree ordering Khawani's release as "soon as possible." 
 
3. (C) CDA was told by DFM Noman this morning that Khaiwani 
would indeed be released by a presidential pardon to be 
announced tomorrow, March 24.  "As soon as possible" turned 
out to be even earlier, when Judge Hittar announced this 
afternoon, on behalf of President Saleh, that Khaiwani is now 
a free man. 
Khoury