US embassy cable - 05SANAA930

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 000930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD, NEA/RA, DS/OP/NEA AND 
S/CT 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
NEA/PPD FOR MQUINN, JESMITH, CWHITTLESEY 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, PTER, KISL, YM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION TO ROUNDTABLE ON THE U.S. HUMAN 
RIGHTS REPORT ON YEMEN, MARCH 24, 2005. 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: Post hosted a roundtable discussion March 24 to 
discuss with emeni stakeholders local reactions to the 
realease of the 2004 Human Rights Report (HRR). The event, 
co-sponsored by the Yemeni Center for Human Rights (a local 
NGO) was attended by civil society representatives and 
various media organizations.  State-run and ruling party 
media were generally critical of the report, characterizing 
its sources as "weak" and "unreliable" and the information 
as "inaccurate".  These were shared by some opposition 
media. Independent media, however, offered straightforward 
coverage of the report and several NGO representatives 
judged the event "useful and informative". END SUMMARY 
 
2. Various government media outlets, including Yemen TV, Al- 
Thawra official daily, Saba News Agency, and Aden-based 
October 14 focused mainly on the criticism that the report 
was "inaccurate."  The official Al-Thawra daily (03/25) 
published a front-page report titled "legal experts 
criticize the State Department Human Rights Report on 
Yemen."  Quoting unnamed sources, Al-Thawra said: 
"participants have indicated that, in spite of the hard work 
spent on this report, it contained mistakes particularly 
with regard to the rights of the handicapped, the issues of 
religious freedom, women and civil rights." Al-Thawra 
requested that "when preparing such reports the Yemeni civil 
society must be involved."  All the above government media 
outlets highlighted DCM's statement describing Yemen's human 
rights record favorably  "compared to previous years and 
other countries in the region." 
 
 
2. Al-Mithaq weekly (03/28, mouthpiece of the ruling General 
People's Congress party) published a front-page report 
quoting unidentified lawyers, legal experts and civil 
society representatives as criticizing the U.S. human rights 
report "for relying on weak sources."  Al-Mithaq added that 
roundtable participants all agreed "that the report 
distorted the facts and twisted meanings by relying on 
imprecise and uncertain sources in the process of 
information gathering." 
 
3. A more detailed report was published by the widely read 
Al-Sahwa Net website (03/24, run by Islamic-oriented Al- 
Sahwa opposition weekly) which focused on key areas where 
the HRR stated "regression was witnessed" (re:press 
freedom). Al-Sahwa Net quoted a number of attendees of the 
roundtable who criticized the report's lack of "accuracy" 
and relying on "imprecise" sources when gathering 
information.  In addition, Al-Sahwa Net referred to comments 
by other participants who accused the U.S. of "deliberately 
ignoring" more serious human rights abuses. 
 
4.  Notoriously anti-American Al-Wahdawi weekly (03/29, 
mouthpiece of the opposition Nasserite party) published a 
very critical report of what it called America's "human 
rights abuses." The report quoted prominent Yemeni writer 
and active Nasserite party member Mohamed Al-Sabri (one of 
the participants) as saying "America should first be brought 
to account for its own human rights abuses.  It is stupid 
for us to deal with Washington as a charitable welfare 
organization."  Al-Wahdawi continued to quote Al-Sabri: "The 
Americans have no right to impose on us their own standards 
with regard to human rights.  Non-governmental organizations 
should be relied on instead to monitor and observe human 
rights abuses in Yemen." 
 
5. Sawt al-Shura (03/28, monthly of the opposition Popular 
Forces Union) published an editorial attacking lack of 
autonomy in the Yemeni judiciary.  The article claimed the 
findings of the 2004 HRR backed his assertion. relied on the 
U.S. human rights report on Yemen to back its claims.  The 
article defended the U.S. report saying it should not be 
considered external interference with domestic affairs 
"since such reports help in disclosing the wrongdoings of 
bad governments." 
 
6. The English-language Yemen Times bi-weekly gave front 
page coverage of the seminar stating that the 2004 HRR has 
stirred a lot of controversy, protests and comments by some 
Yemeni officials.  Editorializing on the issue the Yemen 
Times continued: "The U.S. stance toward Yemen has a double- 
standard policy.  Tension of the Yemeni government toward 
the report has led to forming a committee to respond to it." 
 
7. COMMENT ON TELEVISION COVERAGE: Despite the fact that all 
regional TV channels were present during the seminar, only 
Al-Hurra broadcast a report which was objective and 
straightforward. END COMMENT 
 
KRAJESKI