Cover-Up in Yemen 3-20-12

20, March 2012                      Cover-up in YEMEN

The arrest of Yemini journalist, Abdullah Haider Shaye is a classic case of the messenger of bad tidings being unfairly arrested. Jeremy Scahill, national security correspondent for The Nation magazine reports that that Shaye traveled to the village of al-Majala in southern Yemen on December 17, 2009 to investigate the aftermath of a series of strikes against Al-Qaeda training camps allegedly conducted by the Yemini government.

What he found was the evidence of a massacre of many elderly civilians including 14 women and 21 children – and the unmistakable imprint of US missile strikes. He photographed remnants of Tomahawk cruise missiles and cluster bombs carrying “Made in USA”. The Yemini government, acutely embarrassed by Shaye’s reporting, arrested him on triumphed up charges of terrorism. The trial created international outrage with human rights groups and organizations to protect journalists demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Shaye. International pressure seemed to be working, and a pardon was prepared for then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s signature. However, Scahill, and other reporters and bloggers including Salon's Glenn Greenwald, allege that Saleh’s release was rescinded by an urgent call from the Obama White House. This appears to be yet another US missile strike gone awry which resulted in a tragic loss of innocent civilians followed by a clumsy effort on damage control. Meanwhile a courageous reporter languishes in a Yemini dungeon at the behest the Obama White House – another travesty of justice.