SANA'A: Ahmed al-Shalafi a correspondent of TV channel al-Jazeera, a Qatari based TV news station revealed to Bikyamasr.com that his passport was still held by Yemen National Security. Mr. al-Shalafi who is a Yemeni national, explained that about a year ago as he was trying to have his passport renewed, the authorities blocked his request and open up an investigation against his person with National Security looking into his activities and links with revolutionaries and politicians of the opposition. Al-Shalafi alleged that his passport was seized following strict orders from then Interior Minister, Rashad al-Masri. “Rashad Al-Masri, former Minister of Interior and administrator of National Security, ordered the facility to hold my passport and stop all procedures,” Al-Shalafi stated. Ever since the formation of the coalition government, the journalist has been appealing to the highest authorities, seeking for the release of his documents as he remains stranded in Yemen incapable of fulfilling his professional duties. Al-Sharafi is now accusing National Security of wrong doings as he maintains that no charges had been brought against him and adding that there was therefore no reason for his passport to be under lock and key, other than a malicious desire to cause him harm. Moreover, al-Shalafi stressed that despite clear orders from Prime Minister, Mohamed Salem Basendwa and the intervention of Interior Minister, Abdel-Kader Qahtan his papers had yet to be handed back to him. “They went through these means to legalize the detention of the passport though it is considered to be a crime in the Yemeni constitution to hold someone's passport. Another minister tried to do his part and contacted both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior. Then someone finally came to tell me that National Security is holding my passport. Though Ministry of Information dropped its lawsuit against me, I cannot get my passport and I am still banned from travelling,” Al-Shalafi noted. Even Human Rights Minister, Hooria Mashour tried to help the journalist by intervening on his behalf, requesting the Press Prosecution to cancel their orders, but to no avail. AL-Shalafi now argues that he is being victimized by the remnants of the regime as he works for the Qatari channel al-Jazeera, an entity which on many occasions became the target of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's wrath as he cared little for the overbearing criticism of the channel against his policies. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/PcNOo Tags: Aljazeera, Corresponant, Investigations, Yemen Section: Latest News, Yemen
