Yemen

New York, January 14, 2011--Yemeni security forces should release Fuad Rashid, editor-in-chief of the independent news website Mukalla Press, who was detained Monday in Hadramout province, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Today marks the anniversary of the beginning of the multiday siege by Yemeni police and security personnel of the compound that houses the offices of the independent daily Al-Ayyam. During its assault on the headquarters of the critical daily, the government used automatic machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy weaponry. The siege and the ensuing violence was apparently initiated in response to journalists from Al-Ayyam and other outlets conducting a sit-in outside the compound to protest the daily's suspension since May.