Mohammed Tahir almotamar.net - SANAA-Yemeni journalists have expressed their resentment towards the behaviour of the Al-Thawri YSP weekly newspaper’s editor in chief Khalid Salman by his seeking political asylum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Salman was a member of the media delegation that accompanied the president of the republic to the recently held London donor conference.

Chairman of the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate said he was feeling sorry for what the journalist Khalid Salman did, describing it as an irresponsible and condemned behaviour. Meanwhile editor in chief of al-Wahdawi newspaper said it was an extremely unjustifiable act. YJS chairman Nassr Taha Mustafa told almotamar.net that colleague Khalid Salman has initiated was not expected and he did not think it as unbecoming for the profession of press he has taken as career and practice for long years and that he knows well he could say what he wants without being exposed to any harm. Mar Mustafa has also called on Mar Salman to reconsider his stance and to retract from it.
On the reasons journalist Salman said about his request for the political asylum, editor in chief of al-Wahdawi newspaper Ali al-Saqqaf said he was surprised for his stance especially that there as no excuse for his request. He said he could not understand that one requests asylum while he is a member of a media delegation accompanying the president of the republic on his vast to Saudi Arabia and London to attend the donor conference. He added there was no government hostile stand against him and he was officially invited to be part of the delegation as was the case with other editors in chief of government and partisan newspapers.

Mar Salman has justified his behaviour and act as being pursued in Yemen for cases pertaining to publication.