almotamar.net - SANAA- The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has called on journalists to stage a sit-in on Sunday in solidarity with Al-Ra Al-A’am newspaper editor in chief for a court verdict against him of one year imprisonment and closure of the newspaper.

Senior deputy chairman of the YJS Saeed Thabit told almotamar.net the solidarity will begin at 10:30 am and would issue a solidarity statement defining the stance towards the verdict, calling all journalists to attend the sit-in to express their resentment.
The South-West capital secretariat court decided the imprisonment of the newspaper’s editor in chief Kamal al-Ulfi for one year and the closure of the newspaper and preventing him writing for six months. the verdict issued Saturday included that the newspaper intended to ridicule the Prophet by re-publication of cartoons offending the Prophet originally were published by some Danish newspapers.
Chairman OF Yemeni journalists syndicate Nasr Taha Mustafa has denounced the verdict of the court saying the court should have considered what was written in defence of the Prophet especially that the cartoons were published as an indication to the subject and were not meant for offence or promotion for them.
Mr. Mustafa appealed to the head of the court to urgently reconsider the verdict, expressing his regret for the issuing of such judgment particularly following the state’s general direction of canceling the punishment of imprisoning journalists because of opinion and after the great success Yemen has gained at the donor conference.
On his part the newspaper’s editor in chief Kamal al-Ulfi expressed his astonishment over the verdict considering it as an offence against the country. He added that the head of the court did not respond to any of defences presented by the newspaper explaining that the report was in defence of the Prophet rather than ridicule.