should not, however, suggest tolerance for criticism or dissent, as attested by the state’s treatment of journalists and its timely blocking
of oppositional media sites during the 2006
presidential elections. The failures of the filtering
system installed on Yemen’s principal ISP likewise hint at the state’s limited capacity to control
content, rather than any willingness to allow information to flow freely. In essence, the breadth of
content filtered should temper any optimism
about the evident ineffectiveness of filtering in
Yemen witnessed in this round of testing.
NOTES
1. See, for example, Reporters Without Borders,
“Yemen press release,” December 14, 2005,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15713;
Yemen: Annual Report 2006, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=17212.
2. U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices 2005: Yemen,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61703.htm.
3. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
4. Adnan Hizam, “IT market in Yemen experiences
rapid growth,” Yemen Observer, July 29, 2006,
http://www.yobserver.com/cgi-bin/2007/
exec/view.cgi/22/10622/printer.
5. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
6. YemenNet Web site, Background information,
http://www.yemen.net.ye/index.php?q=background
(in Arabic).
7. Library of Congress: Federal Research Division,
Country Profile: Yemen, December 2006,
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf.
8. Helmi Noman, An Overview of the Demographics
and Usage Patterns of Internet Users in Developing
Countries: Yemeni Internet Population as a Case
Study, United Nations Development Programme,
http://www.undp.org.ye/ict.php.
9. Ibid.
10. Yemen News Agency (Saba) http://www.sabanews.net/
view.php?scope=f69b5&dr=&ir=&id=103280 (in
Arabic).
11. Ministry of Telecommunication and Information
Technology, http://www.mtit.gov.ye/ (in Arabic).
12. AME Info, “Yemen’s Internet market registers high
growth rates,” March 14, 2006,
http://www.ameinfo.com/80390.html.
13. Terms and conditions for Y.Net Service,
http://www.y.net.ye/support/rules.htm.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Yemen News Agency (Saba) Press and Publications
Law, Law http://www.sabanews.net/view.php?
scope=319c3e9&dr=&ir=&id=44000.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Reporters Without Borders, Yemen: Annual Report
2007, http://www.rsf.org/country-43.php3?
id_mot=157&Valider=OK.
21. See Yemen Times, “Journalists reject draft press law,”
April 28 to May 1, 2005, http://yementimes.com/
article.shtml?i=837&p=front&a=2; IRIN, “Yemen:
Journalists still targeted despite draft law,”, April 30,
2006, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=
26327; International Press Institute, 2005 World
Press Freedom Review, http://www.freemedia.at/
cms/ipi/freedom_detail.html?country=/KW0001/
KW0004/KW0108/.
22. Arab Press Freedom Watch, More Press Freedom
Violation Recorded in Yemen, http://www.apfw.org/
indexenglish.asp?fname=news%5Cenglish%5C2007
%5C01%5C13203.htm.See full report at
http://www.apfw.org/indexenglish.asp?fname=report
%5Cenglish%5C2007%5C01%5C1014.htm.
23. Mohammed Al-Qadhi, “Journalists reject draft press
law,” Yemen Times, http://yementimes.com/article.
shtml?i=837&p=front&a=2.
24. See Arabic Network for Human Rights Information,
“To exit integral competitive presidential elections:
The Yemeni government restricts freedom of expression by blocking independent websites,” September
11, 2006, http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/
pr0911.shtml; NewsYemen, “Press and freedom of
expression: The victims of Yemeni elections,”
September 30, 2006, http://www.newsyemen.
net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=4_2006_09_30_6360
.
428
Country Summaries
of oppositional media sites during the 2006
presidential elections. The failures of the filtering
system installed on Yemen’s principal ISP likewise hint at the state’s limited capacity to control
content, rather than any willingness to allow information to flow freely. In essence, the breadth of
content filtered should temper any optimism
about the evident ineffectiveness of filtering in
Yemen witnessed in this round of testing.
NOTES
1. See, for example, Reporters Without Borders,
“Yemen press release,” December 14, 2005,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15713;
Yemen: Annual Report 2006, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=17212.
2. U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices 2005: Yemen,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61703.htm.
3. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
4. Adnan Hizam, “IT market in Yemen experiences
rapid growth,” Yemen Observer, July 29, 2006,
http://www.yobserver.com/cgi-bin/2007/
exec/view.cgi/22/10622/printer.
5. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
6. YemenNet Web site, Background information,
http://www.yemen.net.ye/index.php?q=background
(in Arabic).
7. Library of Congress: Federal Research Division,
Country Profile: Yemen, December 2006,
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf.
8. Helmi Noman, An Overview of the Demographics
and Usage Patterns of Internet Users in Developing
Countries: Yemeni Internet Population as a Case
Study, United Nations Development Programme,
http://www.undp.org.ye/ict.php.
9. Ibid.
10. Yemen News Agency (Saba) http://www.sabanews.net/
view.php?scope=f69b5&dr=&ir=&id=103280 (in
Arabic).
11. Ministry of Telecommunication and Information
Technology, http://www.mtit.gov.ye/ (in Arabic).
12. AME Info, “Yemen’s Internet market registers high
growth rates,” March 14, 2006,
http://www.ameinfo.com/80390.html.
13. Terms and conditions for Y.Net Service,
http://www.y.net.ye/support/rules.htm.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Yemen News Agency (Saba) Press and Publications
Law, Law http://www.sabanews.net/view.php?
scope=319c3e9&dr=&ir=&id=44000.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Reporters Without Borders, Yemen: Annual Report
2007, http://www.rsf.org/country-43.php3?
id_mot=157&Valider=OK.
21. See Yemen Times, “Journalists reject draft press law,”
April 28 to May 1, 2005, http://yementimes.com/
article.shtml?i=837&p=front&a=2; IRIN, “Yemen:
Journalists still targeted despite draft law,”, April 30,
2006, http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=
26327; International Press Institute, 2005 World
Press Freedom Review, http://www.freemedia.at/
cms/ipi/freedom_detail.html?country=/KW0001/
KW0004/KW0108/.
22. Arab Press Freedom Watch, More Press Freedom
Violation Recorded in Yemen, http://www.apfw.org/
indexenglish.asp?fname=news%5Cenglish%5C2007
%5C01%5C13203.htm.See full report at
http://www.apfw.org/indexenglish.asp?fname=report
%5Cenglish%5C2007%5C01%5C1014.htm.
23. Mohammed Al-Qadhi, “Journalists reject draft press
law,” Yemen Times, http://yementimes.com/article.
shtml?i=837&p=front&a=2.
24. See Arabic Network for Human Rights Information,
“To exit integral competitive presidential elections:
The Yemeni government restricts freedom of expression by blocking independent websites,” September
11, 2006, http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/
pr0911.shtml; NewsYemen, “Press and freedom of
expression: The victims of Yemeni elections,”
September 30, 2006, http://www.newsyemen.
net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=4_2006_09_30_6360
.
428
Country Summaries