Cartoonist still held despite court’s release order

Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities to immediately free cartoonist Kamal Sharaf, who is still being held despite a ruling by a special state security court on 22 September ordering his release. The press freedom organisation also calls for the release of reporter Abdul Ilah Haydar Shae although the same state security court ruled on 22 September that he should be held for another 30 days to continue the investigation into his alleged Al-Qaeda links (http://en.rsf.org/yemen-one-journalist-has-detention-23-09-2010,38427.html). The illegal way these two journalists were arrested and the arbitrary prolongation of their detention has reinforced fears about the future of media freedom in Yemen. The fighting in the north of the country and the efforts to combat terrorism do not justify such practices.