Two media assistants arbitrarily detained for more than one month

Reporters Without Borders has protested in a letter to the Yemen interior minister against the detention of Munif Damesh and Naif Damesh, fixer and driver arrested on 3 April 2005, while working for two foreign journalists. "Reporters Without Borders asks for the unconditional release of Munaf and Naif Damesh", said the organisation. We remind you that under Article 8 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights signed by the League of Arab States, including Yemen, "no-one shall be arrested, held in custody or detained without a legal warrant and without being brought promptly before a judge". This unacceptable situation has now lasted for more than a month and these two media assistants are being held without charge." Shale Bauer, American journalist on the Yemen Observer and James Brandon, a freelance journalist working for the Christian Science Monitor, took on Munif Damesh, 22, and his brother Munaf Damesh, 17, as fixers for reporting in Saada. Their uncle Naif Damesh, 50, was hired as a driver. The five were arrested at a military roadblock on their way back and taken to the Political Security Office. Shale Bauer and James Brandon were released after about 12 hours. The younger brother Munaf Damesh was freed two weeks after his arrest but Munif and Naif Damesh are still being held for unknown reasons and have not been allowed to contact their family or a lawyer.