'I Am Still a Prisoner': Yemeni Journalist Jailed at Obama's Request Now Under House Arrest

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Abdulelah Haider Shaye, wrongfully incarcerated for three years and 8 days, is now in the comfort of his home, sitting with his family, eating, laughing and crying together. But he is still not a free man. “Although I have been released, in the eyes of the political and national security agencies I am still a threat. Therefore, I am still a prisoner and I am not free,” Shaye told his lawyer, Abdulrahman Barman, after his release.

Despite these onerous conditions, many Yemenis began hailing Hadi’s actions and started, rightfully so, celebrating Shaye’s release.

While Shaye’s release is a huge victory and a step in the right direction for press freedom, many questions remain: Why did the Yemeni government arrest Shaye in the first place? Can we really applaud President Hadi for releasing Shaye under such harsh conditions, justifying his arrest and treating him as though he is a criminal despite a total absence of due process? Was Shaye’s release a tactic for President Hadi and President Obama to appease the popular global resistance against the drone wars?

The White House response to Shaye’s release was atrocious. "We are concerned and disappointed by the early release of Abdulelah al-Shai, who was sentenced by a Yemeni court to five years in prison for his involvement with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," said Bernadette Meehan, a spokesperson for the National Security Council. On Democracy Now!, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill commented on the White House statement by saying: “Let that sink in. President Obama is concerned and disappointed over a Yemeni journalist who was imprisoned in Yemen and released in Yemen.”

On August 1, President Hadi is scheduled to meet President Obama at the White House to discuss the Yemen-US counter-terrorism partnership (the U.S. drone program is expected to be discussed), and the transfer of the 56 Yemeni prisoners held in Guantanamo that have been cleared for release and designated for transfer. It would be nice if someone in the press corps questioned these leaders about imprisoning a journalist for exposing US crimes in Yemen and about US drone strikes that continue to kill innocent Yemenis. That would be a good way to honor Abdulelah Haider Shaye.

One thing remains certain: what happens when you try to silence an important issue? Well, as the Yemeni and U.S. Government found out last Tuesday, people will be there to make some noise. Abdulelah Haider Shaye is a 35 year old journalist with a conscious--and because he has a conscious has been charged with “aiding a terrorist group.” Shaye is in good spirits, celebrating life and clinging on to hope and optimism that with continuous collective efforts, truth and freedom will never be silenced.