PRESIDENT SALEH'S SON: ALIVE AND WELL IN SANAA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000507 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2014 TAGS: PTER PARM PREL PHUM YM DEMOCRATIC REFORM SUBJECT: PRESIDENT SALEH'S SON: ALIVE AND WELL IN SANAA REF: A. GMP20040305000091 ¶B. GMP20040306000146 Classified By: DCM Alan G. Misenheimer for reasons 1.5 (b. and d.) ¶1. (u) Colonel Ahmed Ali Saleh, President Saleh's oldest son and Commander of the Yemen Special Forces, made a public appearance on March 6 at a graduation ceremony for the Republican Guard and Special Forces. DATT, who attended the ceremony, confirms that Saleh appeared to be unharmed. Saleh's appearance refutes widespread press reports (ref a) that said Saleh was recovering in Amman after an assassination attempt. Saleh told Al-Ayyam newspaper that those responsible for the rumor are "resentful about the progress, modernization and change being led by President Saleh in Yemen." ¶2. (c) Post confirmed that Political Security Organization (PSO) forces detained al-Quds reporter Sa'id Thabet, who some believe to be the original source of the report. Thabet is an embassy contact and newly-elected to the Yemen Journalist Syndicate (YJS) Board, whose members protested 3/7 in front of the PSO headquarters. Both the YJS and the Arab Journalist Federation based in Cairo (ref b) condemned the detention in public statements. ¶3. (c) Comment: While COL Ahmed Ali Saleh's attendance at the 3/6 ceremony puts to rest rumors that he was injured and recovering in Amman as a result of an assassination attempt, the circumstances surrounding the reports are still unclear. Post is seeking clarification. After a decrease in the number of journalists arbitrarily detained in 2003, Thabet's detention indicates remaining obstacles to press freedom. Journalists who cross so called "red-lines," including reporting on security and issues that "harm national unity," face harassment. End comment. HULL