Friday, March 12, 2010

U.S.Embassy Celebrates International Womens Day by Honoring Yemeni Women of Courage

After a day of honor of president of the organization . , U.S. ambassador in Yemen visited the headquarters of the Women Journalists Without Chains
in the context of U.S American Embassy efforts to strengthen partnerships with civil society in Yemen, Ambassador Stephen Sech and information attaché at the U.S. embassy in Sana'a Ms. Debra Smith visited the headquarters of the Organization of Women Journalists Without Chains on Tuesday, and the visit came a after one day from honoring the U.S. embassy Tawakkol Karman, president of the organization and giving her the courage award with five Yemeni women seen by the embassy as the most brave in Yemen, the U.S. ambassador Sech on the activity thanked the organization and its president in defense of human rights, saying that the Embassy of his country is keen to work to empower Yemeni women in active political participation and that it was considering the admiration of the struggles of the women's movement in Yemen also supports an active and positive role of the journalists WJWC in civil society and the promotion of freedom of the press.
Tawakkol Karman president of the organization said that she was grateful for the visit and before for the prominent role of the embassy and American civic organizations in support of civil society and human rights activists in Yemen, adding that it truly reflect the bright image of the American people as a great source of culture and the source of voluntary action and the most committed, and Karman said that her organization welcomes and betting on the U.S. role in the partnership to promote human rights and civil liberties in Yemen and said we can bet on the people that is replete with culture and civic values which is well known humanitarian commitment and bias of the rights and freedoms and sponsorship of peace and coexistence in the world "The U.S. Embassy had been granted Tawakkol Karman the Courage Award and five Yemeni women on the occasion of International Women's Day.
The Deputy Ambassador Angie Brian in the award ceremony that the selection of the U.S. embassy of Tawakkol Karman to be honored and awarded the prize in the World Women come to being as she "the most prominent defenders of press freedom and human rights in Yemen, one of the 13 women in the Shura Council of the Yemeni Grouping for Reform, and the first active who launches in 2007the stage of protests and sit-ins," She added about the acquisition of these protests and sit-ins led by her in front of the Council of Ministers of great importance during the past year, pointing to the main phenomena that lead because of sit-ins and protests, which are specified in the "sharp escalation on press freedoms and human rights in Yemen, the veiled threats against journalists and the closure of newspapers and control articles under the pretext that it is not legal by the government of Yemen.

U.S. Embassy Celebrates International Women’s Day by Honoring Yemeni Women of Courage
March 08, 2010
The U.S. Embassy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Kuni wa Kun youth organization, celebrated International Women’s Day with a ceremony at the National Museum on March 8. Deputy Chief of Mission Angie Bryan recognized six outstanding Yemeni women for their unique contributions to Yemeni society, and highlighted the partnerships between the US and Yemen to promote women’s rights and education.
The six honored Yemeni Women of Courage were:
• Tawakul Karman, chairman of the well-known NGO Women Journalists Without Chains, who for the last three years has organized sit-ins in Freedom Square to protest escalating infringements of press freedom and human rights;
• Nujood al-Ahdal, who was married at the age of 9 years old to a man three times her age and who demonstrated her courage by seeking an historic divorce;
• Reem al-Numery, who bravely defied threats of violence to seek a divorce after being married at the age of 12 years old to her 30-year-old cousin, and who was recognized as one of seven Women of Courage worldwide by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009;
• Arwa Ali Saeed Abdullah, who was just 10 years old when she lost both of her legs to a landmine, and who has been working tirelessly since then with Yemen’s Association of Landmine Survivors as an advocate for the victims of landmines;
• Fatima al-Agel, who has been working diligently for more than 17 years to promote the rights of disabled girls to achieve their goals, and works with a network of around 800 girls across the country to integrate disabled girls into schools, universities and the workplace; and
• Jamala al-Baidhani, founder of the Altahade Association for Disabled Females, an organization which helps disabled girls in Yemen fulfill their dreams.
Through their extraordinary work, these six Yemeni women embody the spirit of International Women’s Day, celebrated worldwide on March 8 every year since 1975. These celebrations were enshrined in international law in 1977, when the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming March 8 a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, to celebrate efforts to secure peace, social progress, and fundamental freedoms and rights that require the active participation and development of women The source is US Embassy site..




بلاغ صحفي
بعد يوم من تكريم رئيسة المنظمة، السفير الامريكي بصنعاء يزور مقر منظمة صحفيات بلا قيود
في سياق جهود السفارة الامريكية لتعزيز الشراكة مع المجتمع المدني في اليمن قام السفير الأمريكي ستيفن شيس والملحقية الإعلامية بالسفارة الامريكية السيدة ديبرا سميث بصنعاء بزيارة لمقر منظمة صحفيات بلا قيود أمس الثلاثاء ، وفي الزيارة التي تأتي بعد يوم واحد من تكريم السفارة الامريكية لتوكل كرمان رئيسة المنظمة ومنحها جائزة الشجاعة مع خمس نساء يمنيات وصفتهن السفارة بأنهن الأكثر شجاعة في اليمن ، أثنى السفير الامريكي على نشاط منظمة بلا قيود ورئيستها في الدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان ، وقال أن سفارة بلاده حريصة على العمل على تمكين المراة اليمنية في المشاركة السياسية الفاعلة وأنها تنظر بإعجاب لنضالات الحركة النسائية في اليمن كما تساند الدور الفاعل والايجابي لمنظمة صحفيات بلاقيود في المجتمع المدني وتعزيز حرية الصحافة
وقالت توكل كرمان رئيسة المنظمة أنها ممتنة لهذه الزيارة وقبلها للدور البارز للسفارة والمنظمات المدنية الامريكية في مساندة المجتمع المدني ونشطاء حقوق الانسان في اليمن ، وأضافت أن ذلك يعكس بحق الصورة المشرقة للشعب الأمريكي العظيم مصدر ومنبع ثقافة العمل الطوعي و الأكثر التزاما بها ، وقالت كرمان أن منظمتها ترحب وتراهن على الدور الامريكي في الشراكة لتعزيز حقوق الإنسان والحريات المدينة في اليمن وأضافت بإمكاننا أن نراهن على شعب متخم بالثقافة والقيم المدنية ومعروف بالالتزام الإنساني وانحيازه للحقوق والحريات ورعايته السلام والتعايش العالمي "
وكانت السفارة الامريكية قد منحت توكل كرمان جائزة الشجاعة ضمن خمس نساء يمنيات بمناسبة يوم المراة العالمي.
وأشارت نائبة السفير انجي براين في حفل التكريم إلى أن اختيار السفارة الامريكية لتوكل كرمان لتكريمها ومنحها الجائزة في اليوم العالمي للمرأة يأتي لكونها "من أبرز المدافعين عن حرية الصحافة وحقوق الإنسان في اليمن، وواحدة من 13 امرأة في مجلس شورى حزب التجمع اليمني للإصلاح، وأول ناشطة تطلق في العام 2007 مرحلة احتجاجات واعتصامات"، متحدثة عن اكتساب تلك الاحتجاجات و الاعتصامات التي تقودها أمام مجلس الوزراء أهمية كبرى خلال العام المنصرم، مشيرة إلى أبرز المظاهر التي تقود بسببها الاعتصامات والاحتجاجات، والتي حددتها في " التصعيد الحاد على حريات الصحافة وحقوق الإنسان في اليمن، والتهديدات المقنعة ضد الصحفيين وإغلاق الصحف والرقابة على المقالات بحجة أنها غير قانونية من قبل الحكومة اليمنية .