Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani (1965 – 2015) was an internationally renowned Yemeni journalist and the former editor-in-chief of the pro-democracy online newspaper Al-Shoura. Al-Khaiwani was arrested in 2007 when a counter-terrorist team entered his house posing as electricians. In June 2008, after years of harassment, kidnappings, beatings, and death threats in retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the Yemeni government, al-Khaiwani was sentenced to six years in prison on fabricated charges of conspiring with the leader of an anti-government terrorist cell. After suffering terrible abuse during his incarceration, in 2009, al-Khaiwani received a presidential pardon and was released. He received Amnesty International UK’s Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat in 2008. Al-Khaiwani was also a significant member of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee (2014-15) which represented the Houthi movement transition efforts to replace the the existing Yemen government. Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani was assassinated in March, 2015 in front of his home in Sana’a. Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility. “Al-Khaiwani bravely put his life on the line year after year to expose the reality of tyranny and corruption. He will always be remembered for his heroic devotion to use truth and justice.” said HRF president Thor Halvorssen.
