by FRANCOIS-XAVIER TREGAN
Yemen’s Suhail TV gives voice to the opposition
The TV station’s quiet premises are located just off Change Square in the heart of Yemen’s capital. As unfamiliar faces approach, a security guard comes out of a tent by the entrance and inquires about the nature of the visit. Ever since the facility was devastated by fire last May, Suhail Television has lived under the pressure of threats and the fear of renewed attacks. “Suhail is the voice of the Yemeni revolution,” states Managing Director Muhammad Qissam.
It only took a few months for Suhail to establish itself as the best news channel in Yemen for coverage of the protest movement against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Suhail was launched three years ago in a gray television and radio landscape kept within firm boundaries by the state apparatus. The channel quickly broke ranks. “To speak about the hopes of the people as opposed to the wishes of the regime, that is our mission,” says Qissam, also a former director of information for the national news channel.
In the absence of a law on private media, the channel cannot legally broadcast from within Yemen and is therefore headquartered in London. It is overseen by Hamdan Al-Ahmar, a member of a powerful tribal brotherhood led by Sadek Al-Ahmar, a declared opponent to the president who is also close to Al-Islah, the Islamist party.
In Yemen, Suhail manages to broadcast its programs live on the Internet thanks to a complex technical set-up by a German-based firm. Its monthly budget is estimated at $50,000 and is financed by a group of Yemeni businessmen who insist on discretion “in order to protect their investments.”
On the frontline of an information battle
In popular Yemeni culture, Suhail is a character respected for his wisdom and praised for his knowledge. Building on this, the channel makes a point of showing what the official media hide or misrepresent. Indeed, an information battle has been raging since the beginnings of the Yemeni revolution in February.
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