Two weeks have passed since the late Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf passed away. Just one day before his death, he attended a court session in a case against the "Yemen Times." The newspaper was charged with falsification of information for publishing a front-page article asking where the US $22.5 billion coming into the country went last year. In that session, Judge Sheik Mohamed Al-Raimi demanded that the Attorney General provide accurate information related to the financial inflow to the country in the last 20 years to prove the invalidity of the Yemen Times numbers if he thinks that they are false. But the Attorney General said that he had nothing to disprove the Yemen Times figures whatsoever. The Judge then postponed the session until the Prosecution could bring documents to disprove the Yemen Times numbers. On the other hand, the late Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf declared that he had the evidence proving that the numbers were correct. In fact, according to the deceased, the documents he had, showed that the number is actually higher (around $25 billion) than the figures that he had conservatively given. The documents were prepared by the deceased and were ready to submit to the court. The case was going in favor of the Yemen Times, and would have been an additional boost to the credibility of the newspaper in revealing the truth about government finances, as well as other important information that the public has the right to know. 

Dr. Waleed Mohammed Abdulwadood, a General Practitioner, the son of the famous Heart Specialist from Taiz, was the victim of an attack by a security policeman at a traffic crossroads in Hadda. The policeman alleged that he was merely trying to "uphold traffic regulations." According to these reports, Dr. Waleed was riding up Hadda Road in his uncle's car, which was being driven by his cousin. As they stopped for the light, a policeman came up to the car and started to peel off some of the reflectors on the windshield. 

The Doctor inquired as to the reason for this action, and wanted to know why the officer had not even checked to see whether he had permission to have the reflectors. The policeman merely began to yell at him and attempted to ride the car, which had Dr. Abdulwadood's Aunt in the back seat. Dr. Abdulwadood then refused to let the policeman in the car and suggested that he move from the intersection to the side of the road where the matter could be dealt without obstructing traffic. As the car moved away from the traffic light, the Doctor said: "All I knew was that I heard gunshots, and immediately felt the dampness of blood underneath me". 

Fortunately, the Doctor was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery for removal of the bullet that penetrated his upper right thigh. An investigation is underway, but it does not appear that any action has been taken against the apparent excesses of someone who is expected to provide protection for the public, and not be a source of fear and frustration. 

The preparations for the Forum on Emerging Democracies, which is to be held in Sana'a from June 27-30, have entered the final stages, with just a week left before the delegates arrive. The Coordinator for the forum, Ms. Kendall Dwyer, has seen her team of colleagues from the National Democratic Institute grow to include three additional members, sent from NDI headquarters in Washington. More are expected to arrive next week. "We're bringing in a great team of people to assist in this, from logistics, from programs, and from some of the participating countries. By the start of the conference, we will have some of NDI's most experienced staff here, working on this great project. She added, "Of course, the donor community in Yemen continues to be a great support. Yemen has some very good friends."