The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for the Foreign Policy Blogs network and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous.
The Following is an interview with Haitham al-Jayefi , a famous voice imitator of President Saleh. This report was forwarded to Yemen News Connect by Yemen rights Monitor, a human rights online group that has been keeping a tab on all governmental activities since the beginning of the Yemeni Revolution. The interview was translated in English by the group.
http://yemenrightsmonitor.blogspot.com/2011/06/haitham-al-jayefi-salehs-voice-imitator.html
In the Name of Allah,
“On Saturday June 18th 2011, at 10:30 pm, I was on my way to my uncle’s house near Asma School when I was surprised by a group of people. They covered me with a blanket and took me into a car.
I didn’t see the car, I was blind folded. I knew I was kidnapped, I did not scream. What was the point?
We drove for about an hour and half, and I felt ups and downs as if we were going out of Sana’a.
Then we walked for half an hour while I was still blind folded. Then we went down the stairs and I felt like it was a basement.
I sat on a chair and they took off the mask. They were asking me nicely, how are you?
I said I’m fine, why did you bring me here. They said wait a bit until the leader comes. I agreed.
The leader came and he ordered someone to bring a letter; it was a long letter, and they spent some time talking about it.
Finally they said that they heard that I could impersonate the President’s voice along with others. They told me they wanted me read the letter using the Presidents voice, only with a tired tone to it. I refused, denying that I was able to deliver such an impersonation.
They accused me of lying saying they had a tape of me. They then brought the video of the imitating and showed to to me. I replied that even if I knew how to imitate the President, I will never comply with their demands, especially knowing that it will harm the country.
Suddenly all I could hear was a slap on my face. They beat me up and put my hands on a table where some iron electrocuted cuffs were placed. I was electrocuted. After a while they decided to leave me alone to think, I couldn’t tell if it was morning, night, or anything. I was in a basement and the light was on the whole time. It was so quiet,
I couldn’t hear a thing. They didn’t bring me breakfast, lunch or dinner, nothing at all except for water. They came the second time asking me if I thought about it, and I said think about what? They said what is wrong with you imitated his voice?
We won’t do anything to you. I said no. They went on torturing me again. One of them said, leave us alone and I will convince him by myself, let us leave both of us.
They covered me again and we left, on a car and I was covered the whole way.
When the car stopped; he took off the mask and I was near Amran roundabout, between Amran roundabout and Al-Thawra stadium. The man started congratulating me for my bravery during the kidnapping and the torture séances. He added that I was different from the others. He told me that if he was to take me back they will continue to mistreat me until I cave in to their demands. They won’t let you out, and they will kill you he added. You will never leave if I took you back. So I will let you escape, but do not say that you were kidnapped. I asked him what his name was, and he said Khaled Al-Jaradi.
Then he told me to leave. He also said that he himself will not return back to the base. I won’t go back to them because if I go back they will ask where you are and they will kill me, so I will travel to my village.
This happened on the third day of my kidnapping: on a Monday at 10:00. I was hungry and thirsty, 3 days without anything. I left and walked until I reached Change Square.
The beginning of the letter they wanted me to read was directed to “the great Yemeni people and security forces, we are fine and we will come in the coming days…”
