Eleven days ago, we posted an article about the death-penalty trial of Mohammed Al-Asadi, the editor of the leading Yemeni English-language newspaper. In case you missed the background information, you can read our original report:

One weblog that continues to provide excellent coverage of this affair is Agora. We urge our readers to remain current by reading all of their recent article

A lengthy interview with Al-Asadi was published in Danish-language Information. The good folk at Agora have kindly provided a translation into English. Here’s an excerpt:

Mohammed al-Asadi had become a known face in Yemen: He had been presented as a criminal on national TV and in government-friendly newspapers. He was also a known face outside of Yemen: Newsweek did a telephone interview with him in prison where they called him a “martyr for the free press” and BBC World has told his story. This Friday Mohammed al-Asadi didn’t wish to be recognised. All he wanted to do was to go to Friday Prayers, so he walked towards a Mosque in a part of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, where he doesn’t usually go:

“When I entered, I bowed my head and listened. The preacher warned against a terrible sinner among us, against one in Yemen who has dishonored our religion and our prophet. He talked of how disgraceful this man was. I realised that I was who he was talking about. I was their sinner. I dared not lift my head. I covered my head with my scarf and looked down. There and then I realised how bad things are. If the others in the Mosque had recognised me, they would have killed me. With their shoes if they had nothing else to do it with.”