Yemen needs journalists
Yemen is never long out of the headlines. Just two days ago, Oman mediated a ceasefire between the US and Yemen’s Houthis after the rebel group agreed to stop attacking vessels in the Red Sea. Hours later, the Houthis sought to clarify the terms of the deal, stating that attacks on Israel were in no way part of it.
Yemen, the region, and the world need reliable information about events unfolding in the country, and their impact on the world. In other words, Yemen needs journalists.
But they are at great risk, as media freedom in the country continues to deteriorate, crippled by an environment of fear, censorship, and self-censorship. Yemen remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and violations are routinely carried out with near total impunity.
On World Press Freedom Day, we joined partner organisations in highlighting those violations, including journalists and media workers facing arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, unjust trials, and even murder. We called for the release of detained journalists, and urged authorities to conduct transparent, thorough investigations into the targeting and the attacks.
On 26 April, Houthi forces killed television cameraman Musab Al-Hattami as he reported on the conflict.
In 2024 alone, at least 40 journalists were summoned and interrogated – often based on fabricated charges. Among those detained and sentenced last year were journalist Aziz Al-Ahmadi and Awad Kashmim, head of the Freedoms Committee at the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate in Hadramawt.
‘As conflict continues in Yemen, the work of independent journalists is more essential than ever. We will continue to advocate for freedom of expression and the right to information in Yemen, and to call for the international community to protect journalists. whose vital work is essential during the ongoing conflict in the county and the wider region.’
– Saloua Ghazouani, Director of ARTICLE 19 Middle East and North Africa
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