The Yemeni Journalists' Union has renewed its appeal for the immediate release of nine journalists who've been abducted by the Houthi militia. The union emphasizes that their prolonged detention is a blatant infringement on press freedom and human rights.
The union highlights the dire circumstances faced by these journalists, including Mohammed Al-Mayah, who was abducted in September 2024 and sentenced to 18 months in prison for his social media posts. Other journalists, such as Walid Ghalib, Hassan Ziyad, Abduljabbar Ziyad, Abdulaziz Al-Noom, Asim Muhammad, and Abdul-Majeed Al-Zeilai, remain in detention without due process.
The union also notes the ongoing enforced disappearance of Waheed Al-Soofi since April 2015 and the detention of Nabil Al-Sadawi without clear legal procedures.
The Yemeni Journalists' Union holds the Houthi militia accountable for its systematic crackdown on journalists, media outlets, and the profession as a whole. This includes abductions, disappearances, and displacement of hundreds of journalists, which the union sees as an attempt to intimidate and silence the press.
In a related matter, the union calls for the release of Nasih Shaker, who's been detained by the Security Belt Forces in Aden since November 2023 under unclear circumstances.