Houthis’ prolonged detention and torture of 10 journalists illustrates risks faced by media workers
September Net
The arbitrary detention of 10 journalists for nearly four years by the Houthi coup militia de is a grim indicator of the dire state of media freedom in Yemen, said Amnesty International, demanding their immediate release ahead of World Press Freedom Day.
The Amnesty International said that the 10 journalists have been held since the summer of 2015 and are being prosecuted on trumped-up spying charges for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression.
It stated that over the course of their detention the men have been forcibly disappeared, held in intermittent incommunicado detention, been deprived of access to medical care and suffered torture and other ill-treatment. In one recent incident.
“On 19 April a prison warden entered their cell at night, stripped off their clothing and brutally beat them, according to trusted sources. They have been held in solitary confinement since that day.”
“The unlawful and prolonged detention, torture and other ill-treatment of these 10 journalists is a shocking reminder of the repressive media climate facing journalists in Yemen,”said Rasha Mohamed, Amnesty International’s Yemen Researcher.
“These men are being punished for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. The Houthi militia should release them immediately and drop all the charges against them. Journalists must be allowed to carry out their work free from harassment, intimidation or threat of arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention or prosecution.”
More than three years into their detention, in December 2018, the journalists were formally charged after being questioned in the presence of their lawyers and their cases were referred from the Political Security Office to the Specialized Criminal Court – a court traditionally reserved for terrorism-related cases.
They were charged with a series of offences including spying – which is punishable by death in the Yemeni Criminal Code – and helping the Saudi Arabia-led coalition. Their trials have not started yet and it is not clear when they might take place.
Some of the journalists worked for online news outlets affiliated with al-Islah, a political party that opposes the Houthi coup militia.
“It is completely outrageous that these men could face the death penalty simply for doing their jobs. The charges against them are false and should be dropped immediately. They are blatantly being targeted because of their journalistic work and their political opinions,” said Rasha Mohamed.
The men are believed to suffer from a range of health problems, including abdominal pain, for which they have been refused treatment. Officials in the Political Security Office have also prevented visiting families from bringing detainees medication.