The Media Freedoms Observatory (MFO) in Yemen reported 15 cases of violations against media freedoms in Yemen during July and August of this year 2018, which were exposed to journalists and journalists, ranging from killings, injuries, kidnapping, threats and arrests.
The report indicated that media freedoms in Yemen are at a critical juncture due to arbitrary and systematic practices against media freedoms by all the conflicting parties in Yemen.
The report blamed the Houthis Group of the referring the four years detains journalists to the Specialized Criminal Court and trial them as a criminals. This trial is one of dozens of arbitrary violations exposed daily against journalists by all conflicts parties in Yemen. This consists of painful reality of journalists in Yemen, where the truth become the enemies of the state and journalism become accusation worth criminalization and prosecution.
The report recorded the killing of two journalists during their duties and coverage of the events and battles during the past two months, the journalist Ahmad Al-Hamzi, the director of the Saba news agency in the province of Al-Bayda was killed by a mortar fired by the Houthi group.
The media photographer Issa Al – Nami was killed by explosion of a mine planted by the Houthi group in the area called Iron Gates in Alap military front at Saada Governorate.
The violations were committed in the past two months, not only killing but also the kidnapping of five journalists, the wounding of a journalist and the arrest of five other journalists.
According to the report, the Houthi group come in the head of violators against journalists and media freedoms in Yemen with 8 cases of violations and 6 violations committed by the legitimate government, and one case committed by unknown assailants in Sanaa.
The report mentioned that the violations committed in many cities, four cases of violations in the city of Taiz, three in Sana’a, two in Al-Bayda, two in Dalea and one in Aden, Sa’ada, Hodeidah and Dhamar.
MFO demand all conflict parties in Yemen to immediately stop the practice of violations against journalists. MFO appealed to all the free people of Yemen and the world to work for the speedy release of all journalists kidnapped in prisons and stop incitement and targeting campaigns for media workers and social media.
Fifteen journalists are still in al-Houthi prison for more than three years and the group refuse to release them. The prisoners journalists are Abdul Khalek Omran, Tawfiq al-Mansouri, Harith Hameed, Hisham Tarmoum, Hisham al-Yusufi, Akram al-Walidi, Essam Bilghith, Hassan Anab and Haytham al-Shehab. Wahid al-Sufi, journalist Salah al-Qaedi, Nader al-Salhi, Ammar al-Ahmadi, Abad al-Jaradi and Kamal al-Shawash. Al-Qaeda in Hadramout also arrested journalist Mohammed al-Maqri and refused to release him.
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