A report issued today, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, by the Marsadak (Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory), revealed a worrying escalation in violations faced by Yemeni male and female journalists while traveling between governorates, due to abusive practices at military checkpoints operated by different parties to the conflict.
The report, based on monitoring and documentation, field surveys, individual testimonies, as well as legal and psychological analysis, indicated that security checkpoints have shifted from being points intended to protect people’s lives, rights, and dignity into daily instruments of repression and a source of security threats targeting journalists,regardless of the reasons for their travel.
Findings from the survey, which included 42 male and female journalists from ten governorates, showed that 76.2% of participants reported that their electronic devices had been searched, while 51.5% confirmed they had been subjected to direct financial extortion.
The report also documented multiple serious violations, including forced searches, confiscation of devices, threats of arrest, in addition to verbal and physical abuse. In most cases, these violations were triggered by revealing the journalist’s professional identity.
The risks are no longer confined to journalists during their professional duties. Simply carrying a press card, having media materials on a mobile phone, or possessing documents linked to a media outlet is often enough to subject journalists to a series of abuses that may begin with field interrogations and end with confiscation, arrest, or financial blackmail.
According to the report, the degree of risk varies depending on the authority controlling the checkpoint. However, a common denominator across all areas is the targeting of journalism as a pretext for violations, coupled with the absence of accountability and the use of security procedures as a tool for political and security pressure against press freedom and freedom of expression.
The report further indicated that the violations primarily focused on the inspection of photos, videos, SMS messages, call logs, and instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.
The report also highlighted the severe psychological and professional consequences of these practices. 69% of participating journalists said their freedom and mental well-being had been negatively affected, while 12% refrained from traveling altogether due to fear of violations, posing a grave threat to the continuity of independent journalism in Yemen.
The report concluded that these practices constitute serious breaches of the Yemeni Constitution, local laws, and international human rights conventions. It called on all parties to the conflict to stop targeting journalists and urged local and international civil society organizations to take urgent measures to protect journalists and foster a safe environment that guarantees press freedom and independence in Yemen.
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