Marsadak Demands Probe into Detention of Journalist Al-Dhubhani

The Media Freedom Observatory in Yemen (Marsadak) has condemned the detention of Yemen Shabab Channel TV reporter Abdulaziz Al-Dhubhani by a military checkpoint in the Kalaba area of the Al-Rawda neighborhood in Taiz while he was filming a field report for the channel today, Monday.

Al-Dhubhani told the Media Freedom Observatory that he was detained and had his phone taken away by the commander of the military checkpoint, which is part of the Taiz Axis Command and is located in the Kalabah area of the Al-Rawda neighborhood. Al-Dhubhani said he was on a journalism assignment, trying to prepare a report about the violations and targeting suffered by residents at the hands of Houthi snipers. Despite having received prior permission from the relevant authorities, Al-Dhubhani was held for three hours before being released.

Al-Dhubhani said, “When I got to the military checkpoint and showed them my permit, they refused to let me through. Instead, they told me I had to come with them to the security commander’s home, named Taha Al-Qadasi. When we got to Al-Qadasi’s door, the soldiers threw me in jail as soon as they found out I was a journalist, without even bothering to come out and talk to me or look at the permit I had that was issued by the proper authorities.”

The Observatory holds the Taiz Axis Command responsible for the fate of the journalist Al-Dhubhani and calls for a swift investigation into the case and the punishment of the perpetrators. The perpetrators should receive a deterrent punishment to prevent the recurrence of such unjust actions against journalists in the governorate.