human rights report documents eight years of legal violations and transgressions against journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi

In this investigative report, we provide a comprehensive coverage of journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi’s ordeal which was the result of his professional activity as a reporter, ranging from unfair trial to harsh treatment, physical and psychological torture, and forced disappearance, all of which are in blatant violation of the relevant national and international laws and conventions. It was only after more than four and a half years of unjustified arrest, that he was allowed to sit alone with his lawyer to discuss the charges against him. This investigative report has relied on the testimonies of fellow detainees, the testimony of family members, and the appointed defense lawyer.

Through this investigative report, we will try to understand why journalist Al-Sadawi was not released within the legally prescribed period under the Yemeni law, being 15 days as of the date of issuance of the ruling against Al-Sadawi. Indeed, despite the submission of an appeal petition, yet the prosecution department failed to respond thereto despite the passage of three hearings, and even requested a continuance, thus forcing the court of Appeals, after being informed by the defense lawyer at the hearing held on Sunday, November 2023, to uphold the ruling issued by the court of first instance and order his release.

This report has further documented the deliberate medical negligence inflected upon journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi, based on a document issued by Ansar Allah controlled prosecution department.

This report also attempts to present a comprehensive documentation of the unlawful practices and blatant violation, including but not limited to killings, enforced disappearances, and torture that today have become one of the hallmarks of one of the most difficult times that Yemeni journalists have ever experienced. Such violations, according to documented testimonies, include trials conducted illegally, and not abiding by even the minimum acceptable legal procedures, whether in the conduct of investigations and/or trials.

At the end of this investigative report, we provided recommendations to the concerned authorities, whether domestic or international, in order to intervene and save journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi from the tragic situation he has been suffering through for more than 8 years.

Click here to view the report