The Report of Violations against Freedom of Speech and Expression First Quarter of 2023

According to a report on media violations in Yemen during the first quarter of 2023, there were 16 cases of violations against journalists, including the arrest of a journalist in Sana’a due to his work, the burning of a car belonging to journalist Saly Al-Mekhlafi’s husband, and the continued trial of three journalists in Hadramout and Aden for publication issues.

It is concerning that all trials against journalists are taking place in non-specialized courts for press and publication issues, but rather in courts specialized in terrorism and state security issues, such as the case of journalist Ahmed Maher and the trial of other journalists in Hadramout before the Public Funds Prosecution. All of these practices aim to intimidate journalists and silence them from continuing their journalistic work freely and professionally.

The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate headquarters in Aden has not been spared from abusive practices against journalists and media institutions. In just five months, armed men, for the second time, in Aden stormed the union’s headquarters, removed the union’s sign, and imposed an armed siege on the building.

The violations were reported in 5 governorates: Sana’a, Hadramout, Marib, Taiz, and Aden. On the top list of perpetrators against media people and activists is the internationally recognized Yemeni government with nine violations out of the total 16 recorded cases. Although the territories under The Houthi group are free of independent or opposition journalism, the armed group came second with six incidents.

It is worth noting that not all violations have been reported, for victims may fear reporting so as not to face dangerous consequences from perpetrators.

Click here to view the report