Houthis Responsible for the Disappearance of Journalist Majid Zaid in Sana’a

The Marsadak (Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory)  holds the Houthi group fully responsible for the disappearance of writer and journalist Majid Zaid in Sana’a.

According to a report received by the Marsadak from his colleagues, Zaid went missing on the evening of Monday, September 23, 2025, after leaving his home to seek medical treatment following a sudden illness. His whereabouts and fate remain unknown to this day.

This incident comes just one day after the arrest of poet and writer Oras Al-Iryani by the same Houthis, reflecting a recurring pattern of targeting journalists, writers, and activists. The Houthis consistently carried out arrests and raids every September, targeting citizens, journalists, activists, and politicians, coinciding with the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, in an attempt to restrict freedoms and silence critical voices.

In September of last year, the Houthi group arrested four journalists, later releasing three of them in poor health, while journalist and writer Mohammad Al-Miyahi remains in detention to this day.

The Marsadak strongly condemns these systematic violations targeting freedom of opinion and expression and considers the disappearance of journalist Majid Zaid to be a crime of enforced disappearance and a blatant violation of both local and international laws and conventions. The Marsadak demands that the Houthi group urgently disclose his fate and release him immediately, along with all detained journalists.

The Marsadak reiterates its call on the Houthis to reveal the fate of journalist Majid Zaid without delay, release him unconditionally, and immediately free all journalists currently held in their prisons, seven of whom remain detained, with some having been imprisoned for more than ten years.