Maher and Al-Miyahi receive the 2024 Courage in Journalism Award
Maher and Al-Miyahi receive the 2024 Courage in Journalism Award, and Al-Absi is honored with the Medal of Journalistic Courage
Journalists Ahmed Maher and Mohammed Al-Miyahi were awarded the “J the 2024 Courage in Journalism Award,” while the killed journalist Mohammed Al-Absi received the Medal of Journalistic Courage in recognition of his journalistic contributions.
The announcement was made during a ceremony organized by the Media Freedoms Observatory in Yemen on Tuesday via Zoom.
The event was attended by more than 80 male and female journalists, human rights advocates, and representatives of international organizations, including the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen, H.E Jeannette Seppen.
The Jury, consisting of journalists and human rights defenders, announced the names of the winners, emphasizing that they evaluated and shortlisted the nominations based on professional and ethical standards, focusing on the courage demonstrated by the nominees in covering events despite threats and risks.
The Jury comprised a group of journalists and human rights defenders, including Hussein Baslim, Hamdi Albokari, Khaled Al-Hammadi, Sonia Al-Marisi, Mohamed Mandour, Nabeel Al-Asadi, and Huda Al-Sarari.
The $2,000 award was shared equally between journalists Ahmed Maher and Mohammed Al-Miyahi.
The Chairman of the Observatory, Mustafa Nasr, emphasized that the award serves as a message of gratitude, support, and encouragement for free journalistic voices that resist all forms of oppression, abuse, and blackmail, continuing to speak out against such challenges.
Nasr also announced that the award will become an annual event to honor journalists who demonstrate dedication under exceptional circumstances, encouraging them to continue their work with courage and determination.
For her part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen, H.E Jeannette Seppen, expressed her full support for Yemeni journalists, praising their courage in conveying the truth despite the dangers surrounding them. She emphasized the importance of supporting media freedom as part of efforts to promote human rights in Yemen.
She also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists and employees of local and international organizations detained in Yemen, including Akram Al-Akhaly, an employee of the Dutch Embassy in Yemen.
The Jury member Sonia Al-Marisi stated that the Award was given to living journalists in recognition of their courage, while journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of truth were honored with the “Journalistic Courage” medal.
The Jury received 151 applications for the 2024 Courage in Journalism Award, the first of its kind in Yemen, which was announced to honor Yemeni male and female journalists and ensure the continuity of journalistic work in the country.
At the end of the ceremony, Meyas, the brother of detained journalist Ahmed Maher, shared details of the torture his brother endured and the denial of his right to a fair trial. Additionally, Mohammed Al-Ahmadi, editor of Belqees Net, spoke about the suffering of journalist Mohammed Al-Miyahi, who remains detained in Sana’a.
Journalist Ahmed Maher was subjected to arrest, enforced disappearance, and torture in August 2022 in Aden and was sentenced to four years in prison in a trial described by legal experts as lacking the most basic standards of justice. Meanwhile, journalist Mohammed Al-Miyahi was arrested in Sana’a by Houthi militants in September 2024 and forcibly disappeared for nearly a month before his place of detention was discovered to be a prison belonging to security and intelligence services.
As for journalist Mohammed Al-Absi, he was killed by a toxic gas in December 2016, as confirmed by a medical committee tasked with examining the case. Before his death, he had been working on an investigation into extensive corruption within the Yemen Oil Company.