Marsadak condemns the decision to suspend Al-Mahriya TV in Shabwa

The Yemeni Media Freedoms Observatory (Marsadak) has condemned the decision by the Information Office in Shabwa Governorate to halt the activities of Al-Mahriya TV within the governorate, considering this step a dangerous escalation in restricting freedom of journalistic work. It warned that such measures could expand to include other media outlets, amid increasing signs of targeting journalists and correspondents of satellite channels, which threatens media pluralism and undermines the working environment for journalism in the governorate.

According to the official letter issued by the Information Office in Shabwa, the decision was based on organizational justifications related to regulating professional performance. However, Marsadak believes these measures go beyond the legitimate legal framework and represent direct interference in freedom of journalistic work, especially in the absence of a clear legal basis allowing the suspension of a media outlet through a local administrative decision.

Marsadak also reviewed the form issued by the Information Office, which obliges channels to provide detailed information and requires obtaining prior permits before preparing or publishing media reports about the governorate. It considered this a form of prior censorship that contradicts the Yemeni Constitution and the Press and Publications Law, both of which guarantee freedom of opinion and expression.

Marsadak calls on the Information Office to immediately reverse the decision to suspend Al-Mahriya TV’s activities and to stop any procedures that impose prior restrictions on journalistic work. It also urged a review of the regulatory form governing the operation of TV channels in a way that ensures respect for privacy and the independence of media work, free from interference or restrictions.