painful stories of disappeared journalists in Yemen presented in a webinar

In conjunction with World Truth Day

 painful stories of disappeared journalists in Yemen presented in a webinar

Media Freedom Observatory (MFO) in Yemen organized a webinar on hearings testimony and facts about disappeared journalists in Yemen. It was part of a campaign for 4 days, in conjunction with world truth day including the violations of human rights and victims’ dignity.

The webinar held via Zoom to listen to the disappeared journalists’ stories who disappeared more than 7 years, and focused on Mohammed Almaqri who disappeared in Al-Qaida’s prisons and Waheed Alsofi in Houthi’s prisons.

Also, the chairman of MFO (Mustafa Nasr) confirmed that the importance of listening to the testimonies and information about the disappeared journalists in the prisons especially from their friends and relatives.

On the other hand; Mohammed Almaqri’s wife (Abha) presented her journey of looking for her husband more than 7 years, connecting with many of the government and international organizations and foundations meant on freedom of expressions and how the security authorities didn’t help, although she provided information and people names who related to the arresting and belonged to Al-Qaida.

She added that, ” my husband has arrested and his son was new-born. He became 8 years now and didn’t know his father only when we talked about him or looking at the photos.”

In addition; the journalist Ameer Ba-awydhan talked in details about the brutal methods that Al-Qaida practiced against the detainees in the prisons, he was one of the journalists who arrested in the same period as Almaqri. He assured that the violence practiced by Al-Qaida hasn’t come up in the minds.

He added that he was arrested with several of activists while covering a rally rejecting Al-Qaida’s control of Mukalla City. He transferred more than a prison, and all of them were anonymous. Also, one prison happened to be placed in one cell alongside Mohammed Al-Maqri then minutes later they were separated from each other, and then he started hearing the sounds of torture and screaming, including his voice.

Therefore, (Mohammed Isamil) the executive manager of Studies and Economic Media Centre (SEMC) presented several the facts related to forcibly disappeared the journalist Waheed Alsofi who arrested before 7 years and while Houthi authorities insisted that no information be given him.

He added that Alsofi was working before arresting on producing a documentary film about the war and break-in of the “Al-Sobaha” camp and the fall of Sana’a. As well as; he has been filming events in Sana’a since the start of the “Al-Hazam storm”, and hours before his arrest, he was filming the “Attan” and “Al-Sobaha” areas after being raided by the Arab Alliance.

On the otherwise; The President of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (Fadil Abdulghani) gave a detailed presentation on the status of journalists in international laws, covenants and Security Council resolutions, demanding at the same time that international laws and charters provide an advantage and protection to journalists in line with the importance of their work in transmitting information and defending rights.

And the lawyer of the detainees in Yemen (Abdulmajeed Sabra) assured that he had information 2020 of bringing Alsofi after 5 years of disappearing to his house in Sana’a with group of armed and military uniform to take his laptop and hide him again, so it considered as a crime against humanity according to the international laws at the same time when the Houthi insisted on denying his presence with them.

MFO in Yemen is a monitoring and information platform aimed at disseminating all matters relating to freedoms of opinion and expression in various regions of Yemen in a professional and independent manner, as well as; analyzing and advocating for journalists’ issues at the local and international levels.