Yemen: Journalists Syndicate Renews Demand to Release 9 Journalists Detained by Houthis for Years

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Arab Sea - Yemen - Follow-ups: The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has renewed its demand for the release of 9 journalists who have been detained by the Houthi group for years because of their journalistic work. In a statement on Monday, the syndicate said: "We renew our demand for the release of nine journalists kidnapped by the Houthi group in Sana'a for years, because of their journalistic activity, and in poor and illegal detention conditions." The statement pointed out that journalist Muhammad al-Mayahi has been detained by the group since last September, and a "unfair sentence" was issued against him last May, sentencing him to a year and a half in prison, with a written pledge and a financial guarantee of five million riyals, because of his opinions and articles published on social media. The syndicate explained that 8 journalists and media activists were kidnapped by the group during a campaign launched last May, namely: Walid Ghaleb, vice president of the syndicate's branch in Hodeidah, Hassan Ziad, and photographers Abdul-Jabbar Ziad, and Abdulaziz Al-Nouam, in addition to Asim Muhammad and Abdul-Majeed Al-Zailai, "all of whom are still in detention." The statement stressed the need to reveal the fate of journalist Waheed Al-Sufi, who has been forcibly disappeared since April 2015, and journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi, who was detained in the same year, in light of the lack of any information about their health or legal status. The syndicate held the Houthi group fully responsible for continuing to pursue a policy of arresting and disappearing journalists, punishing them for practicing their profession, and intimidating them in areas under its control, after it closed and suspended dozens of media outlets and displaced hundreds of workers in this field. The statement called on the recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council to quickly release journalist Naseh Shaker, who has been detained "amid mysterious and disturbing circumstances" by the Security Belt forces in Aden since November, and to ensure a safe and free environment for journalistic work.