Calls for rescuing Yemeni journalists

A group of Yemeni journalists who survived years of torture in Houthi prisons are calling on the international community to pressure the rebels to free four of their colleagues facing the death penalty.

The group of 10 were eventually charged with spying, including “collaborating with the enemy” and “spreading false news and rumours” to weaken the Iran-backed rebels.

The men say they were subjected to treatment such as torture, starvation and solitary confinement for years before their case was bought before a Houthi-appointed judge in April 2020.

All 10 were convicted, but six were freed under strict surveillance conditions and banned from practicing journalism, while the other four were sentenced to death.

Amnesty International has previously said that the 10 men were arrested on “trumped up” charges for doing their jobs.

The Houthis are accused by rights groups of routinely imprisoning and torturing dissenters and those suspected of spying for the coalition. 

Hostages are sometimes purposely held in locations likely to be the target of coalition airstrikes: two imprisoned journalists, Abdullah Qabel and Yousif al-Aizari, died when a military site in Dhamar was bombed in 2015.

According to Reporters Without Borders, about 20 Yemeni journalists are being held prisoner by the Houthis or al-Qaida. Yemen ranked 167th out of 180 countries in the organisation’s press freedom index for 2020.