EU, Yemen Syndicate Issue Calls for Release of 9 Jailed Journalists

(MENAFN) On World Press Freedom Day, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and the European Union Delegation to Yemen issued separate but unified calls Sunday for the immediate release of nine journalists languishing behind bars — as the country's press corps endures what advocates describe as an escalating war on free expression.

"The World Press Freedom Day comes this year as the press faces multifaceted challenges that strike at the very core of freedom of expression, placing journalists before unprecedented security risks and professional and economic pressures," the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate said.

The syndicate painted a bleak picture of conditions on the ground: "The working environment for journalists in Yemen has become restrictive and unsafe, with direct violations intertwined with other forms of harassment," it added.

Of the nine journalists currently held, eight are detained by the Houthi group, while a ninth remains in the custody of the Yemeni government in Aden. The syndicate demanded "an end to all forms of violations against journalists, ensuring their safety, releasing all detained journalists, providing them with necessary medical care, and ending politically motivated prosecutions and trials."

The EU Delegation to Yemen echoed those concerns, warning that freedom of the press in the country "faces serious threats, as journalists are subjected to arbitrary detention, unfair trials, incitement, and assaults." The delegation similarly pressed for "the immediate release of all detained journalists and for ensuring full respect for freedom of the press in Yemen."

The dual appeals arrive against a backdrop of a conflict that has ravaged Yemen for more than 11 years. Since Houthi forces seized Sanaa and several other provinces and cities in September 2014, a grinding war with government troops has gutted much of the nation's infrastructure and spawned one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history. Though a period of reduced hostilities has largely held since April 2022, intermittent clashes continue, and UN-led peace efforts remain unresolved.

World Press Freedom Day was instituted by a UN General Assembly resolution on December 20, 1993, and has since been observed globally each year on May 3.

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