Information Center (Hritc) calls for the follow-up of perpetrators of crimes committed against journalists in Yemen

Taiz / The press in Yemen

The Human Rights Information and Training Center (Hritc) called on the international community, especially the Security Council (SC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), to work quickly to save the lives of missing Yemeni journalists in the prisons of the Houthi militia.

A statement to the center said

“The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists”, which falls on November 2 of each year, said that the Houthi militias made Yemen one of the most dangerous countries for journalists’ lives and systematically targeted them.

Since the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, he has made journalists and human rights activist groups always targeted for arrest, torture and even murder.

The Human Rights Information and Training Center (Hritc), a regional organization with consultative status at the United Nations, confirmed that the lives of detained journalists in Houthi prisons are actually threatened with demise, as the threat of death increases in strength, especially with Houthi leaders announcing death sentences against detained journalists.

The press in Yemen

Actual facts have shown that a large number of opinion writers, journalists, activists, and women have been subjected to systematic torture in several prisons run by the Houthi militias in Sana’a, Dhamar, and Al-Saleh detention camp, east of Taiz, which is under the control of the Houthis, and many secret prisons.

The Center called for the protection of journalists and the activation of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in a practical manner, and the immediate release of all journalists, opinion writers, and activists, without being subject to any bargains or political deals, as they do not follow any prisoner deals in the current war.

The Center stressed the importance of the role of the United Nations and the major countries following up on the Yemen file.
In its statement, the center said that the release of journalists, writers, women, and political detainees from various Yemeni prisons would be the biggest step to enhancing confidence and building peace in Yemen.

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution En/RES/68/163 (link is external) in 2013, on November 2, as the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists” (IDEI). This resolution urged Member States to: Take specific measures to end impunity. This date was chosen in memory of the assassination of French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013.

Information indicates that more than 800 journalists, at least, have died in the course of carrying out their duties, covering news and publishing the facts during the past ten years, the equivalent of one person per week.

On the other hand, in every nine out of ten cases, the killer escapes from punishment, which may result in the commission of more crimes, which are often the result of the aggravation of the conflict and the collapse of laws and legal systems.

Article for Al Jazeera English: In Yemen, journalism can be a capital offense

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