Rights violations against journalists continue in Yemen

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) has announced that there were at least 28 documented rights violations against its members during the first three months of 2019, Anadolu reported on Monday.

In a report, the YJS said that its members “are facing risky conditions” and noted that 14 have been held captive by the Houthis since 2015. One journalist has also been held by Al-Qaeda since the start of the Saudi-led Coalition operations in Yemen four years ago.

The YJS report recorded one murder, four physical assaults, 11 arrests and trials, three websites banned, two journalists prevented from travelling, and one case of torture.

According to the Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory, there were 144 violations of media freedom recorded in Yemen last year, including 12 killings.

Other rights violations, said the group, included 43 attempted kidnap attempts, personal injuries, attempted murder, employment dismissals and looting of personal effects.

READ: Killed by cholera, Yemeni doctor knew he was fighting ‘disastrous’ epidemic