Four journalists who remain at risk of execution in Yemen must be freed, Amnesty International, Mwatana for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and the Samir Kassir Foundation have said ahead of World Press Freedom Day.
In the occasion of the month of Ramadan and the announcement of new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Yemen, Mwatana for Human Rights launches "Their Ramadan With Their Families" to shed light on the victims of the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in Yemen.
"At a time when countries around the world are scrambling to respond to COVID-19 and ensure that hospitals can treat all patients, Yemen has entered the sixth year of a war that has destroyed our healthcare system,” said Radhya Almutawakel
The warring parties, donor states, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) must take immediate and urgent steps to mitigate COVID-19’s potential outbreak and catastrophic impact in Yemen.
“This bloody attack by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group is further evidence of the need for justice and accountability for their violations against civilians throughout the last five years” Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Mwatana Chairperson said.
Mwatana strongly condemns these unlawful rulings. They come as part of a series of practices and abuses against the press and journalists perpetrated by Ansar Allah since it seized control of the Capital Sana’a by force in September 2014.
Yemen cannot wait any longer for an end to the conflict and humanitarian devastation that has ravaged the civilian population for over five years.
For Yemenis, five difficult years have passed since Ansar Allah armed group (the Houthis) extended their control over the capital Sana’a in 2014 and the following intervention by the Coalition in support of the internationally recognized government of Yemen in 2015.
We express grave concern over the situation of detainees and prisoners across MENA region. While certain states in the region have taken some positive steps to protect the general population, the prison population remains particularly vulnerable.
Scores of indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks carried out by the Saudi/UAE-led military coalition have killed and wounded thousands of civilians since 2015.
