Will Yemen’s journalists fare better in 2016?
In 2015, some journalists in Yemen suffered so much harassment and abuse that they quit their jobs and fled the country.
SANAA, Yemen — Houthis in Yemen have been detaining, kidnapping and even using journalists as “human shields” in military barracks targeted by the air force of the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
The year 2015 dealt a major blow to press freedoms in Yemen amid growing concerns over the fate of at least 13 journalists who continue to be held by rebels with no news about their situation for a month.
Marwan Dammaj, secretary-general of the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS), sounded the alarm as Houthis expanded their attacks against journalists. “Yemen’s journalists need to take broader action. Journalists are being horribly tortured in the prisons of [the Houthi] militia,” he said.
Dammaj also confirmed to Al-Monitor that journalists have been specifically targeted. “All of the independent and partisan press institutions have been closed, while all of the official public and government institutions have been seized.”
