Yemen: journalists on death row released
Four journalists have been freed as part of a three-day exchange between government and the Houthi movement.
The National Union of Journalists has joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in welcoming the release of Tawfiq Al-Mansoori, Abdul Khaleq Amran, Akram Al-Waleedi and Hareth Humaid arrested in 2015 over their reporting of human rights violations by Houthi forces.
Charged with “espionage for foreign states and spreading fake news”, the journalists’ detention and sentencing to death had been met with condemnation, with calls on international governments to place pressure on the Houthi movement to drop charges.
NUJ members had backed a campaign by the IFJ and Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate urging their release and ending the physical and mental torture they were subject to while imprisoned.
Anthony Bellanger, IFJ secretary general, said:
“The long-awaited day has finally arrived. We celebrate the release of our four kidnapped colleagues, who spent eight years behind bars for simply fulfilling their professional duties and informing the world about the cruelty of the Yemeni war. We urge the government forces and the Houthi movement to stop targeting the press and release all jailed journalists in the country."