Press Releases

This year’s World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3 of each year, comes at a time when press freedom in Yemen has been at its worst since 1990 due to increasing dangers and challenges it faces. The war waged by the Houthi militia and ousted President Ali Saleh's forces has led to hundreds of journalists being killed, tortured, forcibly disappeared, arrested, abducted and etc.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) expresses its strong condemnation of today’s death sentence against the journalist, Yahya Abdel Raqib al-Jubaihi.

Women Journalists Without Chains(WJWC) is following with great concerned psychological and physical torture against journalists being held captive in private jails in the militia-held capital Sana'a since they have been abducted in 2015.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) denounces the physical assault incident happened to Mohamed Abdel Salam al-Hakami, a schoolboy at al-Sha’ab School in Yemen’s militia-held capital Sanaa.

At least 208 human rights abuses, including nine cases of death, against journalists and media workers in Yemen were committed during the year of 2016, stated Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC).

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) condemns the assault on a group of journalists working for al-Thawra Institution for Press, Printing and Publishing when Houthi militiamen opened fire on them during a sit-in staged on Wednesday to protest against non-payment of their monthly financial incentives by the militia-controlled institution.

While condemning and deploring the continuous violence and repression against journalists and the media by the Houthi militia, WJWC regards attacking and opening fire on the media-workers during their protest as an a blatant abuse of human rights and freedoms.

Women Journalists Without Chains expresses full solidarity with the journalists in the call for their legitimate rights and asserts that the Iran-backed militia is fully responsible for this abuse.

It also calls on all local and international human rights organizations, mainly he United Nations, to demonstrate solidarity with the journalists and their right to demand their basic rights, and condemn violations and acts of violence against journalists and media workers by the militias of the Houthi group and ousted president.

Issued by:
Women Journalists Without Chains
February 9, 2017

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) condemns yesterday’s abduction of the journalist Taiseer Assamiee when he was passing through a militia-controlled checkpoint in Dimnat Khadir area in Taiz province, and was taken to a jail affiliated to the militias of Houthis and ousted president Saleh.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has expressed deep sadness and regret over the death of the writer and journalist Mohammed Al Absi who passed away on Tuesday evening in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, and mystery still surrounds his untimely demise.

According to preliminary information, the deceased was having dinner with his cousin Jihad in a restaurant in the capital Sana’a on 20 December. Only hours later after returning to home, they felt unwell and were immediately driven to a near hospital where he died, while his fellow is still in intensive care unit.

In this regard, WJWC stresses on the need for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the journalist, and for an autopsy by a trusted forensic pathologist nominated by the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, providing that the results are publicly revealed.

The Organization of WJWC regards the death of Yemen’s only investigative journalist and the outstanding freelance writer as a terrible loss to the journalist milieu and to the community's efforts in the fight against corruption, as he was known for devoting his career to revealing corruption cases and corrupt people.

Women Journalists Without Chains extends sincere condolences to the family of the journalist Mohammed Al Absi, all his colleagues and loved ones on this painful tragedy, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow His mercy upon him and grant his family and loved ones patience and fortitude.
We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.

Issued by:
Women Journalists Without Chains

The anniversary of the World Human Rights Day marking the 10th December of each year, in which the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris in 1948, falls today at a time when Yemen is living a tragic humanitarian situation as a result of the coup led by Houthi-Saleh militias against the legitimate authority.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) notes with deep concern the deteriorating health of the journalist Abdul Khaliq Imran who has been detained for nearly two years at the political security prison where he is suffering from severe pains in spine and back due to torture against him and his fellow detainees by the militias.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has said it was deeply saddened to learn that Taiz News Network’s photojournalist, Awab Al Zubairi, had been killed on Friday in an explosion of a residential building booby-trapped by the militia of Iran-backed Houthis allied with ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a neighborhood, east of Taiz province.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) on Monday condemned the kidnapping of Yusuf Ajlan, former editor of Al MASDAR-online news site, in front of his home in the capital Sana'a on October 15 by the militia of Houthi group and ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.