Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom
The Media Freedom Observatory has renewed its categorical rejection of the continued in absentia trial of journalists in the case filed against them related to the killing of Brigadier General Adnan al-Hamadi, commander of the 35th Brigade.
In a statement, the observatory said it was following with great regret and resentment the arbitrary practices being carried out against a number of journalists, including: Abdul Aziz al-Majidi, Wiam al-Sufi, Ahmed al-Thubhani, Waleed Tawfiq, Musab al-Qudsi, Mukhtar al-Wajih, Yasser al-Maliki, Amrus al-Samadi, Haitham al-Nimri, and Yassin al-Alili. The court is insisting on continuing their trial in absentia, directing serious charges against them and considering them fugitives from justice.
The observatory affirmed that the court’s continued insistence on these procedures raises deep concerns about media freedoms in Yemen, despite the widespread appeals and condemnations from human rights organizations concerned with freedom of opinion and expression and human rights.
It indicated that the Specialized Criminal Court in Aden Governorate will be looking into the case filed against these journalists tomorrow, Sunday, October 27, related to the case of the killing of Brigadier General Adnan al-Hamadi, commander of the 35th Brigade.
The observatory considered these procedures to be incorrect, starting with the court’s lack of jurisdiction and ending with the directing of charges against journalists for murder simply for mentioning certain individuals in their journalistic work or opinion pieces, as journalists have been exposed to great legal risks, even though those concerned did not consider those writings to be offensive or a personal threat, and did not file any complaints in this regard.
It renewed its condemnation of these practices and called on the Yemeni government and the STC to quickly stop these procedures aimed at narrowing the space for media freedoms, which have contributed to an increase in the number of violations against journalists and media workers to more than two thousand and five hundred violations since 2015.
It called on the international community to take urgent action to support the rights of journalists in Yemen and ensure their safety, and to work to promote freedom of expression and defend a free press as a fundamental human right.
