Yemeni Journalists Syndicate Denounces Systematic Targeting and Unconstitutional Actions in Aden

Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has condemned the restrictive measures implemented by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor of the Yemeni government in Aden, targeting local unions, including the Journalists Syndicate. These actions have put the lives of union leaders at risk and posed threats to their safety.

In a statement, the syndicate denounced what it described as arbitrary and illegal measures by the ministry, stating that they came within the context of systematic targeting that began with the seizure of the syndicate’s headquarters by unregulated forces in Aden during the early months of the war. This was followed by the storming of the syndicate’s headquarters in Aden last year, seizing control with the protection of some security forces, preventing the holding of events, and culminating in this unconstitutional move to halt the syndicate’s activities and threaten the life of the syndicate’s branch head in Aden, colleague Mahmoud Thabit.

The syndicate warned against these measures, affirming that they are not based on any constitutional, legal, or democratic foundation, and do not aim in any way at what they claim to be corrective measures.

The syndicate added in its statement: “It is certain that the ministry and the concerned authorities have not provided the necessary conditions for the work of general unions in Aden, the temporary capital of the country. In many cases, unions have not been allowed to carry out their work from their headquarters in Aden.”

The syndicate revealed that some government offices under the control of influential parties on the ground have seized the headquarters of official unions, including the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, the Yemeni Women’s Union, and the General Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic, which was replaced, along with its branches, by a union affiliated with a political party.

The syndicate expressed its astonishment at this hostility emanating from a ministry within the legitimate government, stating that it is similar to what the Houthi group implemented against the syndicate in Sana’a by halting its activities and restricting its work. It added: “It is as if the parties to the conflict agree on the war against the syndicate and trade union work, which is undoubtedly a war targeting journalists and press freedom in Yemen and undermines what remains of the suffocating margins for civil and trade union work in general.”

While the syndicate mentioned that its Secretary-General, Mohammed Shabita, was assassinated in Sana’a, it affirmed its continued defense of journalists in all of Yemen, with various orientations and affiliations, based on the responsibility entrusted to it by the general assembly and the internal regulations.

It renewed its commitment to continuing its work and efforts to protect the unity of the syndicate and trade union work until the extraordinary circumstances that the country is witnessing end and the conditions of the country are prepared to hold a general conference that ensures the smooth and safe participation of members of the general assembly in a democratic climate, without fear or threat, and without the interference of the forces that share control and influence over parts of the country.

The syndicate affirmed that such irresponsible acts constitute a violation and a major infringement of the general constitutional principles that stipulate and protect fundamental rights and freedoms, which have become recognized rights in all civilized nations and are considered an essential part of the constitutional and legal system of the state and cannot be confiscated, stopped, or prohibited.

The syndicate also affirmed that it will exercise its legal right to defend its trade union entity and the freedom of all civil unions in Yemen, renewing its call on the security authorities in Aden and the legitimate government to return the seized headquarters of the syndicate in Aden and stop this dark approach that is incompatible with the aspirations of Yemenis and their struggles since the revolution until today.