Yemen: Four journalists on death row released in prisoner exchange

Journalists Tawfiq Al-Mansoori, Abdul Khaleq Amran, Akram Al-Waleedi and Hareth Humaid, who had been sentenced to death for their journalistic work, have been released as part of a prisoner exchange on 16 April, they had spent eight years behind bars. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) in welcoming their release and calls for the release of all journalists and media workers in jail.

Visual created for the global campaign to take action against Yemeni journalists on death row. Credit: IFJ.

The four Yemeni journalists were freed as part of a three-day exchange of detainees between the government forces and the Houthi movement, which ended on 16 April, as the war nears its nine-year mark, according to YJS and media sources.

In July 2015, Al-Mansoori, Amran, Al-Waleedi and Humaid were arrested together with other journalists by the Houthi Movement/Ansar Allah at the Hotel Dream Castle in the capital, Sana’a. They were arrested for reporting on human rights violations committed by Houthi forces, who charged them with “espionage for foreign states and spreading fake news”. In April 2020, they were sentenced to death. 

The IFJ and YJS launched an emergency call to international governments in February 2022 to put pressure on the Houthi authorities to release the four Yemeni journalists. On 21  February, the IFJ sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, urging him and his government to do everything possible to save their lives. The federation also called on journalists all over the world to stand up for their colleagues by signing an open letter to the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, urging him to intervene to  save the lives of the four journalists who were on death row.

IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger 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."

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

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