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Yemeni Belqees TV has has strongly condemned in a statement the incitement against its staff members in Aden, the interim capital Yemen, accusing certain parties in the city of being behind the assault.
Many activists on social media posted a video showing a number of young people trying to attack and prevent the channel's correspondent and crew from covering a protest march organized to go to the Palace of Al-Ma’asheeq.
Istanbul-based Belqees TV whose headquarters in the capital Sana'a was stormed and shut down by the Houthi militia, said in the statement that it retains the right of recourse to the judicial authorities to prosecute the instigators including journalists and media outlets.
It also called on “those voices to stop the hate speech and the security authorities to shoulder their responsibilities towards these immoral practices, as well as the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists to take necessary measures towards such inciting campaign.
“For more than two and a half years, Belqees TV has been responsibly and professionally reporting news from the province of Aden”, said Belqees in its statement.
Text of statement:
For more than two and a half years, Belqees TV has been responsibly and professionally reporting news from the province of Aden. Belqees was the only media outlet that had worked in Aden since it was invaded by the Houthi militia and forces loyal to ousted president Saleh in early 2015. Covering all the crimes against civilians in every single lane and road, documenting all ruins and damages caused to the city and conveying the city’s suffering and the voices of victims to the whole world, it accompanied the pro-government troops backed by the popular resistance forces in all stages of the armed struggle.
Belqees served as a platform for Aden’s citizens to voice pains and aches at a time when all other media platforms remained silent. It sided with nobody but victims, was in the midst of tragedy and reported people’s joy to rid themselves of the militia lying heavily on their city. People there had always found themselves on Belqees’ screen, which was very close to their pains and sorrows, and was part of the popular uprising. It was a platform for those dreaming of and seeking the right to survive and live in dignity.
In addition to broadcasting hundreds of reports on humanitarian situation and stories about success and creativity, countless press reports had been done to cover different areas of life, including images of suffering, protests, political events, government meetings and local authority activity.
Dozens of authors, politicians, academics have been interviewed by the channel in its various TV shows, and it has never happened that one single story or event taken place in the city was censored, hidden or overlooked.
At a time when TV channels and other media outlets refused to pay any attention to activities of Southern Movement, Belqees TV was the only channel that used to shed light on such activities and broadcasted them repeatedly in its news reports and and programs, as well as to give Southern Movement’s leaders and others more enough space to introduce themselves and talk about their activities.
Belqees had always sided with the oppressed and the military and civilian retirees, who were subjected to injustice by Saleh’s regime, and covered all their protests to demand their entitlements and salaries.
It had never hesitated to deal with security incidents and terrorist operations targeting the province. It allocated enough space in its program map to discuss the implications of those events, taking care to let security and military officials in Aden give their views.
To provide a clear picture, some of the most prominent journalists and writers from within the province were invited to discuss these issues without being subjected to any restrictions or dictates.
All of this and more had been done out of the channel’s deep conviction that media outlets play a very important role in reporting events as they are, and that everyone shouldn’t confuse between the news and opinion, as the news is sacred.
One way how Belqees does its job is based on its keenness on searching for the news from its source but not on relying on rumors and leaks. This is why the channel is always keen to communicate with the decision-makers and the parties concerned to ensure every news before it is published, which can be confirmed by all local authority officials, executive offices and even commanders of security and military units.
For two and a half years, the TV crew in Aden had been welcomed and supported by all citizens and officials from both service and security institutions. The channel had always received commendations praising its young crew in Aden for their professional work despite difficult conditions, including blackouts and poor internet service, the province has been going through due to the general situation in the country.
The channel leadership is proud of all colleagues in the field, who have never stopped reporting the suffering of Aden’s people, and stresses that everyone is able to make sure of what has been accomplished with regard to community issues.
Finally, it is unfortunate to draw attention to the growing number of voices inciting against the channel and its crew in the city of Aden. Sadly, these voices are journalists and other media outlets that engage in blatant incitement, mislead the public and falsify the facts, which may reflect negatively on the colleagues in the field.
We in the channel hold this handful of people accountable for the consequences of this incitement and hold all the provocative writings. We also confirm that we retain the right of recourse to the judicial authorities to prosecute them, and call for stopping the hate speech.
Additionally, we call upon the security authorities to take responsibility for these immoral practices, and urge the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to take necessary measures towards such inciting campaign.
