IFJ: International community should not keep silent about violations against Yemeni journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) renewed the call for the immediate release of all kidnapped journalists in jails of the militias of the Iran-baked Houthi group and ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, stressing that the international community should not keep silent about the maltreatment and inhumane conditions Yemen’s detained journalists are suffering from in detention.

IFJ has expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating health of the Yemeni journalist, Abdul Khaliq Imran, who has been imprison since June 9, 2015, and has been tortured in captivity.

Besides that, International Federation of Journalists has lent its support to its affiliate, Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, showing solidarity with Abdul Khaliq Imran and other Yemeni journalists who have been abused in jails of the militias.

In May, the world’s largest organization of journalists sent a letter to UN Special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, revealing the inhuman conditions of the jailed journalists and urging him to act to help secure the immediate release of 10 jailed journalists.

“We urge international institutions such as the UN not to forget the situation of our colleagues in prison and the inhuman conditions they are suffering solely as a result of reporting on the war,” IFJ President, Jim Boumelha, said in the letter.

IFJ President added, “We join our Yemeni affiliate and we express our sincere solidarity with their devastated families in demanding justice for them. The international community needs to know what is going on in Yemen and this is an outrageous attempt to silence the truth.”

According to the IFJ’s figures, 16 journalists remain captive and 8 have been killed in Yemen in 2016. In addition, the YJS recently recorded over 100 cases of rights violations against journalists and photographers and dozens of newspapers and websites were forcibly closed during the first six months of 2016.