Yemeni press union, EU Delegation call for release of detained journalists in Yemen

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and the European Union Delegation to Yemen called Sunday for the release of nine journalists detained in the country.

In statements marking the World Press Freedom Day, the two sides called for the immediate release of all detained journalists and for full respect of press freedom in Yemen.

"The World Press Freedom Day comes this year as the press faces multifaceted challenges that strike at the very core of freedom of expression, placing journalists before unprecedented security risks and professional and economic pressures,” the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate said.

"The working environment for journalists in Yemen has become restrictive and unsafe, with direct violations intertwined with other forms of harassment," It added.

According to the union, eight journalists remain detained by the Houthi group, while another journalist is held by the Yemeni government in Aden.

It called for "an end to all forms of violations against journalists, ensuring their safety, releasing all detained journalists, providing them with necessary medical care, and ending politically motivated prosecutions and trials."

The EU Delegation to Yemen, for its part, said freedom of the press in the country “faces serious threats, as journalists are subjected to arbitrary detention, unfair trials, incitement, and assaults.”

It called for "the immediate release of all detained journalists and for ensuring full respect for freedom of the press in Yemen."

Despite intermittent fighting, Yemen has largely observed a period of reduced violence since April 2022 following a war that began more than 11 years ago between government forces and Houthi fighters, who have controlled several provinces and cities, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.

The war has devastated much of Yemen’s infrastructure and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, amid ongoing UN efforts to advance a peace process in the country.

The World Press Freedom Day was established by a UN resolution on Dec. 20, 1993, and is commemorated annually on May 3.

*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul