In Yemen… a free word may be a reason for arrest or killing.

The Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance commemorates World Press Freedom Day at a time when Yemeni journalism is experiencing one of its darkest, most oppressive, and bloodiest phases, where the free word has turned into an accusation, and journalists and activists have become direct targets of abduction, torture, enforced disappearance, and killing.

During the past years, the Houthi militia has committed grave violations against journalists and media workers, including storming media institutions, abducting journalists and forcibly disappearing them, torturing them inside detention centers, and issuing unjust rulings against them, in an attempt to silence the truth and terrorize every free voice.

The Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance affirms that the reality of journalism in Yemen clearly reveals that anyone who speaks the truth, documents a crime, or conveys the suffering of citizens becomes threatened with persecution, imprisonment, or physical liquidation.

The camera has become a target, the pen a crime, and the truth a danger faced daily by the Yemeni journalist, especially in areas controlled by the Houthi militia, which practices systematic repression against journalists, activists, and all people of free opinion.

The Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance believes that targeting journalists constitutes a blatant violation of all international conventions guaranteeing freedom of opinion and expression, and reveals the extent of the human rights collapse that Yemen is experiencing amid the continued impunity.

The Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance holds the Houthi militia fully responsible for the crimes and violations committed against journalists and media workers, and calls on the United Nations and international and human rights organizations to take a serious stance to protect journalists in Yemen and work to hold those involved in crimes and violations accountable.

The Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance also expresses its full solidarity with all Yemeni journalists who continue to carry out their mission despite the risks and violations, and affirms that the truth will remain stronger than repression, and that the voice of freedom cannot be silenced no matter how severe the oppression becomes.

Mercy to the martyred journalists,Freedom for the abducted and forcibly disappeared,And justice for all victims.

Issued by:Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced DisappearanceWednesday, May 6, 2026 – Republic of Yemen