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Release Akram al‐Walidi, Abdelkhaleq Amran, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq Al‐Mansouri and Drop Their Death Sentences

On April 11 2020, the Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a sentenced four journalists, Akram al‐Walidi, Abdelkhaleq Amran, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq Al‐Mansouri to death. They were part of a wider group of 10 journalists formally charged in December 2018 with a series of offenses, including spying, which carries the death penalty. All were arrested in 2015 and have been awaiting trial since then. The journalists’ lawyers were permitted to attend their first court session but have subsequently been barred from attending all the other court sessions.

On March 16, 2016, nine of the journalists, excluding Salah al‐Qaedi, were moved from al‐Thawra pre‐trial detention facility to al‐Habra. When the families of all the detainees attempted to visit them on May 23, 2016, prison guards told them the journalists were no longer there but refused to reveal their whereabouts. The 10 journalists were detained without charge or trial until December 2018, when they were formally charged after being questioned in the presence of their lawyers.

Since their detention in 2015, all 10 journalists have been suffering from a range of medical issues, including stomach and colon pain, hearing problems, hemorrhoids and headaches for which they have not received adequate medical attention.

According to Abdelkhaleq Amran’s family, detainees held in adjacent cells in the Political Security Office in Sana’a heard him screaming as he was being tortured in November 2016.

The arbitrary detention of 10 journalists for five years by the Huthi de facto authorities is a grim indicator of the dire state of media freedom in Yemen.

Updated on Aug 24, 2020.

⬇ Make Your Voice Heard ⬇

Ansarullah Representativ

Mohamed

Abdelsalam

Peace Talks

Dear Sir Abdelsalam,

On April 11, 2020, the Sana’a based Specialized Criminal Court sentenced to death four out of a group of ten journalists who had been awaiting trial since 2015. Akram al-Walidi, Abdelkhaleq Amran, Hareth Hamid, and Tawfiq Al-Mansouri were sentenced on the basis of trumped-up charges.

In December 2018, the ten journalists were formally charged with a series of offenses, including spying, which carries the death penalty. The first court session took place on December 9, 2019; the lawyers were allowed to attend that session; but were subsequently barred from attending all the other court sessions.

Since their detention in 2015, all 10 journalists have been suffering from a range of medical issues. According to Abdelkhaleq Amran’s family, detainees held in adjacent cells in Sana’a heard him screaming as he was being tortured, in November 2016.

I urge the Huthi de facto authorities to immediately quash these death sentences, drop all pending charges, and release all ten journalists. Pending their release, they must ensure they have legal representation, regular access to their families, and adequate medical care. They must also open an effective, independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment to hold those responsible accountable.

Sincerely,

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