The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) documented the repeated and continuous targeting of journalist Louay Al-Azazi by all parties to the conflict in Yemen due to his professional journalistic work and his defense of human rights in his country.
On 05 July 2021, an armed group affiliated with the Houthi group kidnapped the young citizen, Alexander Al-Najashi, 25 years old, from a neighborhood in the capital, Sana’a, due to financial disputes between a relative of his and another party, although he had no connection to these disputes between the two parties.
On 28 August 2021, a number of civil society activists, including writers and journalists, in addition to his family, organised a solidarity stand with Al-Najashi in front of the Sana’a Governorate building, demanding his release.
Al-Azazi covered the protest with all professionalism, using his pen and camera. The security forces stationed at the governorate building physically assaulted him, confiscated his pen and camera, and put him in a secret prison in the governorate building as well.
He was not released until 20 September 2021, after some tribal sheikhs sponsored the payment of a large sum of money to the administration of the Capital Security Directorate, and after an order to do so was issued by its director. The payment of this large sum of money was in implementation of a well-known tribal ruling in Yemen called “Mahdash Al-Mahdash,” which included handing over (121) rifles as bail.
Informed local sources confirmed that the reason for his targeting was his journalistic coverage of daily issues of concern to citizens, including human rights violations, especially his documentation of the case of actress and model Intisar Al-Hammadi and the ill-treatment she and her colleagues received.
On 11 September 2021, due to the harassment he was subjected to by the security forces, Al-Azazi moved from Sana’a to Ma’rib, in order to continue his journalistic work without being targeted. On 15 November 2021, the security forces in the city of Ma’rib, which is affiliated with the “legitimate” government that is internationally recognised and supported by the Saudi-led coalition, arrested him and put him in a secret prison, where, according to his reports to GCHR, he was subjected to “torture, including electric shocks, beatings on the face and other parts of my body, and sleep deprivation,” which led to the loss of 50% of his vision in his left eye, due to direct beatings by one of the investigators while he was blindfolded. He was released after a month of arbitrary detention on 15 December 2021.
Upon his release, Al-Azazi decided to leave Ma’rib as soon as he had the opportunity, and went to Aden, which is located in the south of the country, on 10 January 2022. His goal in moving, as in previous times, was to practice his journalistic work, spread the truth, and freely defend human rights. He suffered a lot in Aden due to the deteriorating economic conditions and harassment by some armed groups under the control of the Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates, which forced him to leave.
On 07 April 2022, Al-Azazi returned to the city of Sana’a, after coordinating with the armed groups affiliated with the Houthi group. He was pardoned after his investigation ended and he was forced to appear in the media and say what they told him to say. They required him to only publish on public issues not issues related to human rights violations. The period of silence imposed on him lasted two full years.
On 28 June 2023, he returned to the city of Ma’rib after deciding to return to his journalistic activity in the field of human rights. He followed up on many cases related to human rights violations committed by local authorities in Ma’rib, which led to him being subjected to harassment, and when he felt that the security forces in the city were about to arrest him, he fled again to the city of Aden.
On 27 July 2023, upon his arrival in the city of Aden, one of the gangs specialised in fraud stole all of his property. Although he submitted a report to the security forces about the details of the theft, they did not do anything, and instead arrested him on 04 September 2023. On 11 September 2023, he was released and allowed to travel after submitting a waiver of the complaint against the gang that robbed him.
On 08 October 2023, he arrived in the city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadramaut Governorate, and suffered from poor economic conditions there, deciding to return to Sana’a on 22 October 2023. Upon his arrival, an armed group affiliated with the Houthi group arbitrarily arrested him without any judicial order and without explaining the reasons for his arrest. He was initially detained at Bab al-Yemen police station, then transferred to a prison affiliated with the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, and eventually ended up in a prison affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Service.
He suffered ill-treatment and detention in a narrow solitary cell for four months. After extensive pressure from civil society organisations, he was released on 21 February 2024, after the Press and Publications Prosecution referred him to the Press and Publications Court in Sanaa on a malicious charge of “publishing false news that disturbs civil peace,” related to what he published on social media networks.
The Press and Publications Court in Sanaa held three hearings to consider the case against Al-Azazi, and its next hearing will be held on 20 April 2024, to declare the ruling.
GCHR condemns the continued targeting of journalist and human rights defender Louay Al-Azazi by all parties to the conflict in Yemen and declares its full solidarity with him.
GCHR calls on the de facto government in Sanaa, the Houthi group, to completely stop targeting journalist Louay Al-Azazi and immediately cancel his trial.
Recommendations
GCHR urges all parties to the conflict in Yemen to:
- Immediately release all those who have been arbitrarily or illegally arrested and detained, and refrain from targeting journalists, including journalist Louay Al-Azazi;
- Respect public freedoms, including freedom of the press and the right to peaceful assembly; and
- Ensure that human rights defenders, including journalists, bloggers, academics and internet activists, are able to carry out their legitimate work and express themselves freely without fear of reprisal and in a manner free from all restrictions, including judicial harassment.
