YJS: The State of Impunity for Perpetrators of Crimes Against Yemeni Journalists Continues
The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has released its third quarterly report on press freedom in Yemen, documenting several violations that confirm the continued hostile environment facing the press and journalists in Yemen. The Syndicate documented 20 violations against media in Yemen from July 1 to September 30, 2023. The violations included 7 cases of deprivation of freedom, such as detention and arrest, representing 35% of the total breaches, and 4 cases of imposing restrictions and censorship on journalists (20%). The Syndicate documented 3 cases of threats and incitement (15%), two cases of assault (10%), two cases of interrogation (10%), one case of cruel and illegal treatment (5%), and a case of website hacking (5%). According to the Syndicate, The state of impunity for all perpetrators of crimes against journalists continues, and the various authorities keep abandoning their legal and moral responsibility towards these crimes.
The Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons’ Camps in Aden organized a 12-day workshop to discuss the implementation of the national policy to address internal displacement in the country, with the participation of government officials from Aden, Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Taiz, Abyan, and Al-Hudaydah. Najeeb Al-Saadi, head of the government unit for managing displaced persons’ camps, told the media that the workshop comes within the government’s efforts to address internal displacement in accordance with the national policy for dealing with displacement to create a shared vision for implementing that policy according to effective work mechanisms, leading to permanent solutions. Over 4 million Yemeni people have been displaced since the war started in 2014.
A human rights report revealed 91 violations in Taiz province last September, including 62 cases committed by the Houthi group. The Human Rights Information and Rehabilitation Center (HRITC) said in its monthly report that “its field team documented the injury of 4 civilians. An explosion of an explosive device injured a woman, another woman was injured by mortar shells, and two other civilians were injured by sniper bullets. The report said the Houthi group was responsible for these four violations. The other documented violations included attacks on citizens’ homes, causing total or partial destruction. Taiz province has been divided between the Houthi group and the UN-recognized government since 2015.
The Israeli military intensified airstrikes in Gaza, including near its largest hospital, while thousands of people desperate for food and basic items broke into aid warehouses in the besieged enclave. Internet and phone connectivity were restored for many people on Sunday after Israeli strikes had knocked out most communications in the territory late Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called the 3-week-old Israel-Hamas war a fight for Israel’s existence. He announced a “second stage” in the war and said Israel is determined to bring back 229 hostages taken by Hamas during its bloody Oct. 7 rampage. The Palestinian death toll passed 8,000, most of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.