After his release, journalist Maher: I suffered greatly in the Transitional Prison and endured injustice that no human being can bear

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council released journalist Ahmed Maher today, Saturday, 24 days after the Specialized Criminal Court in Aden acquitted him of the charges against him.

Maher wrote on his Facebook page: “Thanks be to God Almighty, I left the Security Belt Prison in Aden, Bir Ahmed, this morning, with my acquittal verdict after two and a half years of injustice.”

He added: "I was kidnapped, tortured, forced to make false statements, threatened my family, insulted me through their channels and pages, my money and electronic devices were stolen, a false criminal charge was fabricated against me, an unjust ruling was issued against me... and God proved my innocence in the Criminal Court of Appeal, Aden."

He continued: "I left prison with my head held high like the castle of Seera and my pride towering like the proud Mount Shamsan. Nothing diminished my value, but rather the value of those who cooperated in the oppression of a journalist who possessed nothing but a pen diminished."

He pointed out that he was left alone to fight militias that speak in the name of the state and exploit the law for their political interests: "I suffered greatly... I endured injustice that no human being can bear."

Maher said, "The Presidential Leadership Council and the government, with whom I stood for years defending the state and legitimacy, left me alone among these oppressors... and after my acquittal, I hold them all legally responsible for what happened to me."

On December 25, 2024, the Criminal Court in Aden Governorate issued a ruling acquitting him of the charges against him, after it had issued a ruling on May 28, 2023, sentencing him to four years in prison on charges of publishing false and misleading news and forging identity documents.

The Southern Transitional Council forces kidnapped journalist Maher on August 6, 2022, and disappeared him for a period, before showing him a video in which he made confessions under duress, in a move that was met with widespread condemnation and denunciation.