Freedom of the Press in Yemen.. The International Federation condemns the execution of Al-Maqri and the Syndicate renews its demand for the Houthis to release the rest of the kidnapped

The International Federation of Journalists condemned the execution by the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in Yemen of journalist Mohammed Al-Maqri, who has been missing since October 2015, and demanded that the perpetrators of this heinous crime be held accountable, while the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate renewed its demand for the Houthi militia to release the rest of the kidnapped journalists.

The International Federation said in a statement issued on Monday: “We join our voice with the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate in calling on the concerned authorities to investigate the crime of executing journalist Mohammed Qaed Al-Maqri, prosecute the criminals, uncover the body of the colleague and hand it over to his family.”

The statement added that the so-called "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" announced on December 28, 2024, the execution of journalist Mohammed Qaid al-Maqri, who had been missing since October 2015, "on the pretext of spying against what it called mujahideen."

The Union condemned the heinous crime that claimed the life of journalist Al-Maqri, along with 11 others on the same charge.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Mohamed Qaid al-Maqri, and condemn his appalling execution, which represents a severe blow to press freedom and the journalistic community worldwide,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

“The IFJ demands that the perpetrators of this heinous crime be held accountable. It also urges the de facto authorities and other armed groups to release all unjustly imprisoned journalists, wherever they may be,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate renewed its demand for the Houthi militia to release all journalists kidnapped in its prisons.

The union said in a statement: "Journalist Mohammed Al-Mayahy has been kidnapped by the Houthi group in Sana'a since September 21 in mysterious and arbitrary detention conditions due to his opinions."

She added: "Journalist Fahd Al-Arhabi is still being arbitrarily detained in the Houthi security and intelligence prison in Amran Governorate, in light of the deterioration of his health condition, and his continued detention in response to the desire of influential people in Amran, due to his coverage of a societal issue in the governorate."

The union renewed its condemnation of keeping the two colleagues in detention arbitrarily and in violation of the law and in difficult and unhealthy detention conditions, calling for their immediate release and the release of all detainees.

The union recalled the case of the forcibly disappeared Wahid al-Sufi, who has been missing since April 2015 by the Houthis, and the employee of the Yemeni news agency Saba, Nabil al-Saydawi, whom the group refused to release despite the court ruling that the period he had spent in prison should be sufficient.

The union called on the Houthis to stop their policy of persecuting and oppressing journalists and opinion-makers, and to release all those kidnapped.