Rights Groups Condemn Houthi Sentence Against Journalist Al-Mayyahi, Demand His Immediate Release
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and the National Organization of Yemeni Media Professionals “Sada” have condemned the verdict issued on Saturday, 2025, by the Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a (under Houthi control), sentencing journalist Mohammed Dabwan Al-Mayyahi to one and a half years in prison. He was also ordered to sign a written pledge and pay a financial guarantee of 5 million Yemeni riyals, all due to opinions he expressed on social media.
In a statement on Facebook, the Syndicate described the ruling as “a continuation of systematic violations against freedom of expression,” noting that Al-Mayyahi was abducted from his home in September 2024 by Houthi gunmen and forcibly disappeared for months without legal justification.
“Sada” documented its attendance at the trial where the sentence was delivered via “mobile phone” in the courtroom—an incident it called “a collapse of the most basic standards of a fair trial.”
Both organizations deemed the verdict “invalid in form and substance,” stressing that the charges were “fabricated,” lacked any legal basis, and were issued by an “illegitimate court.” They accused the Houthis of “politicizing the judiciary and turning it into a tool to silence dissent.”
The Syndicate’s statement called the legal actions “an attempt to intimidate the press,” while “Sada” described the ruling as “yet another crime that justifies the ongoing violations against Al-Mayyahi.”
The two organizations held the international community—particularly human rights organizations and the United Nations—responsible for pressuring the Houthis to immediately release Al-Mayyahi and end the persecution of journalists. They called for “urgent professional and human rights solidarity” to support his case and that of others who have been arbitrarily detained in Yemen.
