Human Rights and Union Demands for the Immediate Release of Journalist Hammoud Hazaa

Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:

The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate has expressed its great concern over the developments related to the arrest of journalist Hammoud Hazaa in Marib governorate. It considers the official justifications for his arrest to “raise serious concerns that it is an attempt to single him out and undermine his right to freedom of expression,” especially after mentioning his affiliation with the army without revealing any specific charges.

The syndicate clarified that during the years of war, a number of journalists were forced to flee from Houthi-controlled areas to legitimate government-controlled areas, where some of them had their status settled by being granted military numbers or honorary ranks in exchange for continuing their media work. The syndicate affirmed its rejection of exploiting these arrangements to later use them as a pretext for imposing arbitrary or military measures against journalists.

The syndicate called on the authorities to reverse the measures taken against Hazaa and to release him immediately, while also opening a transparent investigation into the violations that accompanied his arrest.

For its part, Sada Organization for Yemeni Journalists confirmed that journalist Hammoud Hazaa has been subjected to serious violations since the moment of his arrest, including raiding his home, confiscating his property, and detaining him in what it described as inhumane conditions.

The organization called on the local authorities in Marib to release him immediately, considering that “the real protection of the governorate begins with protecting the rights of its people, and that any arbitrary practices represent an abuse of its status, which has hosted Yemenis for years.”