Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
ADEN – Yemeni media organizations have strongly condemned a recent raid by armed members of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) on the office of Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Information, Hussein Basalim. The armed group forcibly seized the office, handing it over to a person named Salah al-Aqil, who was illegally appointed to the position.
The Yemen Media Freedoms Observatory (Marsadak) described the act as a “blatant violation of the rule of law” and part of a “systematic effort to weaken official media institutions,” which it says deprives Yemeni society of free and independent media. The observatory held the STC fully responsible for the violations and demanded an immediate stop to the targeting of journalists and media outlets in areas under its control.
Marsadak also noted that this incident is part of a broader pattern to restrict press freedom, citing previous incidents such as the storming of the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate headquarters in Aden, the banning of media channels, and the imposition of strict censorship on journalists.
Additionally, the observatory expressed grave concern over the continued detention of journalist Naseh Shaker, who has been held for over 22 months. Shaker has allegedly been subjected to forced disappearance, torture, and a denial of his basic rights, which Marsadak called a “gross violation of international human rights law.”
The National Organization of Yemeni Journalists “Sada” also condemned the raid, expressing full solidarity with Hussein Basalim after the office lock was broken and the office was handed over to another individual by an unauthorized entity. The organization viewed the incident as an “assault on state institutions and their media figures,” reflecting a state of chaos and a lack of state authority in the interim capital of Aden.
“Sada” called for Basalim to be reinstated and for media institutions and their staff to be protected. The organization held the head and members of the Presidential Leadership Council constitutionally and legally responsible for the incident, urging them to take swift action to hold those involved accountable and ensure such events do not happen again.
