Yemeni Press in 2025: Deaths, Arrests, and Low Salaries Threaten the Survival of the Profession
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
In its annual report for 2025, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate documented 127 violations targeting journalists and media workers. The report underscores the continued fragility of economic and professional conditions, alongside a breakdown in legal due process regarding the press.
The report recorded:
- 31 cases of arrest and detention.
- 16 fatalities, most notably the deaths of 14 journalists and technicians at the 26 September newspaper in Sana’a.
- Numerous cases of physical assault, threats, bans on coverage, confiscation of equipment, and the blocking of a website.
The Syndicate noted that the majority of these violations were committed by the legitimate government and the Houthi group, with limited cases attributed to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Zionist entity, and other parties.
Economic Hardship
On the economic front, the report revealed dire statistics for media professionals:
- 47% of journalists earn less than $150 per month.
- 70% are forced to work additional jobs outside the field of journalism to survive.
- 82% suffer from a total lack of annual leave.
- 85% receive no employment benefits.
The Syndicate emphasized that these conditions pose a genuine threat to the continuity of journalistic work in Yemen, leading to increased self-censorship and a decline in professional standards. The organization called for immediate intervention to improve the media environment and protect journalists.
