Rights Statement Denounces Continued Detention of Journalist Waheed al-Sufi by Houthis, Demands Immediate Release

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

The National Organization of Yemeni Journalists condemned the continued detention of journalist Waheed al-Sufi in the detention centers of the Houthi group. It reported that al-Sufi is entering his tenth consecutive year under enforced disappearance since his abduction in April 2015.

The organization stated that the continued detention of al-Sufi without allowing him to communicate with his family or presenting him to the judiciary constitutes a flagrant violation of international covenants, human rights, and national laws guaranteeing freedoms. It emphasized that this case represents a serious crime requiring urgent legal and international action.

The organization held the Houthis fully responsible for the safety and life of the detained journalist, demanding the immediate disclosure of his place of detention, enabling his family to visit him, and releasing him unconditionally. It called upon the United Nations and international bodies specialized in enforced disappearance and journalists’ rights to exert immediate pressure to end the suffering of Waheed al-Sufi, which is considered one of the longest cases of enforced disappearance in Yemen.

The organization added that it will continue its legal and human rights efforts to pursue those responsible for this crime and hold them accountable, in order to protect press freedom and ensure justice for the journalist and his family.