10/06/2026
Human Rights Statement Issued On the Occasion of Yemeni Press Day – 9 June 2026
As Yemeni Press Day is observed this year, the journalistic and media community in Yemen finds itself at a tragic and systematic crossroads marked by escalating policies of blatant repression and a persistent determination to suppress free expression and confiscate public awareness. Despite these existential threats facing freedom of expression, journalists, writers, intellectuals, and opinion holders in Yemen continue to defend the sanctity of the free word, standing at the forefront of the struggle to protect society’s right to information and reaffirming the established human rights principle that a free press is the eye of truth and the living conscience of society.
The arrest of journalists, intellectuals, critics, opinion holders, and those who express dissent, as well as the arbitrary deprivation of their liberty, constitutes a stain on the conscience of both society and the state and represents a crime that is not subject to limitation. Without freedom of expression, democratic alternatives disappear, injustice is legitimized, and the foundations of justice are undermined. Justice for Rights and Development Organization (JRDO) places the international community, the United Nations, and international human rights mechanisms before their historical and legal responsibilities regarding the forced targeting and systematic silencing of journalists in Yemen. We affirm to the international system as a whole that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right protected under established and binding principles of international law, creating absolute and non-derogable obligations that cannot be suspended or restricted under any security or political pretext. Since the Republic of Yemen is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), its provisions carry binding legal force that prevails over ordinary domestic procedural legislation and impose a clear prohibition against prosecuting journalists and opinion holders on the basis of their views and ideas.
Within this strict jurisprudential framework, we draw the attention of United Nations bodies and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the authoritative interpretation of international human rights treaties as reflected in the Human Rights Committee’s General Comments, particularly General Comment No. 34. This interpretation unequivocally establishes that imprisonment and criminal detention are inherently disproportionate penalties in matters concerning publication and expression. The use of vague legal provisions to restrict journalistic activity constitutes a serious abuse of authority and a direct assault on the fundamental principles upon which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was founded.
At the national level, the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen imposes a categorical obligation on the State to guarantee freedom of thought and expression. As a supreme constitutional norm, this guarantee cannot be undermined or emptied of its substance by lower-ranking legislation. Furthermore, the Press and Publications Law provides strong legal protection against interference with a journalist’s personal security or liberty on account of their opinions or publications. Accordingly, the continued referral of journalists to exceptional or specialized criminal courts constitutes a legally void measure lacking any lawful effect, as it directly contravenes the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of exceptional courts and represents a complete erosion of fair trial guarantees and the principle of the natural judge. Based on these definitive legal and international standards, Justice for Rights and Development Organization (JRDO) firmly calls for the following:
First: To all de facto authorities: the immediate, comprehensive, and unconditional release of all journalists, writers, opinion holders, and forcibly disappeared persons, and adherence to the well-established legal principle that publication-related matters should be addressed through civil liability and compensation mechanisms rather than criminal penalties involving deprivation of liberty.
Second: To the judicial authorities: the immediate and complete suspension of all ongoing proceedings against journalists before exceptional or non-specialized courts, the annulment of all politically motivated and arbitrary judgments issued against them, and the safeguarding of judicial independence by preventing the misuse of the judiciary as a tool of political retaliation.
Third: To the United Nations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the International Federation of Journalists: to move beyond routine expressions of concern and repetitive diplomatic statements and instead exercise meaningful and effective pressure on all Yemeni parties to comply with their international obligations; to activate international accountability mechanisms against those responsible for violations of journalists’ rights; and to emphasize that crimes committed against the guardians of public awareness in Yemen constitute serious violations for which perpetrators must not enjoy impunity.
On this occasion, we extend our appreciation to all journalists as guardians of truth, beacons of awareness, and the living conscience of Yemen.
Issued by:
Justice for Rights and Development Organization (JRDO)
Dated: 9 June 2026
