Journalists urge end to impunity for attacks in war-torn Yemen

By Mohammed Alragawi

ISTANBUL (AA) – Yemeni journalist Hesham al-Yousefi was held for around five years and a half in a Houthi-run prison in war-torn Yemen.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, al-Yousefi said he and his fellow journalists were repeatedly subjected to different types of torture, including kicking, slapping, beating with batons and butt-stroking.

“In addition to deprivation of food, we were forced to perform exhausting exercises and shower with cold water. We were also threatened to be held in weapons dumps, which were frequently targeted by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes,” he said.

Detained by Houthi rebels since June 2015, al-Yousefi and four other journalists were set free under a prisoner exchange agreement in October 2020. The UN-brokered deal between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels included the release of more than 1,000 prisoners.

As the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on Nov. 2, al-Yousefi called for rallying international efforts to punish the perpetrators of crimes against journalists.

“Amnesty International and the UN Group of Eminent Experts referred to our stories in their annual reports, but did not address the issue of impunity or accountability of the perpetrators of crimes against journalists,” he said.

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists highlights the instrumental role of prosecutorial services, in investigating and prosecuting not only killings but also threats of violence against journalists.

The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on Nov. 2, 2013.

Al-Yousefi believes that investigations and prosecution will limit the number of crimes against journalists.

“Because the Houthis were not subjected to any real pressure from the international community, they kept us in detention for years, and still holding up four of our colleagues whom they were sentenced to death,” he said.

“We feel upset of the limited support of the international community,” the Yemeni journalist lamented.

“Despite our testimonies to the United Nations Human Rights Council, we do not see any real pressure on the Houthis to release the rest of the detained journalists,” he said.

Over 1,200 journalists have been killed around the world between 2006 and 2020, with close to nine out of 10 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved, according to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists.

Although there is no record of prosecution of any crimes against journalists in Yemen, al-Yousefi said as soon as detained journalists get released, they become “overwhelmed by the joy of freedom”, and prosecuting the violators of their rights becomes “the least of their concerns.”

“The ongoing war in Yemen, does not help punishing the perpetrators,” he lamented.

“We expected the Yemeni government would help us to file a lawsuit against the offenders, but unfortunately it seems that this issue is not a priority for the government at the present time” he said.

Abdulrahman Barman, a Yemeni lawyer, said local journalists cannot file a lawsuit against the perpetrators, because “these crimes are carried out by armed militias, who control all state institutions in their areas, including the judiciary.”

“In areas controlled by either the Houthi rebels in the north, or forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the south, the judicial system is either dysfunctional or totally controlled by these armed groups, therefore journalists do not dare to file any lawsuit,” Barman, the Executive Manager of the US-based American Center for Justice (SCJ), told Anadolu Agency.

He said there is a possibility that journalists get arrested again when they file a lawsuit, noting that many threats of violence and crimes against journalists in Yemen are “not investigated at all.”

- Obstacles

Al-Yousefi said he wishes to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes against journalists in Yemen, but describes the current circumstances as “not yet ripe” for filing lawsuits.

However, he believes that taking the case to the judiciary is “huge to be handled by individual journalists alone” and needs support from the government to prosecute the perpetrators in international courts.

Barman thinks that it is “still difficult” to file lawsuits in international courts too, but international organizations concerned with freedom of opinion and expression can play a role in this issue by “pressuring the inclusion of the perpetrators on the international sanctions lists.”

“Prosecution in international courts is very difficult due to long procedures and high costs, in addition to the legal obstacles that stand in the way of such trials,” he said.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% of the country’s 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million people in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.