Yemen: journalist Mohammed Dabwan Al-Meyahi sentenced to 18 months in prison after social media posts

Sentence follows enforced detention of Al-Meyahi since September

The NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists in condemning the 18 month prison sentence given to Yemeni journalist and writer Mohammed Dabwan Al-Meyahi for criticising the Houthi militia.

Al-Meyahi has also been ordered to pay five million Yemeni riyals (around 18,000 Euros) as a ‘financial guarantee’ by the Houthi-run Specialized Criminal Court in the country's de jure capital Sana’a. 

He was abducted from his home in September 2024 by armed Houthi militants and detained for several months. According to reports, it was due to his criticisms of behaviour by the Houthi militia on his official Facebook account and in broadcasts and articles.

The YSJ said his sentencing follows a sham trial, where the verdict was read aloud by the judge from a mobile phone inside the courtroom, violating the most basic standards of fair trial procedures.

The Specialized Criminal Prosecution accused Al-Meyahi of, “maliciously publishing false and malicious news and statements with the intent to disturb public security and peace and harm the public interest, by broadcasting inflammatory statements and articles against the State and its political system on the Yemen Shabab Channel, the Belqis Channel, the Al Jazeera Channel, the Belqis website and Facebook”. 

Al-Meyahi has denied all charges against him and insisted that he is a journalist.

YJS called the ruling "violations of freedom of the press and expression in areas controlled by the Houthi group,[which] reveals the state of terror against free speech”.

The NUJ joins the IFJ and its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), in calling for the immediate release of Al-Meyahi and calls on the Houthis to put an end to the repression of journalists in Yemen.

The IFJ reiterates that such politically-motivated trials are part of a broader pattern of repression in Houthi-controlled areas, where journalists are routinely harassed, detained, or forced into silence.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “This case is a chilling reminder of the deteriorating press freedom environment in Yemen.

"Using the judiciary as a tool to punish critical voices is a direct attack on media freedom. We stand with our colleagues in Yemen and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Dabwan Al-Meyahi.”

 

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