Yemeni Journalists Union Documents Crimes of the Saudi Led-Coalition against Journalists

YemenExtra

Y.A

The Freedoms Committee of the Yemeni Journalists Union issued its second annual report, April 2017. The report was entitled “Crimes and violations of the Saudi Led- Coalition against Media and Media Professionals in Yemen”.

The report monitored a number of violations against journalists, media professionals and a number of media organizations ,which included beatings , direct killings, armed robbery destroying of houses, rehabilitating of some newspaper sites and the reproducing some of social media pages for journalists and media professionals as a result of coalition raids or terrorist groups.

The report mentioned several indirect violations due to the comprehensive siege by the coalition, which had a great effect on the performance of the media institutions and prevented many of them from continuing; for example, Al-Gomhouria newspaper in Taiz stopped publishing and its printing press was completely looted and vandalized,  14 October in Aden was also stopped , as well as to the cessation of offices of branches of official media institutions in a large number of provinces.

The report documented 50 names of those killed during the fighting or raids while carrying out their duties as war correspondents for their press and media organizations.

The Yemeni Media Union called for the formation of an impartial international commission of inquiry to consider “war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition,  stressing that the war crimes against the Yemeni media and media professionals would not go unpunished .The union decided to chase those involved in crimes against Yemenis  .The report also urged the various national media institutions to document these crimes and violations, taking into consideration the legal documentation in accordance with international standards.

The report called on international and regional organizations concerned with human rights and national media freedoms to deal responsibly and nationally with the economic and living conditions suffered by the media professionals due to the coalition crimes  , siege and the suspension of salaries and incentives.