The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the sentencing of Yemeni journalist and writer Mohammed Dabwan Al-Meyahi, who has been handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence and ordered to pay a five million Yemeni riyals (around 18,000 euros) financial guarantee by the Houthi-run Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a on 24 May 2025. The sentence came after he shared his opinions and articles on social media.
The IFJ joins its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), in calling for the immediate release of Mohammed Dabwan Al-Meyahi and calls on the Houthis to put an end to the repression of journalists in Yemen.
Al-Meyahi was abducted from his home in September 2024 by armed Houthi militants and subjected to enforced disappearance for several months. His sentencing follows a sham trial, where the verdict was read aloud from a mobile phone inside the courtroom, violating the most basic standards of fair trial procedures, YJS recalls.
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.
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.".
“This case is a chilling reminder of the deteriorating press freedom environment in Yemen,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. “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.”
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. Al-Meyahi has denied all charges against him and insisted that he is a journalist.