Journalists Mohammed al-Salahi and Mohammed al-Junaid continue to be detained by the Huthi de facto authorities in Hodeidah, Yemen, despite the expiry of their sentences on 20 June 2022 and 13 July 2022 respectively. Since their arrest in 2018, the journalists were subjected to a series of gross human rights violations, including enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment such as severe beatings, and denial of access to their lawyer. Amnesty International urges the Huthi de facto authorities to release Mohammed al-Salahi and Mohammed al-Junaid immediately. Pending their release, they must be protected from torture and other ill-treatment
TAKE ACTION:
- Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on July 11, 2023.
- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to the government official listed below. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
- Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 51.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ansurullah Spokesperson
Mohamed Abdelsalam
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @abdusalamsalah
Ambassador Mohammed A. Al-Hadhrami
Embassy of Yemen
2319 Wyoming Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 965-4760
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mohamed Abdelsalam,
I am alarmed to learn that journalists Mohammed al-Junaid and Mohammed al-Salahi continue to be detained in the Security and Intelligence Services detention center in Hodeidah, Yemen, despite the expiry of their prison sentence in June and July 2022.
Mohammed al-Salahi and Mohammed al-Junaid were arbitrarily detained by the Huthi Security and Intelligence forces in Hodeidah in October and November 2018 respectively. Mohammed al-Salahi was enforcedly disappeared for five months from the beginning of his arrest. According to his lawyer, he was subjected to severe beatings during interrogations and was suspended from the ceiling in handcuffs while security forces beat him on his testicles. The interrogations lasted over the period of two months and were conducted on a daily basis for five to six hours per day. Mohammed al-Salahi was blindfolded and forced to sign a confessional statement written by the security forces. Despite denying before the prosecutor the confessions he made under torture; the prosecutor failed to investigate claims of torture and did not dismiss confessions extracted under duress.
On 18 December 2018, the Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Hodeidah charged Mohammed al-Junaid and Mohammed al-Salahi with “communicating with people working for the interest of the enemy” and “exchanging information on military sites.” On 28 June 2022, the court sentenced Mohammed al-Salahi and Mohammed al-Junaid to three years and eight months in prison in a secret trial on charges relating to spying and aiding the “Saudi and Emirati aggression”. They should have been released on 20 June 2022 and 13 July 2022 respectively, but they are kept in custody despite having already served time in pre-trial detention.
Throughout Mohammed al-Salahi and Mohammed al-Junaid’s detention, their lawyer was only allowed to meet them once in November 2019 and to attend their prosecution session in Sana’a, the capital, on 18 December 2019.
I call on the Huthi de facto authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mohammed al-Junaid and Mohammed al-Salahi. Pending their overdue release, the authorities must ensure the journalists are protected from torture and other ill-treatment and carry out a prompt, effective and impartial investigation into Mohammed al-Salahi’s claims of torture, with those found responsible brought to justice in fair trials.
Yours sincerely,
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Word or PDF
- GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
- READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
- CONTACT US: [email protected]