Aden (South24 Center)

In an attack on press freedom and independent journalism, the Houthi group on Monday (May 12) blocked South24 Center for News and Studies’ alternative domain - south24.org - in Sanaa.

This measure follows their blocking of South24 Center’s primary domain - south24.net -- on March 10, 2024, in a clear attempt to prevent the Yemeni public from accessing the center's journalistic and thought-provoking analytical content.

According to observers in Aden, Sanaa and other Yemeni cities, the south24.org site has become inaccessible without using circumvention tools like VPNs.

South24 Center has condemned this action in an official statement, describing it as "a blatant violation of freedom of opinion and expression" that "threatens to restrict access to vital information in Yemen”.

The statement added: "This blocking constitutes a painful blow to independent journalism and hinders Yemenis' ability to obtain reliable information."

The Center noted that the ban was implemented through ’Yemen Net‘ and ’TeleYemen‘ - the only providers of landline and international internet services in Yemen, both controlled by the Houthi-run Telecommunications Corporation in Sanaa.

In its previous statement, South24 Center had called on the United Nations, human rights organizations, and all defenders of press freedom to "condemn this action, pressure the Houthis to immediately lift the ban on the site, and support the Center in facing these repeated violations”.

This blocking represents a continuation of the Houthis' policies of using the telecommunications sector as a tool for censorship and suppression. 

They have previously blocked hundreds of Yemeni, Arab and international websites, even as they use the internet to spy on opponents and silence independent or opposing voices.