Aden (South24 Center) 

The Southern Journalists and Media Professionals Syndicate issued a sharp critique on Wednesday (September 24) targeting a report released by Human Rights Watch on September 11 titled ‘Yemen: Journalists Under Assault’, which examined media freedom conditions in various parts of the country, including the capital Aden.

In an official statement, the Syndicate stated that the report lacked accuracy and objectivity and ignored documents and evidence previously provided to the organization, noting that the report based its conclusions on fragmented narratives without relying on a comprehensive and impartial field investigation.

The statement said that the report presented a misleading picture of several issues, including a dispute over the ownership of a building in Aden, which was presented without any official documents or records to substantiate the claims over it of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate. It clarified that the Land Authority in the Southern capital does not hold any documents confirming the Syndicate’s ownership.

The statement also addressed the case of journalist Ahmed Maher, asserting that the rights organization portrayed it in a manner contrary to the truth, while a judicial ruling was issued against him in a criminal case unrelated to his journalistic work, according to lawyers familiar with the case file.

It said “ignoring these facts not only distorts reality, but also weakens the credibility of international human rights work, especially when it relies on truncated testimonies and ignores evidence that has been presented to the organization in advance”.

The Syndicate indicated that these serious inaccuracies prompted it to issue an official clarification refuting the report’s content, calling on Human Rights Watch to apologize and revise its report in line with standards of professionalism, neutrality, and accuracy.

Ayad Qassem, Founder and Chairman of ‘South24 Center for News and Studies’, described the report as biased and selective, arguing that it relied on testimonies from political actors and journalists residing abroad while ignoring the Southern Journalists Syndicate and media institutions operating daily in what he characterized as a safe and open environment.

He emphasized that attempting to equate the press environment in Aden with that in Sana’a constitutes a glaring fallacy, pointing out that Aden has become an exception in Yemen, where local and international media operate without systematic repressive restrictions.

Qassem added that the report attempted to amplify an individual case to portray a broad pattern of repression, even as dozens of journalists continue to work freely in Aden.

He characterized the report as a political document disguised as a human rights report aimed at discrediting Southerners and tarnishing their achievements, urging the organization to review its methodology and establish direct communication channels with the Southern Journalists Syndicate to demonstrate its credibility.

The Human Rights Watch report had also accused the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which controls Aden and several Southern governorates, of committing violations against journalists during the years of conflict.

The report claimed that forces affiliated with the Council had detained a number of media professionals, with some subjected to enforced disappearance, and had reduced the civic space available for media work.

It further alleged that freedom of expression had significantly declined in the South in recent years, accompanied by the STC’s takeover of media institutions, the closure of some outlets, and the establishment of STC-aligned media alternatives.