Aden (South24 Center)

Sharp criticism from Northern religious and political figures targeting Southern media anchor Ahd Yassin of Aljoumhouriyah Channel has sparked widespread controversy in Yemen. The incident highlights growing restrictive rhetoric against women's freedom in media in Yemen, especially the Houthi-controlled North.

The controversy began on November 20 when Abdullah Al-Adini, a leader in the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah Party - Muslim Brotherhood), attacked the anchor's appearance during a television broadcast, claiming her attire "does not represent the values the channel should reflect."

In Facebook posts, he went so far as to describe her participation as "violating the conservative identity of society." In subsequent posts, Al-Adini continued his attack using demeaning language, provoking widespread outrage, as he described her uncovered hair and partially visible legs as "moral decay and deviation”.

Nasruddin Amer, a media leader of the Houthi group, joined the campaign, employing rhetoric accusing the channel's management of abandoning "Yemeni customs and values" and alleging that its supervisors had adopted "Zionist orientations."

In a statement, denouncing the attack on the journalist, the Southern Journalists and Media Professionals Syndicate described it as "dangerous, inciteful rhetoric" targeting anchor Ahd Yassin, and termed the incident "an extension of a takfiri approach targeting Southerners."

The syndicate announced its readiness to provide legal support to prosecute Al-Adini and called on international press organizations to take action against "religious incitement targeting female journalists."

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate called for an urgent investigation and legal measures against Al-Adini, and said it will hold relevant authorities responsible for any harm that might befall female journalists as a result of this incitement.

This incident comes amid increasing digital campaigns targeting Yemeni female journalists, with human rights organizations warning that the escalating hardline religious rhetoric is exacerbating restrictions on women and pushing the media work environment in Yemen—already classified as among the world's most dangerous—toward further constriction

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Al-Adini is a prominent figure in Taiz and has previously taken positions inciting against cultural, civil, and media work in the city.