JournalismPakistan.com
June 11, 2018

BRUSSELS - Yemeni journalist Anwar Al-Rakan died on June 8 just two days after his release from a Houthi prison, amid claims he had been tortured.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) in strongly condemning the brutal treatment in captivity which had led to his death.

Al-Rakan had been detained in Al-Saleh city detention facility located in Taiz, Yemen for unknown reasons.

The journalist’s family said that Al-Rakan died on June 8, two days after his release, due to the torture that he faced according to his statements shortly before his death and to the report of the physician who examined him after he was freed.

The YJS, who documented over 300 violations of press freedom in Yemen over 2017 and said that 68% of them were committed by the Houthis, “strongly condemns this heinous crime that claimed Al Rakan’s life and holds Houthis group fully responsible for this crime, confirming that it has no statute of limitation, and the perpetrators shall be held to account.”

The IFJ pledged its support to helping Yemeni journalists expose and tackle the ongoing abuses in the country.

“We utterly condemn the barbaric treatment our brother Anwar was subjected to. It is not a coincidence that we chose Yemen as one of the seven countries for our End Impunity campaign. The war between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition results in increased violations of journalists’ rights,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. “These systematic attacks against the press and journalists must stop immediately.”