The Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties has issued a stark warning about the deteriorating state of press freedom in Yemen, declaring the country one of the most hostile environments for journalism in the Middle East. 

In a statement released to mark World Press Freedom Day, SAM attributed the decline to systematic abuses committed by the Houthi militia in areas under their control.

According to the statement, journalists in Houthi-held territories face arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and politically motivated trials. 

SAM condemned these practices as deliberate efforts to silence dissent and suppress independent reporting, noting that such violations are carried out with near-total impunity.

The organization highlighted several cases, including the sentencing of four Yemeni journalists to death by a Houthi-run court in Sana’a, following years of enforced disappearance and mistreatment. 

SAM described the verdicts as emblematic of the group’s weaponization of the judiciary to target media professionals.

“Yemen has become one of the worst environments for journalism in the region,” SAM stated, urging the international community to take urgent action to protect journalists and hold perpetrators accountable. 

The group called on UN bodies and global human rights organizations to pressure the Houthis to release detained journalists and cease their repressive practices.

SAM also emphasized the broader impact of media suppression on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, warning that the absence of free and independent reporting undermines transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to information.

The statement aligns with findings from other watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Musaala for Human Rights, which have documented widespread violations against media workers in Yemen.