NOOR SURIB

Yemen- Yemeni journalist and media activist Hala Fouad Badawi was arrested on December 30 by the Yemeni military intelligence command in Hadhramaut Governorate over her reports and social media posts. Her phone and working materials have been reportedly seized by the authorities. On January 5, she was officially charged with “spying and communicating with foreign agencies” and moved from the detention facility of the military intelligence to the Central Prison in Mukalla city, the capital of Hadhramaut governorate. She has been reportedly on a hunger strike in the prison now. Lawyer and a human rights defender Afraa Al-hariri, also a member of the Women's Technical Advisory Group of the Special UN Envoy Office in Yemen, spoke to NuJINHA about the arrest of Hala Fouad Badawi.

Laws are violated

Stating that they have closely followed the trial against journalist Hala Fouad Badawi, Afraa Al-hariri said, “We have demanded her immediate release since she was arrested. Six days later of her arrest, police raided her family’s house at 21.30. The police raid is a violation of the law and Article No. 144. The people of Hadhramaut, the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), and human rights defenders condemned the house raid. For this reason, the Hadhramau Attorney General's Office had to issue a statement about the house raid. Launching a raid on a house at night is an illegal practice. The arrest of journalist Hala Fouad Badawi is a right violation against her and unacceptable.”

Women journalists are targeted

Underlining that the arrest of Hala Fouad Badawi is unacceptable, Afraa Al-hariri stated that she had meetings with the relevant people and asked them to stop the rights violations against the journalist. “I got in contact with many people. We had a phone call with the Attorney General's Office and we demanded them the release of Hala Fouad Badawi. What has been happening is a policy of intimidation. Many women journalists have been recently targeted. All people and organizations should unite against the policy of intimidation against women journalists because everyone can face what Hala Fouad Badawi has faced. We shouldn’t remain silent and leave journalist Hala Fouad Badawi alone.”