Women Journalists without Chains (WJWC) has followed up with concern repeated violations and attacks made against freedom of expression in Yemen. It says that future of expression freedom in Yemen is at risk as number of reported attacks committed during one-month period is shocking.

WJWC expresses its fear over increasing attacks committed against journalists because battles are intensifying and reporters are often targeted by all parties in such conditions.
WJWC registered 40 cases of violations made against journalists and media professionals in January 2015. These violations included murder, assaults, detention, abduction and threats.
The organization condemns the state of excessive hostility which is used by the Houthis militias against journalists and TV channels correspondents.
"It is unfortunate to see this huge number of violations taking place in one-month period of 2015" the organization said. It held the Houthis, mainly their leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi accountable for daily attacks committed against journalists.
WJWC strongly denounced these violations and called on the concerned authorities to protect journalists and media professionals. It pronounced its full solidarity with journalists and media professionals, stressing the need of all local and international rights organization to stand firmly against resentment dealt by the Houthis militias against freedom of word and opinion.
Below are details of the 40 reported cases:
Saleh Al-Suraimi, a freelance journalist, received a death threat on Friday January 1st 2015 from a person named Mohamed Ali Al-Matri of the Houthi Movement.
Al-Suraimi told WJWC that he was threatened with killing during a conversation with Al-Matri. He explained that Al-Matri accused him of incitement against the Houthis on TV channels and threatened to shoot him on head in case he continued inciting. The verbal quarrel developed into an attempt of physical assault against Al-Suraimi.
Sami Al-Ansi, a cameraman works for the Arabic-speaking Sky News Satellite TV channel was stopped and confined on January 3rd 2015 by Houthi gunmen. Al-Ansi informed WJWC that armed men of the Houthis, at Amran Roundabout in the capital Sana'a, stopped him for about an hour, questioned him, threatened him with confiscating his media equipment and detaining him if continued his job.
Abdulaziz Al-Sabri, a cameraman of Aljazeera Arabic channel was stopped on January 5th 2015 by a Houthis-run checkpoint. The gunmen also confiscated his camera.
Al-Sabri the WJWC that Houthi militants seized his camera while returning from Arahb area, where he took photos of houses destroyed by the Houthis in Shira'a village. While on his way to Sana?, Al-Sabri was surprised by a group of gunmen on a military vehicle who stopped him and took his camera.
At 10:00 am of January 12th 2015, a group of Houthi gunmen stormed the office of the state-run Educational Channel. They closed down the channel and prevented the staff from exercising their work.
Ma'ad Al-Zakri, a cameraman of Azal Channel and his brother were kidnapped on January 2nd 2015 by unknown armed men who were driving two vehicles, one was a Toyota-Hilux and the other was a Toyota pickup.
Aqeel Al-Halali, a member of the Workers Union Committee at the state-run Saba News Agency and reporter of the UAE based Al-Ethad Newspaper said that militias of the Houthi Movement threatened on January 2nd 2015 to blow up his father's house in Dhawran district of Dhamar governorate. He added that the gunmen opened the fire from their medium and light weapons at the house from all directions, causing damages to the house.
Khaled Mohamed Al-Wishali, a correspondent for Al-Masirah Houthis-run Satellite TV Channel was killed on January 4th 2015 while taking photos of an explosive device found by the Popular Committees of the Houthis, nearby Al-Wahda Female Students School.
Gunmen of the Houthi Movement broke into the house of Faysal Mukram, chairman of the Board of the state-run Al-Thawra Press and Publishing Corporation, on January 6th 2016 and forced him to resign.
Saeed Thabit, Head of the Al-Jazeera Network Office in Yemen, received a death threat through phone from an unknown person. Hamdi Al-Bukari, a correspondent of the same channel wrote on his facebook page that Thabit received a death threat from an unidentified man using this cell phone number: 715141217.
Essam Al-Nihmi, a sport editor of Marib Press newspaper and reporter for the sport supplement of Al-Ayyam Newspaper, was assaulted while covering a soccer match held at Al-Wahda Stadium on January 3rd 2015. Al-Nihmi held Amin Jumaan, Secretary General of the capital Sana'a local council and head of Wihdat Sana'a Club, responsible for the assault.
Ghamdan Al-Yosufi, a prominent freelance journalist received on January 4th 2015 a text-message threat from a Houthi man, named Abu Ayman Ammar Al-Hadad. The text message demanded Al-Yosufi to stop his journalistic and political activity and his criticism against the Houthis, otherwise he will be at risk.
The headquarters of News Yemen, a local news website located at Mohamed Al-Mutawkil Street, was stormed and robbed on January 16th 2015.
Khaled Mussed, a reporter of Al-Shara? Newspaper in Hajja governorate received on January 18th 2015 an arrest threat from Basam Al-Subaihi, the commander of thesecond regiment of the 2nd border guard brigade, on the ground of a report published on a security campaign led by the brigade that stormed an illegal detention and torture camps in Haradh district of Hajja and freed 130 African migrants among them 69 women, held by human traffickers.
Mohamed Al-Sayaghi, a journalist at the state-run Saba News Agency was assaulted on January 19th 2015 by the Presidential Guard of President Hadi's house in Sana'a while reporting on clashes which broke out then in a nearby area.
They also opened the fire at him when he attempted to leave the place and held him captive in a caravan used by the guards as a living room. The guard accused him of spying and betrayal, and confiscated all his media equipment that included two cameras, one cell phone, his ID and job cards and was then prevented from contacting anyone for five hours.
Hamoud Monsar, the director of the Al-Arabya Channel's office in Sana'a was subjected to an inciting campaign led by an official from the office of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh on the ground of covering the clashes between the presidential guard and Houthis in Sana'a on January 19th 2015.
Mohamed al-Qamrani, the head of the news department at Sana'a Public Radio was dismissed from his post on January 22nd 2015 by Houthi militias with no justification
Abdulsalam Monsar, the manger of the commercial department at Al-Thawra Press and Publishing Corporation was threatened on January 22nd 2015 to be arrested along with his sons by the representative of the Houthi Popular Committees at the corporation.
The Houthis suspended on January 22nd 2015 the broadcasting of the state-run Aden TV because of its anti-coup coverage from Aden. It is important to mention here that the broadcasting transmission of Aden TV is controlled from Sana'a.
Yahya al-Sawari, a photojournalist was arrested by the Houthis while covering an assault committed by Houthis against a youth march staged on January 26 2015 at Al-Qadisya Roundabout, nearby the Change Square in Sana'a. The Houthis closed down all roads leading to the Change Square and assaulted protesters particularly cameramen.
Gunmen of the Houthis arrested on January 24th 2015 Mohamed al-Masoodi, a reporter of Al-Wahdawi newspaper along with four others while covering an anti-coup demonstration in al-Ka'eda town of Ibb governorate. They took al-Masoodi by force to a house they use as a private custody and threatened to take him to Ibb. Al-Masoodi remained in the detention from 10:00 am until 13:30 pm.
Mohamed Eida, a cameraman of al-Hura Satellite TV Channel was assaulted and his camera was taken on January 26th 2015 while covering an anti-coup march in front of Sana'a University.
Mohamed al-Qadi, a correspondent of Sky News Arabic-speaking satellite TV channel was detained by the Houthis militias while covering an anti-coup demonstration held on January 26 2015 in front of Sana'a University. The cameraman of the same channel was also detained and his camera was confiscated during the same event.
This anti-coup demonstration witnessed several crackdowns on journalists. Khaled Al-Mahdi, the photojournalist of Reuters was also assaulted while covering the same event. Hayel al-Bkali, a correspondent of Suhail TV was assaulted by Houthi gunmen while reporting the anti-coup demonstration held on January 26 2015.The cameraman of the same channel, Maher Al-Hubaishi was also assaulted while covering the same event. Abdullah Al-Rawhani, a cameraman for the same channel was also assaulted while on duty covering the same event.
Most reported cases of attacks made against journalists and media professionals on January 26, 2015 took place during the coverage of the anti-coup demonstration, held in front of Sana University.
Yaqoob al-Shara'abi, a cameraman works for Yemen Digital Media Company was also assaulted while covering the anti-coup demonstration.
Houthi gunmen assaulted a freelance photojournalist, Mohamed al-Emad, and forced him to delete photos of the anti-coup demonstration from the memory card of his camera.
Tawfeeq Al-Muslimi, a freelance photojournalist was assaulted and his camera was confiscated while covering the anti-coup demonstration. Adel Shamsan, a reporter of Al-Ahali local newspaper was assaulted while on duty for covering the same event.
Abdullah Al-Samae, a freelance journalist, was assaulted while covering the anti-coup demonstration in front of Sana'a University on January 26, 2015.
Samed al-Samae, an editor a of al-Ola local newspaper, was arrested along with other men and four women on Sunday January 25th from the campus of Sana'a University.
Al-Samae and his friends were taken to al-Judairi police station and remained at the detention until midnight of same day. Their release came in response to a sit-in held by some journalists protesting the detention of al-Samae and his fellows.
Ahmed Humran and Abdullah Humran, both are correspondents for Al-Alam Satellite TV Channel were detained while covering the anti-coup demonstration held in front of Sana'a University on January 26 2015.
Houthi gunmen also detained Ghamdan al-Doqaimi, a report for France 24 Satellite TV Channel while covering the anti-coup demonstration on January 26 2015.
Houthis militias also detained the secretary of the Almasdr daily newspaper while covering another anti-coup demonstration on January 28 2015 in al-Ribat street of the capital Sana'a.