An armed group assaulted and beat journalist Al-Samadi yesterday Thursday 24 August near his house in the Houthi- held city of Sana'a. Al-Samadi said in a post on his Facebook page, "An armed gang of five people attacked me near my house. They beat me up and threatened me with reprisals if I did not stop writing."

He published pictures showing clear bruises on his face and mouth. These bruises shwed how brutal the assault was. 

Al-Samadi said in another post, “This day is alandmark in my life that I could not have imagined that I would be looted, beaten and robbed in Sana'a. I didn't realize the savagery had reached its extreme.
I saw this picture, just like you, so I got sick again even though I am fine now.) 

On January 25, 2022, the Houthi group closed the Voice of Yemen radio station owned by journalist Majali Al-Samadi, which was broadcasting on frequency (98.1). As a result, he submitted his case before the judiciary and a ruling was issued in his favor by the Press Court on December 24. The Ministry of Information in Sana’a refused to implement the ruling and continued to close the radio until today. 

The frequency of violations against journalists increased in Yemen, especially in areas controlled by the Houthi group. The group closed all local radio stations that are not under its control, including entertainment and cultural ones. They also shut down T.V channels and confiscated the equipment, closed all local newspapers, magazines, and internet sites that are not under its control, arrested journalists and media workers, brought a number of them to trial and dismissed them from their jobs. 

The constitution and national laws in Yemen guarantee freedom of expression and grant all citizens, including journalists, the freedom to express their opinions freely. The state is obligated to protect this right. Yemen is also bound by international treaties and conventions it has ratified to protect freedom of the press.

The American Center for Justice (ACJ) condemns the repeated attacks against journalist Majali Al-Samadi and calls on the international community and international organizations concerned with freedom of the press to play their role in pressuring the Houthi group to stop these violations, investigate the assault on journalist Al-Samadi, and bring the perpetrators to justice.