Yemen: Bombarding Communications Network Is A Flagrant Violation of the Right to Access Information and the Press Freedom, Raising Doubts about the “Blackout Aims” during War

2022-01-22 07:47

Statements Yemen

 

The Journalists Support Committee (JSC) warns of the continued attacks on the communications network in Yemen during the bombing of several areas in it. The latest of which also shut down the internet networks in many Yemeni regions.

In connection, many journalists and media outlets expressed complaints which reached the offices of the committee in Yemen about their inability to convey their media messages and coverage to their institutions inside and outside Yemen. Journalists in and around the bombing areas also complain about the inability to access sources of information to publish accurate and reliable news, which makes them fear that these targets are a prelude to imposing a “media blackout” and the consequent targeting and crimes that the assailants want to obliterate and prevent the coverage of the events, while imposing rejected International isolation.

JSC, expressing its deep concern about the course of the attacks on Yemen and its efforts to obstruct the right of journalists to access and disseminate information and to deprive members of society of the right to follow up events in light of the “critical” circumstances the country is going through, reiterate its demand to respect the international humanitarian law that prohibits targeting civilian assets and criminalizes attacks on them.

The committee also calls on international and human rights organizations, foremost of which UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists, to pressure those concerned to quit their violations of the right to press freedom and to secure the necessary protection for journalists and media outlets and all facilities that would contribute to conveying the truth, by voice, image and word, to the whole world about the course of events of "The forgotten war," as described by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelette.

 

JSC - Switzerland

Friday 21 January 2022