The International Federation of Journalists calls for the release of Zayed and Al-Eryani

Yemen

Yamanat

The International Federation of Journalists called on authorities in Sanaa to immediately release journalist Majid Zayed and writer and poet Awras Al-Eryani.

The Union indicated in a press release published Tuesday, October 28, 2025 by the Yemeni Journalists’ Union that Yemeni journalist Majid Zayed and writer Awras Al-Eryani have been missing since the end of last September, following their arrest by the Houthi group in Sanaa.

The statement explained that journalist Majid Zayed, who writes for a number of independent media outlets in Yemen, such as Yemen Window, Al-Mawqa Post and Mada Press, was kidnapped on September 23, 2025 while leaving a medical center in the capital, Sanaa.

The Union said Zayed’s kidnapping came after he posted a message on his Facebook page in which he celebrated the anniversary of the September 26 revolution, noting that the Houthi group had intensified its campaigns of repression and arrests against citizens, including journalists, before the anniversary of the revolution.

The statement added that writer Auras Al-Eryani was kidnapped a day before Zayed’s arrest. He is known for his satirical writings criticizing the political and social reality of Yemen, writings which did not like the Houthis. Since his arrest, his Facebook page has been deleted, and no trace of him is known to date.

The Yemeni Journalists’ Union confirmed that the continued detention of Zayed and Al-Eryani without clear legal justification or transparent legal proceedings is part of a climate of repression aimed at silencing all voices opposing or criticizing the Houthi authorities.

The union said in its statement: “The detention of journalists solely because of their opinions or professional activities constitutes a flagrant violation of freedom of expression and a flagrant violation of the Yemeni constitution, local laws and international agreements that guarantee freedom of the press and opinion.

For his part, the Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, said: “The kidnapping of journalist Majid Zayed and writer Awras Al-Eryani represents a blatant attack on the fundamental principles of freedom of expression and human dignity,” calling on the de facto authorities and all armed groups to immediately release them, as well as all journalists unjustly detained in Yemen.

Yemen