Continued Detention of Yemeni Journalist Naseh Shaker for Over Two Years

Mr. Rashad al-Alimi
President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council

Mr. Aidarus al-Zoubaidi
Vice President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council
Aden, Yemen

We, the undersigned organizations, write to respectfully urge the Yemeni authorities in Aden—represented by the internationally recognized government led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and the de facto authority of the Southern Transitional Council (STC)—to immediately and unconditionally release Yemeni freelance journalist Naseh Shaker, who has now spent more than two years in detention.

On November 21, 2023, Mr. Shaker was scheduled to travel to Beirut to attend a Hostile Environment and First Aid Training course organized by the Samir Kassir Foundation. He last communicated with his family on November 19, after traveling overnight from his home in Sanaa to Aden to catch his flight. He never arrived at the training and has been subjected to enforced disappearance since that time, as the authorities have refused to reveal his whereabouts when asked.

Repeated inquiries by his family, legal representatives, and local and international organizations went unanswered until February 2025, when a released detainee informed the family that Mr. Shaker was being held at al-Nasr Brigade’s prison—an STC-affiliated Security Belt Forces facility in Aden that serves as an unofficial detention center. He was later transferred to the notorious Beir Ahmed prison.

The released detainee also informed the family that Shaker is being tried by the Specialized Criminal Appeals Prosecution in Aden, which—according to official charging documents reviewed by the Committee to Protect Journalists—has accused him of “using his status as a journalist and local and international media outlets to spread false news, incite against public order, harm national interests, and provide media support to the Houthi group.”

These accusations are wholly inconsistent with Mr. Shaker’s professional record and the editorial standards of the internationally recognized media outlets to which he contributes. These include the U.S. Congress–funded international broadcaster Voice of America, the U.S.-based Middle East news platform Al-Monitor, and the U.K.-based media outlet The New Arab, the London-based news website Middle East Eye, as well as Al-Jazeera English. He has also provided expert analysis on CNN, and his work has been published in the online magazine of the DC think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Mr. Shaker’s continued imprisonment, the lack of transparency surrounding his detention, and the serious due-process concerns raised by his case violate Yemen’s obligations under international human rights law and undermine broader efforts to restore stability and public trust in state institutions. His immediate release would demonstrate a meaningful commitment to justice, rule of law, and the protection of independent journalism.

We respectfully call on your offices to:

Release Naseh Shaker immediately and unconditionally, along with all other arbitrarily detained journalists.
Ensure he receives urgent medical care and full access to his family and legal representatives.
End the use of unofficial detention facilities, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance, and ensure all detentions comply with Yemeni and international law.
Affirm that journalists may work freely and without fear of enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest, or retaliation.

As Yemen continues to navigate a critical political moment, independent journalists like Mr. Shaker play an essential role in informing the public and the international community. His safe return to his family and his profession is both necessary and long overdue.

Signatories: