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December 17, 2025 – Yemen –
International rights and press freedom organisations have intensified calls for the release of Yemeni journalist Naseh Shaker, who has been held in detention for over two years without transparent legal proceedings, prompting concerns about press freedom and human rights in Yemen. Shaker, a respected freelance journalist who contributed to major international media outlets, has not been seen publicly since his arrest in late 2023, and his case has drawn coordinated criticism from global advocacy groups, including ARTICLE 19, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and other partners.
Shaker, 35, disappeared in November 2023 when he was travelling from Sanaa to Aden to board a flight to Beirut for a hostile environment and first-aid training course. His last contact with family was on 19 November 2023. He never reached the training, and his whereabouts remained unknown until early 2025, when a former detainee informed his relatives that he was being held in a Security Belt Forces facility controlled by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden before being transferred to Beir Ahmed prison. Official authorities have consistently refused to disclose his location or permit regular communication with his family or legal counsel.
Shaker’s detention has been framed by rights groups as an enforced disappearance lacking due process. The authorities have reportedly charged him with spreading false news, inciting against public order, harming national interests, and providing media support to the Houthis movement, accusations that rights advocates say are unsubstantiated and inconsistent with Shaker’s record of reporting. His work has appeared with outlets including Voice of America, Al-Monitor, The New Arab, Middle East Eye, and Al-Jazeera English, and he has participated as an analyst on platforms such as CNN.
In a joint appeal dated 17 December 2025, more than 30 organisations urged Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and the STC leadership to release Shaker immediately and unconditionally, ensure his access to medical care, family contact, and legal representation, and end arbitrary and unofficial detentions that violate both Yemeni obligations and international human rights standards. They emphasised that free and independent journalism is crucial to civic life and confidence in state institutions.
The IFJ and its affiliates also reiterated these demands, highlighting that Shaker’s disappearance and continued detention set a dangerous precedent for journalists in Yemen and beyond. Yemen’s long-running conflict has already placed severe constraints on media freedom, and Shaker’s case has become emblematic of broader pressures on independent reporting in the country.
Advocates continue to call on regional and global actors to press Yemeni authorities to uphold press freedom and ensure justice and transparency in Shaker’s case.
Reference –
https://www.article19.org/resources/yemen-release-journalist-naseh-shaker-now/
