[09/11/2017 08:02]

BRUSSELS-SABA
Minister of Information Muamar al-Iryani met on Thursday with the Head of the Peninsula and Iraq Department in the European Union Foreign Administration Rose Jeli and discussed with her the situation of press freedom in Yemen after Houthi-Saleh's coup.

He reviewed Houthi-Saleh militias' violations against journalists and media men, noting that Yemen has achieved great development in this field since adoption political plurality in 1990 and followed by political transfer led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in 2011 to achieve more progress in the field and accomplished the National Dialogue Conference.

Media freedoms have been subjected to huge violations by Houthi militias including shutting down and seizing newspapers and media institutions, kidnapping and imprisoning journalists and issuing death sentences against them until Sana'a become a city free of opposing voices, said al-Iryani.

"Houthy violations against the Yemeni people have reached a level of crimes against humanity, a matter puts the international community and organizations before moral and legal responsibilities towards Yemeni people," he said.
He reaffirmed Yemen's serious and honest desire in achieving just and inclusive peace to Yemeni people on the bases of the Gulf Initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and the UN Resolution 2216.

For her part, the EU official clarified that the experiment of the National Dialogue in Yemen was supported by the EU and all international activities.

We hoped that the experiment of political transfer would be a successful story to emerging democratic countries, she said, expressing frustration over halting the truck.

She also expressed deep regret over severe humanitarian situation suffered by the Yemeni people and concern of not reaching a political solution over Houthi militias' stubbornness and reluctant on ending the war.

While Jeli renewed support of the EU to the internationally recognized government under President Hadi, she denounced all Houthi human rights violations.

She confirmed she will give the issue of violations against journalists serious concern and convey their suffering to relevant bodies.

---