Yemen: Release journalist Naseh Shaker now

Yemen: Release journalist Naseh Shaker now

Posted on December 17, 2025 Media 6 min read Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

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Yemen: Release journalist Naseh Shaker now - Media

Naser Shaker reported on events in Yemen, including reporting on the aftermath of a stampede in Sanaa in April 2023 for CNN. Credit: Khaled Abdullah / Reuters

ARTICLE 19 has joined partner organisations in calling for the unconditional release of Yemeni journalist Naseh Shaker, who has been detained for two years. In a joint letter, the 18 organisations urge the internationally recognised government led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and the de facto authority of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to release Shaker, who, prior to his detention in December 2023, provided reliable, vital news on the long-running crisis in Yemen.

Shaker, who works as a freelancer for several media and news outlets, disappeared in 2023 while travelling to a training course in Lebanon. Despite repeated requests for information, authorities have failed to inform his family of his whereabouts. In February 2025, a released detainee provided some information, and the family and international organisations understand he is currently being held in Beir Ahmed prison.

The joint letter follows.

17 December 2025

Mr. Rashad al-Alimi

President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)

Mr. Aidarus al-Zoubaidi

Vice President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC)

President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC)

Aden, Yemen

Re: Continued detention of Yemeni journalist Naseh Shaker for over two years

We, the undersigned organisations, write to respectfully urge the Yemeni authorities in Aden - represented by the internationally recognised 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 21 November, 2023, Mr. Shaker was scheduled to travel to Beirut to attend a Hostile Environment and First Aid Training course organised by the Samir Kassir Foundation. He last communicated with his family on 19 November 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 organisations 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 recognised media outlets to which he contributes. These include the US Congress-funded international broadcaster Voice of America, the US-based Middle East news platform Al-Monitor, the UK-based media outlet The New Arab and 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 Washington, 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.

Signatures:

1- Committee to Protect Journalists

2- Yemeni Journalists Syndicate

3- Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)

4- Rory Peck Trust

5- ARTICLE 19

6- Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory (YMFO)

7- Freedom House

8- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)

9- IFEX

10- The National Organization of Yemeni Reporters SADA

11- DAWN

12- Samir Kassir Foundation

13- SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties

14 - CIVICUS

15- Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center

16- International Federation of Journalists - IFJ

17- Human Rights Watch

18- HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement