LONDON: Yemeni journalist Majed Zayed and writer Oras Al-Iryani have reportedly disappeared in Sanaa, in what rights groups have condemned as part of an escalating Houthi clampdown on media freedom.
Zayed, who contributes to independent outlets including Nafzet Al-Yemen, Almawqea Post, and Mda Press, was abducted late on Sept. 23 while leaving a medical center in the Yemeni capital.
His disappearance followed a patriotic Facebook post celebrating the Yemeni flag ahead of the Sept. 26 Revolution Day, an anniversary not recognized by Houthi authorities.
Just a day prior, Al-Iryani — a poet and essayist — was last seen after leaving his home at sunset, his phone switched off and his Facebook page deleted within hours.
Both men remain missing, and advocacy groups have directly linked their disappearances to the Houthi escalation against media and free expression as Revolution Day approached.
Civil society group SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties described these acts as “systematic efforts to suppress opinion and limit civic participation.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists echoed calls for their safe release, condemning the arrests as “another example of the Houthi rebel group exploiting politicized moments to intensify their crackdown on the press.”
The latest disappearances are part of a broader campaign against writers, journalists, and activists in Houthi-controlled territories ahead of national celebrations.
Rights monitors warn this is an attempt to erase a significant historical milestone from Yemen’s collective memory.
Earlier in September, the Houthi-run Ministry of Interior issued a warning about alleged hostile plots threatening national stability, mirroring last year’s campaign of arrests targeting aid workers and critics, including journalist Mohammed Al-Miyahi, who is still in detention.
