Houthi gunmen broke into a radio station and looted its contents, details

In continuation of the crimes of the Houthi militia in Yemen, gunmen affiliated with the Iran-backed terrorist organization raided the Yemen Radio FM station in Sana’a for the second time and looted broadcasting equipment, ignoring a court ruling that allowed the radio to resume work.

Arab News International confirmed that the gunmen broke into the office of Majili Al-Samadi, the head of Voice of Yemen Radio, and confiscated the equipment, despite a ruling from the Specialized Press and Publications Court ordering the Houthis to allow them to resume broadcasting. Al-Samadi said: “I call on humanity first and all people, journalists, human rights activists, media outlets, human rights organizations, and official and community institutions at home and abroad and all over the world to condemn the flagrant aggression of the Houthi militia. According to the International newspaper, since the Houthis seized power in late 2014, they have closed dozens of media institutions, kidnapped many journalists and forced many others to flee the country or live in government-controlled areas. The Houthis have also initially closed down several radio stations headed by Yemen Voice, in addition to five other private radio stations in Sanaa without renewing their licenses.

Other observers said: The Voice of Yemen is famous for broadcasting old and current Yemeni songs. Unlike the owners of other radio stations, Al-Samadi appealed against the Houthis’ raid in a court specializing in dealing with attacks on media institutions. Despite a court ruling ordering the Houthis to allow the station to resume work, the militia broke into the port and looted equipment just days after Al-Samadi and other activists in Sana’a reopened.

The newspaper noted that in a series of angry online publications, Al-Samadi criticized the Houthis for ignoring the court’s ruling, issued another appeal to the Houthi supreme authorities and called on activists to support him, saying, “Sana’a is a city ruled by militias – which I understood after the attack and the theft of the Voice of Yemen radio equipment and their lack of respect for the judiciary.” Commenting on the incident, a number of journalists and activists based in Sana’a, angry at the raid, issued a joint petition condemning the “brutal behavior” of the attackers and demanding the Houthis to bring the perpetrators to justice.