LONDON: At least four journalists have been abducted and another jailed for criticizing the Houthis鈥� leader, media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday.

Local reports claim freelance photographer Abduljabbar Zayad, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reporter Hassan Ziyad, Soorah Media Production Center director Abdulaziz Al-Noum and deputy head of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate Walid Ali Ghalib were abducted between May 21-23.

On May 24, the Specialized Criminal Court in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa sentenced Yemeni journalist Mohamed Al-Miyahi t0 18 months in prison for criticizing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi online.

Al-Miyahi was also ordered to sign a pledge not to resume his journalistic work and to pay a guarantee of SR5 million ($20,500), which he would forfeit if he continued to publish material critical of the state.

Regional director of the CPJ, Sara Qudah, condemned the actions and said: 鈥淭he kidnapping of at least four Yemeni journalists and media workers and the sentence issued against Mohamed Al-Miyahi exemplify the Houthis鈥� escalating assault on press freedom.

鈥淲e call on Houthi authorities to immediately release all detained journalists and stop weaponizing the law and courts to legitimize their repression of independent voices.鈥�

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate also condemned the kidnapping, calling it an 鈥渁rbitrary campaign targeting journalists and freedom of opinion and expression.鈥�

A statement released by the organization said: 鈥淭he syndicate considers these abductions a continuation of the approach of repression and targeting of journalists and opinion holders, and a hostile behavior towards freedom of opinion and expression, holding the Houthi group fully responsible for the lives and safety of the detained colleagues.鈥�

Al-Miyahi has criticized the Iran-backed Houthis in a series of articles, broadcasts and social media posts. In his last article, prior to his abduction in September 2024 and enforced disappearance for more than a month, he accused the group of suppressing freedom of expression and 鈥渘ot respect(ing) people and treat(ing) them like mindless and unconscious herds.鈥�

In January he appeared in court accused of 鈥減ublishing articles against the state.鈥� The YJS called the trial a 鈥渟ham (鈥�) where the verdict was read aloud by the judge from a mobile phone inside the courtroom, violating the most basic standards of fair trial procedures.鈥�

The CPJ accused the Houthis, who control Sanaa and govern more than 70 percent of Yemen鈥檚 population, of running a 鈥減arallel justice system (鈥�) widely seen as lacking impartiality鈥� and argued Al-Miyahi鈥檚 prosecution violated Article 13 of Yemen鈥檚 press law, which protects journalists from punishment for publishing their opinions.