Yemeni journalist Eissa Abad was stopped at a checkpoint controlled by the Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, in the town of Rahda, on July 22, 2018, and detained, according to reports. The journalist was stopped while on the way to Aden, where he was due to catch a flight to Lebanon for a TV appearance, according to the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate and news reports.
The Aden-based daily Akhbar al-Youm reported that people running the checkpoint seized the journalist’s bag and phone, and took him to an unknown location.
A spokesperson for the Houthis did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment in late July 2018.
The website of the independent Yemeni TV channel Yemen Shabab reported that Abad was scheduled to appear on the Lebanese channel MBC on July 23, 2018, but did not specify further details. MBC did not immediately respond to an email CPJ sent in late July 2018.
Abad previously reported for Akhbar al-Youm in 2014 and worked as a cameraman on several news reports, including for the U.S.-funded Arabic language network Al-Hurra last year.