Mohamed Al-Miyahi, a well-known freelance Yemeni journalist, was arrested on September 20, 2024, by security forces affiliated with the Houthi group. He was forcibly disappeared for over a month as authorities denied knowledge of his whereabouts until allowing him to contact his family in November, the Media Freedom Observatory reported. On the day of his arrest, Al-Miyahi published an article on the Yemeni satellite channel Belqees TV’s website, criticizing the Houthis’ governance.
On January 13, 2025, Al-Miyahi appeared before the Houthi’s Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Sana’a, where he was accused of “publishing articles against the state and its political regime.”
On May 24, 2025, the Specialized Criminal Court in the capital Sana’a sentenced Al-Miyahi to 1½ years in prison for criticizing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi online. Al-Miyahi was ordered to sign a pledge not to resume his journalistic work and to pay a guarantee of 5 million riyals ($20,500), which he would forfeit if he were to resume publishing material critical of the state.
His arrest came amid a wave of detentions by the Houthis in September targeting aid workers and critics of their rule.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels ousted the government from the capital Sanaa. In 2015, a Saudi-backed coalition intervened to try and restore the government to power. Journalists face grave threats in areas controlled by both groups.
On February 23, 2026, Al-Miyahi was released from Houthi prison.