The undersigned organizations urge the Yemeni authorities: The Presidential Leadership Council, the ministry of information, the ministry of interior, the governor and the Southern Transitional Council forces in Aden to provide information on the whereabouts of Naseh Shaker, and to release him from detention.

Naseh Shaker is a freelance journalist based in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. His bylines appear on Al Jazeera English, Middle East Eye, Press TV, and The New Arab. He has reported on war crimes and humanitarian conditions from war-ravaged cities in North Yemen. He has also been seen as a news commentator on the BBC and CNN. 

Naseh was selected for a Hostile Environment and First Aids Training (HEFAT) course in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 21, delivered by the Samir Kassir Foundation, but he never arrived.

We understand that on the evening of Saturday, November 18, Naseh left Sanaa for Aden so he could get the plane to Beirut via Cairo. He reached Aden at dawn on Sunday, November 19. He had a last conversation with his mother at 5.30 am before going to rest. 

On November 20, when Naseh did not arrive at Beirut airport, the Samir Kassir Foundation tried to call him, but his phone was off. They then sent a message to his brother (his emergency contact on the application form), who answered two days later, saying Naseh was traveling. On Thursday, November 23, Naseh’s brother called back, saying he was missing and had not caught the plane to Cairo. 

A source told Rory Peck Trust and the Samir Kassir Foundation that Naseh might be in one of the prisons run by the Southern Transitional Council, which claims to rule most of the territory in southern Yemen. The source confirmed that Naseh is probably a victim of ‘enforced disappearance’, especially since the party detaining him has not yet acknowledged they have him and has not brought charges so that he can be transferred to the legal system.

We, the undersigned, reiterate our request for clear directions and information about Naseh's whereabouts. We urge that he be released from detention as soon as possible. 

Organizations:

Samir Kassir Foundation

Alternative Press Syndicate

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

MENA Rights Group

SMEX