Yemen: Stop online harassment and protect journalists Hebah Al-Tubbai and Salah Al-Wasai

Read in Arabic / للقراءة بالعربية

Skyline International for Human Rights condemns the ongoing online harassment, death threats, and smear campaign targeting Hebah Al-Tubbai, a Yemeni journalist and women’s rights advocate, and her husband, journalist Salah Al-Wasai. This case represents a blatant violation of freedom of expression, privacy, and journalist safety in Yemen.

The harassment began after Salah posted a private photo with his wife, Hebah, on Facebook on 11 February 2024, an ordinary and harmless photo that Sheikh Abdullah Ahmed Al-Adini, a prominent religious figure in Yemen, weaponized. Al-Adini publicly branded the image as evidence of 'moral corruption' and 'decay,' deliberately distorting its intent to ignite widespread condemnation. The post became a source of widespread religious, moral, and social condemnation, turning a private image into a trigger for fear and threats against the couple.

On November 9, 2024, the couple was subjected to a barrage of online abuse, blasphemy accusations, and death threats, some from Hebah’s own relatives. Forced to flee Yemen within 24 hours, they sought refuge in Cairo, Egypt. Their forced displacement has cost them their livelihoods, professional standing, and sense of security.

Even in exile, they remain subjected to online harassment, public mockery, and verbal abuse from members of the Yemeni diaspora who recognized them from the circulated material, while living under the constant threat of physical violence. 

The situation worsened when a new video published by Al-Adini on July 23, 2025, showed him delivering a sermon from a mosque pulpit in which he portrayed the image as evidence of “moral corruption” and a “model of depravity.” This incitement further fueled Hebah’s brothers’ anger and intensified the smear campaign against the couple. The attacks escalated again on November 23, 2025, when Al-Adini reignited the online campaign, exacerbating their vulnerability and prolonging their insecurity.

This attack is not merely harassment. It is a deliberate and systematic effort to silence them. Hebah’s advocacy for women’s rights and Salah’s reporting have made them targets in a patriarchal and restrictive society that punishes dissent. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate in Taiz condemned this systematic incitement of press freedom and called for urgent protection measures.

Skyline International for Human Rights demands immediate action:

• Yemeni authorities must guarantee the safety of Hebah Al-Tubbai and Salah Al-Wasai, investigate all threats, and hold perpetrators accountable.
• Media, human rights groups, and civil society must expose these abuses and pressure Yemen to uphold its obligations under international law.
• The international community must intervene to protect journalists and women human rights defenders from such vicious reprisals.

We stand in solidarity with Hebah Al-Tubbai and Salah Al-Wasai, as well as all journalists facing defamation, smear campaigns, and life-threatening retaliation for their vital work. Swift international action is urgently needed to protect them from ongoing dangers that put their lives at acute risk.