Tawakkol Karman
@TawakkolKarman · Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen
Tawakkol Karman is a Yemeni-Turkish journalist, politician and human rights activist.
Journalists Without Restrictions: The Houthis turn five abductees into defendants through sham trials 8 September 2026 Yemen – The Journalists Without Restrictions organization said that the Houthi militia’s referral of five abducted humanitarian and civil-society workers to the so-called Specialized Criminal Prosecution under its control, after more than two years of detention, represents a dangerous escalation in the use of judicial bodies as a tool of repression and intimidation. It turns victims of abduction, disappearance and arbitrary detention into defendants in fabricated security cases, while also using them as a pressure and blackmail card against the international community and humanitarian organizations. In a special and extensive statement, the organization affirmed that what is happening to Asim al-Ashari, Dr. Ali Ahmed al-Mudwahi, Labib Shaif al-Absi, Murad Dhafer and Sami al-Kalabi is an extension of a systematic course employed by the Houthi militia. It begins with abduction, enforced disappearance and detention in isolation from the outside world, accompanied by torture, mistreatment and deprivation of health care and communication with families and lawyers. It then moves to the judicial process, relying on confessions extracted under torture to recycle accusations of collusion and espionage and impose sham trials paving the way for harsh arbitrary sentences. Journalists Without Restrictions stressed that these violations, including the procedures and judgments issued by the so-called judicial authorities under the control of the Houthi militia, lack legitimacy, and that responsibility for them extends throughout the entire chain of command. It affirmed that all those involved, regardless of their positions, will be held accountable, and that acts meeting the elements of international crimes do not become time-barred and may, given their nature, context and pattern of commission, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. More at the link: #اليمن #حقوق_الإنسان #مليشيات_الحوثي
Translated from ArabicYemen: Detained UN Staffer’s Life‑Threatening Medical Decline Demands Immediate Intervention and Unconditional Release 07 September 2026 The arbitrary detention of Sami Lutfallah Al-Kilabi, a staff member of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESG-Yemen), and the denial of specialized medical care have placed his life and health at serious risk. Detained for more than two years without basic procedural safeguards, Al-Kilabi suffers from Crohn’s disease, severe gastrointestinal and renal complications, and a reported cancer diagnosis. His condition requires immediate and unrestricted access to appropriate specialist care. Denying such care to a person in custody violates fundamental protections of the rights to life, health and humane treatment. On 6 June 2024, armed personnel affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Service in Sana’a raided the residence of Sami Lutfallah Al‑Kilabi, confiscated personal belongings, and apprehended him as part of a broader operation targeting UN staff, international organizations, and local civil society actors. Following his arrest, Al‑Kilabi was held incommunicado and without legal representation until August 2026, when authorities referred his case—alongside those of other detained UN, health, and civil society workers—to the Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Sana’a. No formal charges or legal basis were disclosed for his two‑year detention prior to this referral. #More: https://t.co/mxipvEYveV #Sami_Kilabi #HumanRights #Yemen
Women Journalists Without Chains Warns of a Danger Threatening the Life of UN Employee Sami Lotf al-Kalabi in Houthi Prisons September 6, 2026 Women Journalists Without Chains expresses its deep concern over the serious deterioration in the health of Sami Lotf al-Kalabi, an employee at the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, who has been detained by the Houthi group in Sana'a for more than two years, and warns that his continued detention and deprivation of specialized medical care place his life at real and immediate risk. Armed and masked men affiliated with the Houthi security and intelligence service raided al-Kalabi's home in Sana'a on the morning of June 6, 2024, took him to an unknown location, searched the home, tampered with its contents, and confiscated a number of his belongings, as part of a broad campaign targeting employees of the United Nations and international and local organizations. Al-Kalabi remained detained without legal protection until the group referred him in August 2026, along with a number of workers in the UN, health, and civil sectors, to the specialized criminal prosecution under its control. The organization emphasizes that referring him to the prosecution after more than two years of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance does not erase the previous violations, nor does it give the current proceedings any legitimacy unless he is guaranteed his rights to a defense, to assistance from a lawyer, to communicate with his family, and to a fair trial before an independent judiciary. Information previously documented by the organization indicates that al-Kalabi suffers from immune-mediated Crohn's disease and severe complications in his digestive system and kidney function, as well as neurological complications. His condition has required that he be transferred to the hospital several times, including once when he remained there for about ten days in critical condition. More at the link #اليمن #الحرية_لسامي_الكلابي #حقوق_الإنسان
Translated from ArabicJordan: Drop Charges Against Journalist Ali Younes and Lift Travel Ban 28 August 2026 Jordan: Drop Charges Against Journalist Ali Younes and Lift Travel Ban AMMAN, Jordan — Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) expresses grave concern over the prosecution of Jordanian-American investigative journalist Ali Younes, a correspondent for Drop Site News, following the alleged republication of an article discussing U.S. financial assistance to Jordan. According to published information, Jordanian intelligence officers detained Younes upon his arrival at Queen Alia International Airport on August 17, 2026, and took him for questioning before releasing him and ordering him to appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amman. On August 24, authorities informed him that he faced charges related to “undermining national security” and “sedition and hate crimes.” He has also been barred from leaving Jordan and could face up to one year in prison, according to a statement by his employer. The case reportedly concerns Younes’ alleged republication of an opinion article titled “Stop Sending Billions of Dollars in U.S. Aid to Jordan,” published in July. The article examined the scale of U.S. financial assistance to Jordan and how that assistance is used. Discussing foreign aid, government policies and the conduct of public officials falls squarely within protected journalistic activity and legitimate political debate. The available information does not indicate that the republication involved direct incitement to violence, discrimination or hatred that would justify the use of broad criminal charges framed around national security. Read more at the link: https://t.co/tbDAyBZkFp #Jordan #Freedom_of_Expression_First
Sudan is facing one of the world's largest displacement crises, with 8.6 million people still displaced inside the country, while another 4.67 million have crossed into neighboring countries since the war broke out in April 2023. Children make up more than half of the displaced people and returnees, bearing the greatest cost of a conflict that has deprived them of safety, education, and stability. The Women Journalists Without Restrictions organization warns that returning to areas whose homes and essential services have been damaged does not mean a safe or sustainable return, especially since 93% of returning families are living in housing that needs repairs. The organization calls for protecting civilians, ensuring access to humanitarian aid, and creating the conditions for a safe, voluntary, and dignified return, preserving the rights of millions of Sudanese people caught between harsh displacement and an incomplete return. #السودان #حقوق_الإنسان
Translated from ArabicYemen: Presidential assurances regarding the judiciary call for a genuine path to justice, accountability, and redress for victims 23 August 2026 Yemen – The Women Journalists Without Chains Organization welcomed the assurances announced by Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, regarding the judiciary’s central role in enforcing the rule of law, prosecuting perpetrators of crimes, and protecting victims’ rights. It said the importance of these assurances would be measured not only by their political clarity, but by the extent to which they are translated into institutional measures that move violations from the sphere of documentation and allegations into an actual legal and judicial process, beginning with investigation and evidence collection, proceeding through referral and prosecution, and ending with enforceable judgments, redress for victims, and reparation for the harm they suffered. The organization said these assurances come after more than eleven years of grave and widespread violations in Yemen, foremost among them the crimes committed, and still being committed, by the Houthi militia against civilians. These have left thousands of victims, incidents, and case files still awaiting investigation, accountability, and redress, making it urgent to translate the assurances concerning the judiciary’s role into concrete judicial measures that guarantee victims their rights to truth, justice, and remedy. The organization added that the authorities’ commitment to investigation and accountability is grounded in national legislation and in Yemen’s obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including the international instruments to which Yemen has become a party. It stressed that the protracted conflict or the complexity of the political and military situation does not diminish the legal obligations relating to protecting civilians, investigating grave violations, and holding those responsible accountable. More at the link #اليمن #حقوق_الإنسان
Translated from ArabicLebanon Strikes: Rising Concerns Over Israeli Compliance with International Humanitarian Law 17 August 2026 The killing of Lebanese translator and poet Zeinab Mahdi Nasser al‑Din, alongside her four children and parents, in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon highlights critical concerns regarding civilian protection. As military operations continue to endanger cultural and media professionals, this incident underscores the urgent need to scrutinize Israel’s adherence to international humanitarian law and its duty to protect freedom of expression. On 15 August 2026, an Israeli airstrike struck the family home of Zeinab Mehdi Nasser al-Din in the town of Ansar, Nabatieh district, southern Lebanon. The attack killed Nasser al-Din, her four children, and both of her parents, while three other individuals were injured. Zeinab Mehdi Nasser al-Din was a poet and literary translator known for her Arabic translations of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers. Other documented cases in 2026 concerning Israeli attacks on journalists and cultural professionals in Lebanon include: More: https://t.co/gasVg3iHG0 #Lebanon #HumanRights