Information Ministry condemns Facebook, X for blocking Yemeni media accounts

SANAA, Oct. 11 (YPA) – Yemen’s Sanaa-based Ministry of Information on Sunday strongly condemned on Sunday the arbitrary actions taken by tech companies Facebook (Meta) and X (formerly Twitter) for blocking and shutting down numerous Yemeni media accounts and pages, and figures critical of Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

In a statement, the ministry described the move as an attack on freedom of expression and an attempt to conceal the suffering of the Yemeni people from global public opinion.

The statement said the measures aim to silence dissent and suppress facts in favor of the US-Israeli-Saudi narrative.

It accused Washington and “Tel Aviv” of bearing primary responsibility for targeting independent Yemeni voices, describing the move as an extension of the media and psychological campaign against Yemen.

The ministry’s statement added that Yemenis are facing a major media campaign alongside an escalation of Saudi aggression on the ground, noting that misinformation is intended to undermine public morale.

It stressed that account closures would not silence Yemeni media or conceal Saudi violations, warning that restricting media organizations’ and activists’ access to digital platforms limits their ability to communicate information to the world.

The statement called on international media outlets, activists, and influencers to show solidarity with the Yemeni people, condemn the bans, and defend freedom of expression and public access to information. It added that Sanaa’s authorities would consider an appropriate response.

The statement also raised questions about the transparency of digital platforms’ policies and their consistency with freedom-of-expression protections. However, determining whether political pressure or external interference directly influenced the bans would require evidence about the platforms’ decisions and stated reasons.

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