Sanaa condemns YouTube over mass suspension of Yemeni channels

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Aug 2023 21:43

The Ministry of Information in the Sanaa government condemns YouTube over its second mass banning of Yemeni media channels.

Yemenis attending a rally marking eight years of Saudi-led coalition aggression, March 26, 2023, in Sanaa, Yemen (AP)

The Ministry of Information in the government of Sanaa has strongly condemned YouTube for once again shutting down and deleting Yemeni media channels from the platform.

This decision constitutes a "deliberate targeting of Yemeni media, an attempt to silence the voice of free Yemeni journalism, and an effort to suppress the truth about the violations and crimes committed against the Yemeni people by the Saudi-led, UAE and US-funded coalition of aggression for nearly nine years."

The Ministry asserted that this act is part of a broader conspiracy orchestrated by the aggressive coalition aimed at stifling independent media outlets that oppose global hegemony and domination.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, the Ministry emphasized that the closure of numerous Yemeni channels on YouTube represents a direct attack on the guaranteed freedom of expression and press.

Demanding swift and decisive action, the Ministry of Information called on the relevant authorities and stakeholders to take necessary measures against YouTube's persistent targeting of Yemeni media.

Furthermore, the Ministry urged free media outlets to unite in solidarity with Yemeni media channels and adopt unified stances against YouTube's aggressive policies.

The statement concluded with Sanaa calling on the Yemeni people to take a firm stance in response to the systematic practices carried out by YouTube against the Yemeni press and the attempts to stifle the Yemeni voice.

Earlier today, YouTube shut down 13 channels belonging to the Yemeni Ansar Allah Media Center, in a measure that the center said "reveals the falsity of the slogan of freedom of expression."

"The YouTube company a few days ago closed 13 channels affiliated with the Ansar Allah Media Center without any violation of the so-called 'YouTube standards', and without any justifications," the Center confirmed in a statement.

The Center pointed out that the measure comes "within the framework of the attempts of the countries of aggression and global arrogance to hide their crimes against the Yemeni people, and their attempts to silence the voice of truth and justice."

The statement explained that the Ansar Allah Media Center exhausted all options to restore the channels by contacting YouTube, adding that the company refuses to respond to requests and continues to shut down several other national channels "in an indication of an aggressive campaign to silence every Yemeni voice against aggression."

The statement called on the YouTube administration to immediately retract the recent measures it took against Yemeni media institutions.

It is noteworthy that a couple of weeks ago, YouTube shut down 18 channels of the Yemeni Military Media, the Ansar Allah band, the artistic and documentary production unit, and Rawdat Al-Shuhada, in an "arbitrary step", according to the Yemeni Military Media statement.

The closed channels had more than 500 thousand subscribers with more than 7 thousand videos and more than 90 million views.

The Yemeni Military Media confirmed that the recent shutdown of its platforms, as well as other national platforms, on YouTube, in addition to Facebook and Twitter recently, is a clear indication of "double standards and a two-faced policy by the management of these companies in support of hostilities led by the US-Saudi-Emirati coalition of aggression."