By Shoukry Hussein
ADEN, Yemen (AA) – Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Thursday abducted 20 journalists and media personnel in capital Sanaa, according to a government-run human rights commission.
The journalists were abducted after organizing a forum devoted to combatting “hate speech”, Eshraq al-Maqtari, a spokeswoman for Yemen’s government-run National Commission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations, said via Twitter.
Abd al-Bari Tahir, a former head of Yemen’s journalists’ syndicate, was reportedly among those abducted on Thursday.
Al-Maqtari’s assertions have yet to be independently verified.
Since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence and turmoil.