Yemeni journalist Ahmad Maher, jailed in a secret UAE-run detention center in Aden, reported that his most recent trial session has been delayed.
Maher Tweeted: “The fifth trial session set for me is now canceled. I am still on hunger strike until either death or I stand before the judge in court.”
A source familiar with the case considered the repeated postponement an indication that the parties that kidnapped Maher were unable to come-up with an appropriate charge and want to prolong his imprisonment.
This postponement comes after a session was scheduled for last week. His trial had previously been delayed after the prison administration refused to transfer Maher from prison to the courthouse, under the pretext of the lack of petrol for the prison car. Maher’s family expressed its willingness to bear the costs of transportation, but they did not receive a response from the authorities.
Journalist Ahmed Maher, who was kidnapped by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s militia STC in Aden, on malicious charges, began an open-ended hunger strike in protest of the delay of his trial.
In early September, the STC militia published video footage in which journalist Ahmed Maher claimed his responsibility for a number of recent terrorist operations about a month after he and his sister were arrested in front of their home in Aden. Maher claims that the confessions were forced.
On August 6th, the STC militias arrested Ahmad Maher at his home in Dar Saad district. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate called on the “Al-Alimi government” to take responsibly for the incident, release Maher, and provide a safe environment for journalists.
