Aden [Yemen], March 15: Yemeni journalist Adel al-Hasani was released from jail on Sunday after nearly six-month imprisonment at al-Mansoura prison, CNN reported, citing his lawyer.
Hasani, who was detained at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Aden, Yemen, last September, has worked with several prominent media outlets including CNN. Rights groups have been calling for his release after news of his detention broke in February.
According to CNN, a US official involved in the push for al-Hasani’s release said, “the Biden administration had urged the UAE to use their influence with the STC (Southern Transitional Council) to secure his release.”
Adel al-Hasani was held at al-Mansoura prison, Aden by the STC, a secessionist group backed by the United Arab Emirates, which controls large parts of southern Yemen, CNN reported.
Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists have accused the STC of arbitrarily detaining Hasani, “simply doing his job,” and say he was beaten by his interrogators and subjected to solitary confinement and sleep deprivation, the report said.
Shortly after assuming office, President Joe Biden announced an end to all US support for Saudi Arabia’s military operations in Yemen and reversed the short-lived designation of Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist group. (ANI)
