YouTube Bans Yemeni National Media Channels for ‘Private Policies’

YouTube, an American online video-sharing and social media platform, blocked access to Al-Furqan Network and the Fikra Foundation on Tuesday, days after closing 18 national media channels without any logical justification.

YouTube justified this arbitrary step by saying that it was due to its “private policies”.

YouTube also closed the third channel of Al-Masirah office in Dhamar Governorate, hours after closing the channels of the Fikra Foundation and Al-Furqan Network.

The Fikra Foundation said in a statement that the move is an arbitrary step and confirms that YouTube works with clear double standards that seek to block everything related to Yemen and its oppression.

For its part, Al-Furqan Network confirmed that the arbitrary step of the YouTube administration reveals its double standards and alignment with the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen.

This is not the first time that YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have deleted Yemeni accounts or pages without any prior notice or justification.

In July 17, YouTube arbitrarily blocked access to more than a dozen Yemeni channels without giving any prior notice.

The attack targeted 18 channels of the media bureau of Yemen’s Operations Command Center as well as Ansarullah’s art and documentary production unit.

The latest move constitutes a violation of freedom of speech and expression since many of the deleted channels actually used to post content related to arts and music, and had nothing to do with the promotion of hatred or incitement to violence.

In June 2021, the US Justice Department seized the website domain of the Yemeni Arabic-language al-Masirah television channel along with nearly three dozen other regional websites.

The move comes amid an 8-year Saudi-led war and economic blockade against Yemen, which has turned the country into what the UN calls the “worst humanitarian crisis” on earth.