Interview with Aseel Sariah

How does it feel winning the Samir Kassir Award?

It is a positive feeling, and I feel absolute happiness for several reasons. First, the importance of the Samir Kassir Award on the regional level for us as journalists adds significant value to the record of any journalist who receives it in various fields, especially in the audiovisual reporting category. The second reason is that I am the first Yemeni journalist to receive this important award in the region and the first Yemeni journalist to reach the shortlist for the third time. This award is very important for us as journalists because it opens the door, God willing, for Yemeni journalists to obtain such an award.

Can you tell us more about your piece? What inspired you to write about the topic?

I received the award in the visual investigation category for an investigative report titled “Encroachment on Historic Sites.” The investigation documents large-scale random seizures affecting archaeological sites and various religious temples in the city of Aden in southern Yemen. These actions were carried out by influential individuals, citizens, and also the state, which organized and facilitated the seizures in several places, including Christian churches like the Church of Saint Mary, built approximately 180 years ago, and the Church of Saint Joseph, built approximately 150 years ago. While there are no longer Christians in Aden and Yemen in general, these churches were important tourist attractions in the city. The random seizures also affected Hindu temples; the state seized them, handed them over to the endowments, and then sold them to investors, including the Jaina temple built about 200 years ago, despite it being owned by the Indian government. The random seizures also affected what is called in Aden “The Tower of Silence” or “The Persian Cemetery,” a place overlooking the city of Aden owned by the Persian community where the bodies of the dead are placed to be eaten by birds. Stones from its wall were uprooted. The random seizures also affected the Aden Cisterns, the city’s most prominent landmark, where the state used them to introduce services like electricity and water to the random homes, thereby giving them a legal status.

How does it feel to be a journalist and/or writer from a region where freedom of speech is compromised?

Let’s be clear: there is no freedom of expression. That’s how I see it in the Middle East. Let’s talk specifically about Yemen. Reporters Without Borders has found that Yemen has the worst environment for journalistic work in the world. Working in these areas is akin to throwing oneself into death. We have faced violations, threats, and arrests. Sometimes, the feeling turns into frustration because of what we and other colleagues endure, but we try to resist, work, and continue working. Unfortunately, the situation worsens day by day. Today, we see the situation in Gaza, with journalists being killed and directly targeted, which is the same as what happened to us in Yemen. Journalists were targeted, many colleagues were martyred, and others were sentenced for covering the events and the effects of the war on Yemenis. The feeling sometimes turns into frustration and despair, but it is accompanied by a sense of persistence and resistance.