In addition to this intervention, on Friday, 4 June, the STC took over the office of Al Thawra Newspaper, a state-owned publication in Aden while in August 2019, it took over state-owned media '14 October Newspaper'.
According to the YJS, the STC authorities have now taken over the control of all state-owned media in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen.
“It is clear that the Transitional Council, which is demanding the secession of the south, wants to control the official media institutions and operate them in its favor,” the YJS. There are over 150 staff working for Saba including 70 journalists, they are at risk of losing their jobs if they don't conform to the STC political guidelines.
In 2015, when the Houthis seized power in Sana, they took over all state-owned media organizations, sacked journalists considered as critics who thought and appointed their own supporters.
IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: “This reveals the failure of governments' media policies in Yemen, where public media is controlled by governments and operates as propaganda machines for their policies. We call on all parties to respect freedom of information and media plurality in Yemen and STC must relinquish its control of the media organisation and allow journalists to work free of fear and intimidation."