Geneva – SAM for Rights and Liberties said it is deeply concerned by the escalating campaigns of verbal abuse, defamation, and incitement targeting women in the public sphere, particularly female activists, journalists, and women working in the human rights, civil society, and political sectors, through social media platforms and various media outlets.

The organization noted that it has recently documented a troubling increase in the use of personal insults, character assassination, attacks on honor and reputation, and the dissemination of unfounded moral accusations as tools to silence women or punish them for their opinions, positions, and presence in public life.

SAM further stated that, in this context, it is following with particular concern the defamation campaign, blackmail, and verbal abuse directed against activist Iman Humaid, President of the Insaf Center for Development, which have targeted her dignity and reputation. The organization said this reflects the growing danger of transforming digital spaces into arenas for social punishment rather than platforms for free and responsible public discourse.

The organization affirmed that public criticism, including political, human rights-related, or social criticism, is a legitimate and protected right. However, this right does not extend to defamation, slander, blackmail, incitement, or the use of gender-based and moral accusations aimed at undermining women and excluding them from public life.

SAM explained that targeting women through attacks on their honor, reputation, and private lives is not merely an individual offense but constitutes a form of gender-based violence, given its serious psychological, social, and professional consequences, as well as the climate of fear it creates, forcing many women into silence or withdrawal from public engagement.

The organization stressed that such practices constitute violations of human dignity and the rights to privacy, reputation, and personal security. It also emphasized that they are inconsistent with the principles of the Yemeni Constitution and Yemen's international obligations, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

SAM further stated that addressing this phenomenon requires the adoption of comprehensive national legislation regulating cyberspace in a manner that balances the protection of freedom of expression with the protection of dignity, privacy, and reputation. Such legislation should establish clear legal definitions of defamation, blackmail, incitement, and gender-based digital violence, free from political manipulation or selective enforcement.

The organization also emphasized the need to strengthen the judiciary's independent and effective role in adjudicating such cases, considering it the primary safeguard for distinguishing between legitimate criticism and criminal conduct, while preventing cyberspace from becoming a haven for impunity or a tool for settling personal and political disputes.

SAM called on the competent authorities to launch serious investigations into incidents of defamation, blackmail, and incitement against women, prosecute those responsible in accordance with the law, ensure protection for victims and witnesses, and prevent complaints from being used as an additional means of intimidation or public defamation.

In the concluding part of its statement, SAM urged political actors, media institutions, opinion leaders, and social media influencers to refrain from exploiting issues of honor and moral allegations in public disputes, and to adopt responsible public discourse that respects women's dignity and their right to participate in public life free from fear, abuse, or threats.