Statement

December 5, 2019



We, at the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage and the Arts, are writing this message to raise awareness about a recent publication on a website called "Yemen Extra" by an unnamed journalist. We condemn that website's effort to misquote and misstate our scholar, Dr. Alexander Nagel, statements on Yemen. The article misrepresents facts and contains lies that no respectable scholar would make. To use our scholars as a means to an end and to spread misinformation will not be tolerated. We are also concerned that several (at least three) other media outlets used that website as a reliable source of information.



Since the misinformation has come to light, we have urged several other websites to be careful of using that site as a credible source and to always check with our organization or the scholar in question directly for quotes and reliable data. We have contacted "Yemen Extra" and asked them to take down the article. So far, they have not cooperated nor responded.



The Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage and the Arts and its scholars are dedicated to protecting Yemen's heritage from destruction and from weaponizing and politicizing the topic of heritage destruction during times of conflict. We are committed to spreading facts and to being true to Yemen's interest - which includes working and cooperating with journalists to help them get the correct information.