The full request can be viewed here:
https://freethedotye.org/letter
The Core Problem:
The IANA Root Zone Database lists TeleYemen as the manager for the .YE ccTLD. Since the Houthi militia's takeover of Sana'a in 2014-2015, TeleYemen's infrastructure has been under their control. This means a non-state armed group is the de facto operator of a sovereign nation's digital identifier.
The Basis for Redelegation (RFC 1591 & ICP-1):
Our request is grounded in established internet governance principles that the current operator has clearly violated:
1. RFC 1591: Requires a ccTLD manager to serve the entire local community as a trustee.
2. ICP-1: Requires the operator to be neutral, competent, and serve the public interest.
Demonstrable Governance Failures & Real-World Abuse:
* Failure to Serve the Community: The .YE namespace exclusively serves the Houthi militia. Yemen's internationally recognized government and civil society are forced onto generic TLDs (.com, .org), while militia-run portals occupy .gov.ye and .edu.ye.
* Weaponization for Military and Extortionist Purposes: The control over the `.gov.ye` namespace is being actively used to threaten international maritime shipping. The Houthis have established a website at `hocc.gov.ye` (Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center) which acts as a front for their maritime operations. Through this site and associated emails like `[email protected]`, they issue military threats and run what amounts to a digital extortion racket under the guise of a state authority. This is a direct abuse of a national resource for military coercion.
* Loss of Neutrality: The .YE domain is used to run propaganda outlets (e.g., saba.ye), and the same authority uses its control over telecommunications to censor and surveil activists.
* Instability and Risk: The entity controlling .YE is documented for severe human rights abuses, including the kidnapping of journalists and detention of UN staff. An operator associated with such acts cannot be considered a stable or trusted steward.
Our Formal Request to ICANN:
1. Initiate a formal review of the .YE delegation.
2. Temporarily redelegate .YE to a neutral international trustee until a stable, legitimate national authority can assume stewardship. There is a precedent for this (e.g., the .SO Somalia redelegation).
This is a critical test of whether the principles of a multi-stakeholder, community-led internet can hold in a conflict zone where a ccTLD has been turned into an instrument of war.
Links:
- Campaign Website: https://freethedotye.org
- X profile: https://x.com/FreeTheDotYE