Amnesty International on Wednesday condemned the prolonged detention of 10 journalists by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, saying it reflected "the dire state of media freedom" in the war-torn country. The 10 journalists have been held since the summer of 2015 and are being prosecuted on trumped-up spying charges, according to the rights group, according to AFP. It said the men have been tortured, held incommunicado and deprived of medical care. "The unlawful and prolonged detention, torture and other ill-treatment of these 10 journalists is a shocking reminder of the repressive media climate facing journalists in Yemen and illustrates the risks they face at the hands of all parties to the conflict," said Rasha Mohamed, Amnestys Yemen researcher. "These men are being punished for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. "The de facto Houthi authorities should release them immediately and drop all the charges against them," he said in a statement. In December 2018, the men were charged with a series of offenses, including spying -- which carries a death sentence in Yemen -- and cooperating with the Saudi-led Arab coalition backing the legitimate government, said Amnesty. It was unclear when their trials will start. According to Amnesty, some of the journalists worked for online media outlets affiliated with Al-Islah, an Islamist party that opposes the Houthis.