Human rights activists accuse Yemeni Houthis of kidnapping

The Yemeni Houthis are accused of detaining people on baseless pretexts and failing to comply with international human rights law.

Houthi spokesman Abdel Khaleq al-Ejri He said earlier that rebels had arrested 24,965 people recruited by the Saudi-led coalition. According to Al-Ajri, it was assumed that all these people were planning to carry out criminal activities on the territory of the Yemeni province.

human rights defender Abdullah al-OlofiCaptured by the Houthis, he told The National that the rebels were covering up the kidnappings in such a manner. Al-Olofi is a representative of the Baha’i group in Yemen and was arrested in 2018 by members of the Ansar Allah movement. Al-Olofi’s situation caught the attention of the public: a campaign was launched against his arrest, after which the arrested man was released.

“At one point in the prison they asked me on what charges I was here. My kidnappers didn’t know why they put me in jail. This is nonsense,” said the human rights activist.

According to Al-Olofi, some people are held in places of detention, ignoring the fact that there are court orders for their release.

Al-Olofi’s case is not the only one. Yes, a Yemeni Jew Libi MarhabiHe was arrested in 2016, officially released by the court in 2019, but has remained in detention until today.

President of the Network for Rights and Freedoms Mohammed in Aleum He said the number of detainees in the years since the war in Yemen began was shocking, but the reality was even worse.

“These are the numbers they (Houthi – Ed.) have announced, but much more is hidden. “The Houthis do not comply with international and local laws, customs and norms that say that women, children and the elderly should not be subjected to violence,” he said.

It remains unclear how many detainees died as a result of the riots. Thus, on March 23, a funeral was held in the city of Ibba, where they bid farewell to the activist. Hamdi al-Holaniwho died in custody. To protest the actions of the rebels, the demonstrators burned the Houthi flag. Yemeni Minister of Information Mammar al-Eryani tweeted that the activist was arrested five months ago. According to the Ministry of Interior, the deceased’s body was found on March 26 in the basement of a building located near the prison. Ansar Allah was accused of being involved in Al-Holani’s death.

Al-Eryani noted that the international community, the UN and human rights organizations were surprised by the ongoing silence of the Houthis against the persecution of media workers and activists. He claims that insurgents kidnapped people, tortured them mentally and physically, as well as initiating staged trials and even liquidating objectionable individuals. The minister demanded that the perpetrators be prosecuted and held to account.

The civil war in Yemen, which started in 2014 when the Shiite movement Ansar Allah staged a coup and captured the capital Sana’a, continues. Government and President Mansur Hadi moved the residences to the city of Aden in the south of the country.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia launched Operation Resolve Storm on a coalition of Arab countries to support the official Sunni government. The rebels enjoy unofficial support from Iran.

Last year, the parties to the conflict agreed on a ceasefire, which was blocked in the autumn. After that, clashes between pro-government forces and the rebels resumed, although they have so far avoided large-scale operations.