The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has documented many human rights violations in Yemen in the past several months, including the arbitrary arrest of an actor and a judge, the ongoing imprisonment of a model, and the deportation of a journalist.
Actor arbitrarily arrested
On 25 March 2024, a force affiliated with the Crater Police, a directorate under the authority of Aden Governorate, arrested actor and online activist Mohammed Al-Shishan while he was filming a Ramadan competition for his YouTube channel in the Al-Tawila Market area in the city of Aden.
Local sources confirmed that he remained detained at the Crater Police Station. Other informed sources stated that the reason for his arrest was his appearance on the Yemeni Mawaqif program, a hidden camera program, on the Al-Hawiya channel, and the appearance of a ballistic missile in that episode. He was then accused of allegedly having ties to the missile forces in the capital, Sana’a. The city of Aden is under the control of the forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates.
Yemeni journalist deported from Cairo to Aden
On 23 March 2024, Egyptian security forces deported Yemeni journalist Tawfiq Al-Jand from Cairo to Aden, after holding him in Al-Omraniya prison in Giza Governorate, Egypt, for a month.
On 23 February 2024, he was arbitrarily arrested by security forces after they stormed his apartment and took him away in front of his family, who were subjected to intimidation. The authorities charged him with allegedly violating local laws.
Informed local sources confirmed that the Egyptian authorities refused to deport him to Beirut according to his wishes, and insisted on deporting him to Aden against his will.
Since 2000, Al-Jand has worked in many Yemeni and Arab media outlets, and together with other researchers, he published a number of studies and research related to Yemen’s political history and human rights.
Poet arrested after publishing poem
On 16 March 2024, the security forces in Ma’rib Governorate arrested poet Abdulkarim Al-Afeiri and referred him to the Public Prosecution. Local sources confirmed that the reason for his arrest was his publication of a poem entitled, “The Sky and the Thief,” in which he criticised traffickers in the name of religion, which led to some political leaders in the city inciting anger against him.
He was released on 19 March 2024, by order of the Public Prosecution, after a solidarity campaign with him by Internet activists who considered his arrest as evidence of politicians’ control over the local authority in the governorate, which follows the “legitimate” government that is internationally recognized and supported by the coalition that is led by Saudi Arabia.
Young citizen arrested at checkpoint
On 07 January 2024, members of the Shabwa Defense Forces arbitrarily arrested a young citizen, Mounir Abdullah Obaidil, 26 years old, at one of the checkpoints at the entrance to the city of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa Governorate, on the road coming from Sana’a. Obaidil comes from the Al-Dabayat area in Al-Dhale Governorate.
One of the released prisoners confirmed that he was in a prison inside the Marra camp in Shabwa Governorate, and despite his family communicating with the camp leadership, they did not receive any information about the fate of their son.
Local sources confirmed that many citizens were exposed to this fate, which is incommunicado imprisonment in this governorate.
The Shabwa Defense Forces are military forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, consisting of approximately 6,000 soldiers and controlling the majority of the governorate since November 2017.
High Court rejects appeal submitted by model Intisar Al-Hammadi
On 31 January 2024, the High Court rejected the appeal filed by actress and model Intisar Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi of the ruling of the Court of Appeal which sentenced her to prison. The High Court ruled, due to the fact that the power of attorney drawn up for her lawyer, Lawyer Saqr Al-Samawi, had a date that preceded the issuance of the ruling against her. GCHR has seen a copy of the verdict.
On 08 November 2021, the West Capital Municipality Court of First Instance in Sana’a sentenced Al-Hammadi to five years in prison for alleged prostitution and drug use.
On 12 February 2023, the Court of Appeal in Sana’a held a session in which it upheld the initial sentence of five years’ imprisonment issued against her. The court lacked the minimum international standards for fair trial and legal procedures, and issued its verdict without discussing the legal notes submitted by the defense team.
Al-Hammadi is still serving her sentence in the Central Prison. GCHR has previously documented that, on 21 July 2022, she was severely beaten by the head of the ward in which she is staying, and another prison official. For more information click here.
Judge Abdulwahab Qatran remains arbitrarily detained
Reliable reports confirmed that Judge Abdulwahab Qatran, who continues to be arbitrarily detained, has been removed from solitary confinement and allowed to communicate with his family.
On 16 February 2024, Ahmed Saif Hashid, a member of the Yemeni Parliament in Sana’a, posted on his Facebook account the following: “Judge Abdulwahab Qatran contacted his family by phone today and informed them that he was released from his solitary confinement ten days ago, and his family was allowed to visit him tomorrow.”
On 02 January 2024, the Houthi group arrested retired Judge Qatran, after raiding his home in Sana’a. Informed local sources confirmed that he has been detained since his arrest in a solitary confinement cell at the Security and Intelligence Service. He has been prevented from communicating with his family and his lawyer, raising fears that he may be subjected to torture.
For more information about the case, click here.
Recommendations
GCHR urges all parties to the conflict in Yemen to:
- Immediately release all those who have been arbitrarily or illegally arrested and detained, including young citizen Mounir Abdullah Obaidil, actress and model Intisar Al-Hammadi, and Judge Abdulwahab Qatran;
- Respect public freedoms, including freedom of the press and the right to peaceful assembly; and
- Ensure that human rights defenders, including journalists, bloggers, academics and internet activists, are able to carry out their legitimate work and express themselves freely without fear of reprisal and in a manner free from all restrictions, including judicial harassment.
