Amidst the ongoing suffering in Yemen, the file of abductees and the forcibly disappeared remains one of the most painful and neglected humanitarian issues, despite the immense suffering of the abductees and their families for years.
Abductees’ Mothers Association is following with grave concern the continued detention of hundreds of citizens in harsh conditions that violate all humanitarian and international norms.
The association indicates that the number of abducted civilians still held by all parties has reached 1,043, with some detained for over eight years. All of them are suffering from inhumane detention conditions amidst the absence of a political horizon and a humanitarian solution to end this tragedy.
Additionally, the association has recently received alarming reports from abductees’ families about the deterioration of their health inside prisons. In Sana’a Central Prison, several abductees are suffering from severe diarrhea, suspected to be cholera, without receiving any healthcare. Abductees in the Central Security detention center are also complaining of similar difficult health conditions without medical intervention or attention.
At the Security and Intelligence detention center in Sana’a, one abductee reported suffering from severe stomach and knee pains and is denied treatment, instead being given sedatives that no longer alleviate his increasing pain. Another abductee is suffering from low blood pressure and colon and stomach issues with no notable care. In an urgent report, one abductee who previously worked for civil society organizations faces the risk of complete blindness if he does not receive urgent and necessary medical care, noting that he has already lost sight in his other eye.
Given this increasing and difficult suffering of the abductees, we, Abductees’ Mothers Association, affirm that the release of all abductees and the forcibly disappeared is a legal and moral responsibility that falls on all of us as humanitarian, human rights, and media organizations, as well as on responsible and relevant authorities in the Yemeni state, especially the legitimate government.
We also hold all abducting parties, primarily the Houthi armed group, fully responsible for the lives and safety of all abductees and the forcibly disappeared.
We call on the international community, the United Nations, and the UN Envoy to Yemen to take a firm stand on this issue and exert serious pressure for the immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, in line with the principles of international humanitarian law, the Stockholm Agreement, and abductee release agreements, whose provisions have not been fully implemented to this day.
The continued unjust detention of these individuals, along with the torture, ill-treatment, and deliberate medical neglect they are subjected to, constitutes a crime against humanity. It highlights the urgent need for a swift humanitarian action that will end the suffering of hundreds of Yemeni families who have been waiting for their loved ones for many years.
Issued by Abductees’ Mothers Association
August 5th, 2025.