Freed Abductees Families Overwhelmed with Happiness and the Association Demands More Efforts to Release the Rest of Abductees

Abductees’ Mothers Association congratulated the families of the freed abductees and forcibly hidden individuals, and assured that its efforts will continue until all abductees and forcibly hidden individuals are released and free. Houthi armed group released 250 abductees out of 2200 detained abductees and forcibly hidden individuals after those abductees had been as long as four years in prison with no legal justification.

Despite the many meetings and negotiations, regarding the abductees, between Yemeni government and Houthis, this was the first step taken by Houthi armed group to implement Stockholm agreement and release all the abductees and forcibly hidden individuals as the Yemeni government had released 110 prisoners earlier. All the efforts taken by Abductees’ Mothers Association, including protesting rallies, formal meetings with competent authorities, official statements, monitoring, and documenting, was a great step in the right direction of humanitarian cause to deliver the case to different bodies, and to release all abductees and forcibly hidden individuals. These efforts have been significantly supported by many human rights activists and organizations nationally and internationally.

Many abductees have been taken from their homes and workplace, and subjected to the most brutal forms of physical and psychological torture causing different chronic diseases and psychological disorders, and in many cases led to the death of abductees by torture.

On this pleasing occasion, head of the association, Amat-Alsalam Al-Haj valued and appreciated the role played by the United Nations and its Special Envoy to Yemen Mr. Griffiths in the abductees case, thanked the International Red Cross office in Sana’a for facilitating and easing the release of 250 abducted civilians, and gave credit for feminine unions and human rights organizations which stood by mothers’ demands until they saw their sons free. Abductees’ Mothers Association demanded that these initiatives must be followed by the release of all victims of arbitrary arrest and detention and forced disappearance assuring that freedom is a lawful right and calling to stop arbitrary arrest and detention, to create social peace, and protect rights and liberties.