Omar, a child, could not hold himself while talking about his father, who had been abducted for seven years by Houthis, and started crying as he described his longing to his father and his wish of spending the coming Ramadan with his father.
Abductees’ mothers and children made a humanitarian call during a protesting rally held this morning by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana’a, in conjunction with the advent of Ramadan, the peace efforts of UN’s Envoy, and the commence of Riyadh Consultations.
During the rally, Abductees’ Mothers Association stated that the seventh Ramadan drew closer while the mothers and children of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons were devastated by the loss and absence of their relatives, held behind bars, thus gathering all their calls and demands to release their abducted, forcibly disappeared, and arbitrarily detained sons, for no occasion is complete while they were separated.
The rally statement declared that, according to the association’s documentation, there were, currently, 425 abducted civilians, 97 of whom were forcibly disappeared held by Houthi armed group.
Additionally, there were 73 detainees, 38 of whom were forcibly disappeared held by the Security Belt forces, controlled by the Southern Transitional Council, 18 detainees held by the government, and 5 held the Joint Forces at the western coast.
Abductees’ children and mothers expressed their great grief for their relatives, who had been held in prisons for as long as sever years, especially as the blessed month of Ramadan, in which Yemenis have always symbolized forgiveness and kindness, came near.
The rally statement called upon all organizers and participants of Riyadh Conference Consultations to make the case of abductees, and forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained persons a priority in their agenda.
Mothers held up banners that demanded making peace, and fulfilling the promises made a few days ago of releasing their sons, as the families of abductees suffer during the imprisonment of their relatives.