The Abductees’ Mothers Association has launched its first advocacy event as part of the “Save the Abductees” campaign, calling on both local and international authorities to take urgent action on the case of the abductees and secure their release. The campaign began with a protest held this morning in front of the Taiz Governorate building.
During the protest, the Association stressed that the issue of abductees and the forcibly disappeared remains one of the most painful and neglected humanitarian files, despite the immense suffering endured for years by the victims and their families.
The Association reported that 1,043 civilian abductees remain detained by various parties to the conflict. Some have been held for over eight years, and all are subjected to inhumane conditions, with no political solution in sight to end their ordeal.
The Association also confirmed it has received multiple and ongoing reports from detainees and their families about the worsening health conditions inside detention centers. At the Central Prison in Sana’a, several detainees are reportedly suffering from severe diarrhea, suspected cholera cases, without access to any medical care. Similarly, detainees held at the Central Security detention facility face harsh health conditions without medical attention or intervention.
In a separate report from a detainee at the Security and Intelligence detention center in Sana’a, the individual described suffering from intense pain in the stomach and knees and being denied proper treatment. He is only given sedatives, which are no longer effective in relieving his growing pain. Another detainee suffers from low blood pressure and severe gastrointestinal issues, yet receives little to no care. In an urgent case, one abductee, who previously worked with civil society organizations, is now at risk of permanently losing his eyesight due to the absence of medical care. He is already blind in one eye.
The Association reiterated that the release of all abductees and forcibly disappeared persons is a legal and moral responsibility that rests on everyone, humanitarian, rights-based, and media organizations, as well as state institutions, especially the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
It held all parties responsible for abductions, particularly the Houthi group, fully accountable for the lives and safety of all abductees and the forcibly disappeared.
The Association urged the international community, the United Nations, and the UN Special Envoy to Yemen to take a firm and urgent stance on this issue and apply serious pressure for the immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, in line with international humanitarian law, the Stockholm Agreement, and detainee-release accords, whose provisions have yet to be fully implemented.
