The Abductees’ Mothers Association stands today alongside the mothers of the forcibly disappeared in front of the Office of the Attorney General in Aden Governorate, expressing the suffering of dozens of families who continue to endure the pain of the enforced absence of their loved ones to this day.
The Association calls for the urgent implementation of the directives issued by the Chair of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, and the decisions related to the file of forcibly disappeared persons, foremost among them the Attorney General’s Circular No. (2) of 2026 concerning the identification and closure of illegal detention facilities.
This circular includes clear measures, most notably:
– Immediate field inspections of detention and holding facilities within the relevant jurisdictions.
– The immediate release of all individuals proven to be detained without legal justification.
– The transfer of detainees who are subject to lawful arrest warrants to officially recognized prisons, and the referral of their cases to the competent prosecution authorities.
– The closure of all unauthorized detention and holding facilities and a ban on their use.
– The determination of legal responsibility for any unlawful detention, the taking of necessary measures against those involved, and the submission of reports on the outcomes within the specified timeframe.
In this context, the Association strongly stresses and demands the rapid implementation of all procedures leading to the disclosure of the fate of our forcibly disappeared sons, in accordance with presidential directives and the Attorney General’s circular, through concrete and effective action on the ground, under independent judicial oversight and with full transparency. This is essential to uncovering the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons and ending the suffering of their families, which has persisted for years.
The Association further demands accountability for all those involved in the enforced disappearance and torture of civilians, and for everyone proven to have participated in the establishment or management of secret prisons or committed violations within them, without exception. Enforced disappearance constitutes a grave crime that does not lapse with time under Yemeni law and international conventions, and accountability is essential to ensure that perpetrators do not evade justice.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association also calls for our human rights cause to be clearly and explicitly included in the agenda and outcomes of the Southern–Southern Dialogue sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the issue of forcibly disappeared persons and secret prisons is a humanitarian and rights-based matter that cannot be ignored or postponed. It represents a fundamental entry point for any just settlement or sustainable peace.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association affirms that justice for the forcibly disappeared is the foundation of genuine peace, and that any political, security, or dialogue process that fails to place this issue at the top of its priorities will remain incomplete and fundamentally flawed.
Issued by:
Abductees’ Mothers Association
21 January 2026