The Abductees’ Mothers Association condemns the ongoing crimes and grave violations committed by the Houthi group against detainees held in its prisons, foremost among them systematic physical and psychological torture and deliberate medical neglect, which have led to the deaths of several detainees and left others with permanent disabilities.
Most recently, teacher Ahmed Abdullah Al-Helmani (71 years old) died after being held for more than 80 days in the Security and Intelligence prison in Dhamar Governorate. He passed away on February 2, two weeks after his release. According to his family’s testimony, “He was forcibly abducted from his home, while suffering from paralysis and a severe deterioration in his health condition, in a cruel and humiliating scene that violated his human dignity.” During his detention, he was subjected to torture and medical neglect, which ultimately led to his death.
Likewise, Issa Mohammed Al-Masoudi (19 years old) died last month. Al-Masoudi was abducted on January 12, 2025. He was from the Hanka Al Masoud area in Al-Quraishiyah District, Al-Bayda Governorate. He was detained in a prison in the city of Rada’a and, after one month, transferred to the Security and Intelligence prison in Sana’a, where, according to testimonies from released detainees, he was subjected to physical and psychological torture throughout his detention.
According to released detainees, Issa Al-Masoudi was transferred to a hospital in critical condition. However, the group later prevented him from completing his treatment and remaining in the hospital, in a repeated pattern of deliberate medical neglect that has previously been documented by numerous human rights organizations.
The Association also condemns the paralysis suffered by citizen Abdullah Saleh Muqbil Al-Masoudi as a result of systematic torture he endured inside prison facilities. His family confirmed that he sustained severe physical and psychological harm that deprived him of the ability to move.
These crimes are neither individual nor isolated incidents. The Abductees’ Mothers Association has previously documented dozens of deaths resulting from torture and medical neglect inside Houthi prisons as part of its human rights media campaign, “The Witness Memory,” which exposed victims who died inside detention facilities or later succumbed to the effects of abuse endured during detention, amid complete impunity.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association affirms that torture leading to death, deprivation of medical care, and enforced disappearance constitute grave crimes under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and in some cases amount to crimes against humanity under the Convention Against Torture and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Accordingly, the Abductees’ Mothers Association calls for the opening of an independent and impartial international investigation into all cases of deaths and disabilities inside Houthi prisons, and for holding all those responsible for crimes of torture and medical neglect accountable, without allowing impunity.
We also call for the disclosure of the fate of all abductees and forcibly disappeared persons without condition, justice for the victims, compensation for them, and reparation for their families.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association affirms that the silence of the international community in the face of these crimes encourages their continuation, and that protecting abducted civilians is a moral and legal responsibility that cannot be delayed.
Issued by:
Abductees’ Mothers Association
14/2/2026