Houthis Abduct Civilians in Retaliation for Leaked Video of Missile Crash in Al-Mahwit; Rights Groups Condemn the Act
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Rassd Organization for Rights and Freedoms revealed that the Houthi group has launched an arbitrary arrest campaign against civilians in Al-Mahwit Governorate, in retaliation for the circulation of a video exposing the crash of one of their missiles in the “Ibn Abdullah” area—an incident the group tried to cover up by falsely claiming it was caused by a U.S. airstrike.
In a strongly worded statement, the organization condemned these violations, stating that dozens of civilians were abducted and forced to participate in political demonstrations—an egregious violation of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly.
The organization demanded the unconditional release of the detainees and held the Houthis fully responsible for their safety, describing the incident as a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and human rights conventions.
الغارة التي أعلن عنها في جبل المحويت ،
من شكل الحطام ، تكون صاروخا حوثيا من نوع قدس pic.twitter.com/9XKLhjyKjY— محمد الحيدري Moh. Haidari 𐩣.𐩢 (@haidari700) April 21, 2025
Rassd noted that this campaign is not isolated but comes amid a broader wave of raids and arrests targeting homes and commercial establishments in several governorates over the past two weeks, based on flimsy pretexts such as “collaboration” and “sharing coordinates.”
Meanwhile, the Eye for Human Rights Organization confirmed in a separate statement that the Houthis had detained six citizens over the past two days for documenting the missile crash. The organization described the arrests as a “blatant violation of freedom of expression and a threat to citizens’ safety and security.”
The group called for the immediate release of those detained and an end to the intimidation and persecution of individuals for publishing or expressing opinions. It also urged the international community to intervene urgently to stop these abuses.
Eye for Human Rights listed the names of the six detainees in their statement released late Wednesday night:
Abdulaziz Mohammed Sagheer Nayef Al-Ashmouri
Mohammed Yahya Ahmed Al-Abbadi
Nassar Nasser Ali Al-Ashmouri
Mithaq Abdullah Al-Harazi
Issam Abdo Abdullah Madnoun
Adeeb Mohammed Mohammed Al-Sairani
The organization confirmed that these arrests followed the publication of video footage showing the crash of a Houthi-fired missile in the “Ibn Abdullah” area of Al-Mahwit, sparking widespread anger among local residents.
Observers believe the Houthi escalation reflects internal turmoil and an attempt to suppress growing public outrage in areas under their control over their repressive policies.
