Rights Group Holds Houthi Leader Responsible for Continued Enforced Disappearance of Yemeni Politician Mohammed Qahtan
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that the armed Houthi group, under the leadership of Abdulmalik al-Houthi and its political council president Mahdi al-Mashat, bears full responsibility for the ongoing enforced disappearance of Yemeni politician and Islah Party leader Mohammed Qahtan, who has been held since his arrest in April 2015. The group called for disclosure of his fate and accountability for what it described as a crime against humanity.
According to the organization, citing reliable sources, Qahtan was initially placed under strict house arrest in his Sana’a residence before being detained by Houthi gunmen in civilian clothes. Days later, he was transferred to a villa owned by Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar in the Hadda district, which the group had seized after taking control of the capital.
The organization confirmed that, based on Qahtan’s advice at the time of his arrest, his family reached out to former Sana’a mayor Abdelqader Hilal, who arranged the only visit ever permitted. That visit was attended by Mahdi al-Mashat, who was supervising Qahtan’s file. During it, Qahtan appeared resilient despite psychological pressure, telling his family he had completed a recitation of the Qur’an in four days, as a way to reassure them.
However, that visit turned out to be the last. Since then, all news of Qahtan has been cut off. Despite his family’s continuous efforts — including sending food, holding protests, appealing to rights organizations, and meeting with the UN envoy — no confirmed information has surfaced about his condition or whereabouts. The family was told by Houthi leaders that Qahtan’s fate is directly tied to Abdulmalik al-Houthi’s decision, reflecting the centralized nature of decision-making within the group.
The organization stressed that Qahtan’s case constitutes enforced disappearance under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as Article 7/1(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, considering his continued deprivation of liberty a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
SAM held Abdulmalik al-Houthi and Mahdi al-Mashat directly responsible for the crime, pointing to their senior positions and personal supervision over Qahtan’s case.
The group demanded immediate disclosure of Qahtan’s fate and location, that he be allowed contact with his family and lawyer, and his unconditional release with guarantees for his physical and psychological safety.
It also called for an independent and transparent international investigation to establish criminal accountability for his enforced disappearance and to include his case as an urgent humanitarian issue on the agenda of UN-led peace talks.
The organization further urged the international community to exert immediate pressure on the Houthi leadership to end enforced disappearance practices and release all those held incommunicado.
It stressed that the continued disappearance of Mohammed Qahtan constitutes a grave violation of international law and a crime against humanity, warning that international silence fuels impunity and prolongs the suffering of victims and their families.
