Houthis Release Academic Hamoud Al-Awadi and His Colleague Under Strict Commercial Guarantees
Yemen Monitor – Sana’a – Exclusive:
The Houthi group in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, released prominent sociology professor Dr. Hamoud Al-Awadi and engineer Abdulrahman Al-Olfi on Sunday, nearly three weeks after detaining them under mysterious circumstances.
The release came with stringent “attendance guarantees,” while the group continues to hold Anwar Khaled Shaab, secretary of the Dal Center for Studies, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
According to Yemeni journalist Faris Al-Himyari, the release of Dr. Al-Awadi and Al-Olfi was made only after fulfilling conditions imposed by the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service, which required strict commercial “attendance guarantees.”
The group stipulated that the guarantors must be merchants owning active, registered businesses in Sana’a with up-to-date commercial licenses—an apparent move to ensure the released individuals remain under tight oversight and can be summoned at any time.
On November 10, the Security and Intelligence Service (formerly Political Security) summoned Al-Awadi and Al-Olfi to its headquarters in the “Political District” of Sana’a. Upon arrival, they were detained, their phones confiscated, and all communication with them cut off.
Simultaneously, a Houthi security force raided Al-Awadi’s home in Hadda district, storming the premises of the Dal Center for Social Studies located on the building’s first floor. The raid resulted in the arrest of the center’s secretary, Anwar Khaled Shaab, as well as the seizure of computers, books, academic research, and personal belongings.
The following day (November 11), the group transferred Al-Awadi and Al-Olfi from Hadda headquarters to a newly established intelligence detention facility in the Shamlan area, northwest of Sana’a, where they were held in complete isolation until their release today under the required guarantees.
Dr. Hamoud Al-Awadi is regarded as one of Yemen’s leading sociologists and heads the Dal Center for Studies. He is well-known for advocating peace and social cohesion. His arrest came amid a broad crackdown by the Houthi group that has targeted dozens of people marking the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, as well as ongoing restrictions on civil society organizations and research centers in areas under the group’s control.
