Head of “Mothers of the Abducted” Reveals to “Yemen Monitor” the Horrors Experienced by Detainees in Houthi Prisons in Sana’a During Israeli Bombing

Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Exclusive:

Ummat Al-Salam Al-Haj, the head of the Association of Mothers of the Abducted in Yemen, revealed horrifying details about the harsh conditions experienced by detainees in the National Security and Intelligence Agency prison in Sana’a, which is under the control of the Houthi group, following an Israeli bombing in late last September. She indicated that the inmates “witnessed death” and suffered from deliberate neglect and subsequent punitive measures.

In an exclusive statement to “Yemen Monitor,” Al-Haj, the head of the association, confirmed that the abductees lived through “difficult moments and witnessed death” during the bombing that caused partial destruction to the prison.

She explained that the conditions of the abductees severely deteriorated after the incident, as “they were prevented from receiving medicine, all their clothes were confiscated, and they were left only in their light blue prison uniforms,” causing them to suffer from severe colds, especially since temperatures in Sana’a drop to 6 degrees Celsius at the beginning of winter.

Accusations of Collaboration and Deliberate Neglect

Al-Haj relayed accounts from the families of the detainees, who were recently allowed to visit their relatives – after being banned following the bombing – that they were shocked by the “changed appearance of their sons” due to what they had endured.

She pointed out that the abductees were left “exposed to death, suffocation from smoke, dust, and toxins released from the explosives, without being allowed to move to a safe place,” despite their screams and calls for rescue while parts of the prison were collapsing, which were met with complete neglect.

This was because “the Houthis fled the prison after a number of their members were killed,” refusing to transfer and secure the prisoners, in a clear violation of international law, which requires authorities to secure prisons and transfer prisoners to safe places in case of war – according to sources who spoke to “Yemen Monitor” at the time.

Even more egregiously, according to the head of the association, the Houthis directed “shocking accusations” at the abductees, claiming they were “agents for Israel, and that the bombing targeted them to get rid of its agents.”

Most of these abductees were kidnapped from their homes for publicly criticizing the armed Houthi group in family gatherings or on social media.

In a related context, Al-Haj indicated that some families were recently able to visit their relatives, while other families informed “Yemen Monitor” that the Houthis refused to allow them to communicate with their sons.

This was confirmed by “Marwa” (a pseudonym), who told “Yemen Monitor” that she has not received any contact from her detained brother in the prison that was bombed and does not know his fate to this day.

Marwa, like other families, demanded “the intervention of the Red Cross to ascertain the fate of all prisoners and to allow the detainees to contact their families.”

“Yemen Monitor” was unable to obtain an immediate comment from the Red Cross in Sana’a.