Crimes Haunt Houthi Delegation in Muscat as Rights Groups Renew Calls for Their Exclusion

Yemen Monitor | Newsroom:

The Mothers of Abductees Association has called for the exclusion of Abdulqader al-Mortada, head of the Houthi group’s Prisoners Affairs Committee, and his deputy Murad Qasim from the ongoing negotiations in the Omani capital, Muscat, concerning the abductees file.

In a statement, the association said it is joining the voices of journalists, abductees, and survivors of Houthi-run prisons in urging the United Nations to intervene urgently to prevent the participation of individuals it described as directly involved in torture crimes and grave human rights violations against detainees.

The association called on the UN Secretary-General and the UN Special Envoy to exert genuine pressure on the Houthi group to cancel the participation of al-Mortada and his deputy within the negotiating delegation, stressing that their presence undermines the integrity of any negotiation process related to a sensitive humanitarian issue such as the abductees file. It said their inclusion raises serious doubts about commitments to human rights protection and justice for victims.

The statement pointed to credible human rights reports, as well as testimonies from journalists, former abductees who survived detention, former staff of the U.S. Embassy and the United Nations, and humanitarian workers. These accounts documented detainees being subjected to various forms of psychological and physical torture, including beatings, electric shocks, suspension, solitary confinement, deliberate medical neglect, and denial of visits, leading to deaths and permanent disabilities, along with other violations.

The association recalled that the U.S. Treasury Department had previously designated Abdulqader al-Mortada for serious human rights abuses under Executive Order 13818, linked to the Global Magnitsky Act, over his direct role in violations committed against prisoners in Houthi-run detention centers.

In concluding its statement, the Mothers of Abductees Association stressed that responding to the demands of victims and survivors, and excluding al-Mortada and his deputy from any negotiating role, is a fundamental step to ensure neutrality, uphold human rights principles, and restore recognition of the suffering endured by abductees and their families.