Tribal Gathering in Ibb Grants Houthis One Week to Release “Al-Fadel” Prisoners After Completing their Sentences
Yemen Monitor / Ibb / Exclusive:
Hundreds of sheikhs, notables, and tribesmen from the Central Regions (Ibb, Al-Dhale, and Al-Bayda) gathered Sunday in the Al-Nadirah district of Ibb governorate to demand the release of two prisoners held by the Houthi group in Sana’a despite completing their court-mandated sentences.
Tribal sources told Yemen Monitor that the tribes convened in the Ghubara square in the Al-Awd region, responding to a call from the Al-Fadel tribe. In this expanded meeting, they declared a state of popular “Nakaf” (tribal mobilization) to end what they described as arbitrary detention and the circumventing of judicial rulings.
Sources reported that the tribal gathering granted the Houthis a one-week deadline for the immediate release of prisoners Ahmed Ahmed Fadel and Radwan Ali Fadel. The two have spent more than 12 years behind bars, despite final judicial rulings and directives from the Judicial Council and the Public Prosecution to release them a year ago.
The gathering expressed its rejection of interference by “influential figures” who obstruct the rule of law and practice what they described as “racism and stubbornness” in clear defiance of the judiciary.
A statement issued by the tribes warned that failure to respond to their demands within the specified period would lead to a broad popular escalation. This would begin with a move to the capital, Sana’a, to set up protest tents in Al-Sabeen Square, asserting that justice is indivisible and the dignity of the region and its sons is a red line.
The case dates back to 2014, following a dispute between the Al-Fadel family (from Al-Awd, Ibb) and the Al-Jaham family (from Arhab, Sana’a), which escalated into armed clashes resulting in the death of an individual from the Al-Jaham family.
The litigation process lasted 11 years, concluding with a judicial ruling sentencing the Al-Fadel prisoners to 10 years in prison while acquitting them of the charge of premeditated murder. The Al-Fadel family maintains that the expiration of the sentence makes their continued detention a flagrant violation of the constitution and the law.
