Air raids targeting security sites in Sana’a, have caused a state of panic and anxiety for the families of thousands of forcibly abducted individuals, amid a complete absence of official information regarding their fate.
The Association of Mothers of Abductees issued an urgent humanitarian appeal after several facilities belonging to the security and intelligence services in Sana’a were hit by Israeli airstrikes.
Sources had previously told “Yemen Monitor” that raids targeted two Houthi intelligence prisons in “Al-Siyasi neighborhood” and “Shamlan,” as well as a headquarters in Old Sana’a, and the fate of the detainees remains unknown.
In a statement received by “Yemen Monitor,” the Association reported that the bombing targeted the “Security and Intelligence Reformatory building and its surroundings, in addition to the Security and Intelligence detention center building, and other detention sites,” which places the lives of hundreds of forcibly detained individuals at “imminent risk.”
The brother of a detainee in Sana’a told “Yemen Monitor”: “The family is in a state of shock and extreme fear over my brother’s fate. My mother hasn’t stopped crying since she heard the news of the bombing.” His mother was forced to live in Sana’a, originally from Al-Hudaidah city, after the Houthis arrested her son a year ago from the coastal city and transferred him to Sana’a due to his criticisms of the group’s leaders and local movement officials in his area.
The brother of another detainee held by the Houthis said that they went to Al-Siyasi neighborhood to find out the fate of their siblings, but the Houthis prevented them from accessing the site of the raid. Both families appealed to the Red Cross for action. The two sources spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of Houthi retaliation.
The Association of Mothers of Abductees described the lack of information for families regarding their sons’ fate as a “real nightmare” they are living through, calling on the international community to take urgent action to ensure their children’s safety.
The Association urged the Houthi rebels to “assume their legal and ethical responsibilities, and enable the families to communicate with their sons to reassure them and alleviate their psychological suffering.” It also demanded the provision of “transparent and immediate information about the fate of all detainees, clarifying their health status and current locations.”
The statement noted that “information remains scarce and non-existent so far,” which increases the suffering and panic of families who know nothing about the fate of their sons, whether they survived the bombing or not.
The Association emphasized that targeting these facilities, which hold detainees, constitutes a “blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law” which obligates parties to the conflict to protect civilians and detainees.
The Association called on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene quickly and exert pressure on the responsible parties to ensure the disclosure of the abductees’ fate and to provide families with immediate information about their safety and current whereabouts. The Association also demanded that families be allowed to communicate with their sons to alleviate their psychological distress.