AL-MUKALLA: The Houthi militia has reportedly abducted a Yemeni journalist who criticized them on social media, as well as dozens of Yemenis for “celebrating or inciting the public to celebrate a revolution anniversary on Sept. 26.”
The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate said that armed Houthis abducted Mohammed Dabwan Al-Mayahi from his home in Sanaa on Friday and seized his belongings.
“The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate strongly condemns this incident and demands his immediate release and the return of his belongings. It also reiterates its opposition to the arrest campaign targeting Al-Mayahi and other activists because of their opinions and writing,” the syndicate said in a statement.
Al-Mayahi criticized the Houthi militia and its leader last week after attending a large religious gathering in Sanaa’s Al-Sabeen Square. He described the militia’s leader as a “shallow” person and urged Yemenis to oppose the Houthis.
“I felt the significance of the catastrophe, confronted with vice in its living and complete form. It is not acceptable to allow this terrifying project to perpetuate its error on these poor people for even a single moment,” he said in a post on his Facebook page that disappeared hours after his arrest.
The abduction of Al-Mayahi has sparked condemnation from Yemenis across the political spectrum.
In a post on X, Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani said that Al-Mayahi is one of many Yemeni activists, journalists, and politicians to have been abducted by the Houthis after publicly criticizing them, and accused the Houthis of suppressing dissidents and limiting freedom of expression in Yemeni areas under their control.
“This detention is just a new episode in the series of systematic violations carried out by the Houthi militia against political and civil leaders, journalists, media professionals, human rights activists, unionists, and activists,” Al-Eryani said.
Some of Al-Mayahi’s friends expressed similar condemnation of the Houthis for their persecution of critics and demanded the journalist’s immediate release.
One of them, Radhwan Al-Hamadani, wrote on Al-Mayahi’s Facebook page: “This is a vulnerable group that resorts to kidnapping when it feels threatened.”
Mohammed Al-Ahmadi, a journalist and friend of Al-Mayahi, believes that his abduction — and that of dozens of others over the last three months — demonstrates that peace with the Houthis is not possible.
“For many years, I have maintained that coexisting with the Houthis or coming to any kind of peace agreement or settlement with them is impossible,” Al-Ahmadi said on Facebook.
This comes as local media and people in Houthi-controlled provinces reported on Saturday that the Houthis had abducted dozens of people — including members of the former ruling party the General People’s Congress, in Sanaa, Ibb, and Dhamar — as part of their crackdown on Yemenis celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the Sept. 26 revolution.
Last week, the Houthis abducted five senior members of the former ruling party in Saana over their call for the public to celebrate the anniversary.
The Houthis have attempted to replace commemorations of the revolution, which ended centuries of Zaidi Imamate rule in northern Yemen, with ones of their military takeover of power in Yemen on Sept. 21, a decade ago, according to Yemeni activists and politicians.
On Saturday, local media reported that the Houthis abducted “many people” in Ibb and deployed armed forces to disperse public celebrations of revolution.
Over the last three months, the Houthis have reportedly abducted at least 70 former and current employees of UN agencies, international rights and aid organizations, and diplomatic missions, accusing them of spying for the US and Israel.
Citizens have stated that the Houthis have abducted their relatives and ignored repeated requests to visit or speak to them.
“We have knocked on every door and asked everyone who could help. Our hearts were filled with hope for good news from you, but we have yet to find that compassionate hand that will bring you back to us,” Abdul Rahman Al-Yemeni — the son of former aid worker Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Yemeni, who has been held by the Houthis since June 6 — posted on Facebook.
The war in Yemen, which began when the Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014, has left thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions from their homes. The UN has called it the world’s “worst humanitarian crisis.”
