Since September 20, the Houthi group in Yemen has launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting writers, journalists, and citizens for their activities on social media. This followed a systematic incitement campaign carried out by Houthi leaders and affiliated media outlets against citizens aimed at instilling fear and terrorising civilians in areas under their control. The goal was to prevent citizens from celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the Yemeni revolution on September 26.
Nasr al-Din Amer, head of the Saba News Agency, which is controlled by the Houthis, threatened those celebrating in a video posted on his Twitter account. He stated that anyone celebrating the national holiday was a tool of Zionism and an enemy collaborator, threatening that the group’s security apparatus would show no mercy to anyone who participated. Moreover, He remarked that they did not care about public opinion or the international community.
HuMENA expressed deep concern regarding the wave of indiscriminate arrests and serious human rights violations committed by the Houthi group in recent days. Reports indicate that the group has detained approximately 500 individuals, including about 40 journalists and writers. The violations extended beyond arrests to include home raids, terrorizing families and children, and violent physical assaults on civilians in the streets. The group deployed individuals in civilian clothing carrying batons to strike pedestrians, effectively imposing a curfew across its controlled areas on the nights of September 25-26.
In addition, these violations included public incitement against citizens on social media by Houthi leaders. Hundreds of military vehicles were deployed to intimidate people in various areas under Houthi control. Vehicles were searched, and many citizens’ phones were confiscated in blatant violations of their privacy rights.
The arrest of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders is strongly condemned. This repressive behavior constitutes a clear violation of internationally guaranteed human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to freedom of the press, thought, and expression, as enshrined in both local and international laws. Among these conventions is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms in Article No.19 that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right: “Freedom of the press and access to information promote the broader developmental goal of empowering people.”
HuMENA has documented the detention of over 433 civilians across 10 Yemeni provinces as of the evening of September 27, based on reports posted on social media by the families of detainees. Among the detainees are journalists and writers Mohamed al-Mayahi, Mohamed al-Sahbani, Abdulrahman Daghar, Fouad al-Nahari, Ahmed Saleh al-Jubli, and Mohamed al-Khatib, in addition to other journalists and writers who were detained for their posts on Facebook. Their pages were swiftly deleted after their arrests.
The arrests were not limited to journalists and writers. The group also detained faculty members from Hodeidah and Ibb universities, as well as several university students. Teachers in schools in Amran Governorate in northern Yemen were also arrested. Of additional concern are reports of serious violations against children, with some as young as six years old being detained, in clear violation of international conventions protecting children’s rights.
Furthermore, the campaign targeted several lawyers in provinces under Houthi control. According to the Yemeni Bar Association, more than ten lawyers have been arrested since September 21, including Abdulraqeeb al-Saddar, Mansour al-Badji, Maher al-Sheibani, Akram al-Masni, Jamil al-Qudsi, and Ali al-Dhaifani, who were detained by the Houthi security and intelligence services in Sana’a and Hodeidah. Citizens reported that dozens of armored vehicles belonging to Houthi preventive security forces were deployed in all areas under their control—an unprecedented sight for residents.
This campaign also included the arrest of political figures and tribal leaders in northern Yemen, such as Sheikh Fahd Amin Abu Ras, brother of the head of the General People’s Congress (GPC) party and deputy head of the Supreme Political Council. His arrest followed a media campaign led by Al-Hawiya TV, run by Houthi leader Mohamed al-Imad, which, for days, broadcast reports alleging external plots targeting the regime and directly incited violence against members of the GPC, the largest political party in Yemen.
According to reports received by HuMENA, members of the family of Ali Abdulmagni, one of the leaders of the September 26, 1962 revolution, were among those arrested for unknown reasons on September 21. Houthi security officials promised to release them after the national holiday, but they remain in detention.
Statistics show that most of the arrests occurred in Ibb Governorate, with 179 cases, followed by the capital, Sana’a, with 112 cases, Dhamar Governorate, with 56 cases, and Hodeidah, with 37 cases. Taiz ranked fifth with 13 cases, followed by Al-Mahwit with 12 cases, ‘Amran with 8, and the governorates of al-Bayda and Hajjah with 6 cases each. Lastly, there were 2 cases in Dhale Governorate.
The Houthi campaign did not stop at arrests; their media outlets began inciting against the political detainees, accusing them of espionage without trial or disclosing their whereabouts.
We call on the international community and humanitarian organizations to take a firm stance against these violations, pressuring the Houthi group to end this repressive campaign and immediately release all detainees, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and freedom of expression.
The continuation of these repressive policies will only worsen the suffering of the Yemeni people and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis engulfing the country. The international community must act urgently to protect civilians and stop the violations against fundamental rights and freedoms in Yemen.