The Arrest of Lawyer Abdulmajid Sabra Is a Serious Violation of Rights and Freedoms

Marsadak (Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory) condemns the arrest of lawyer Abdulmajid Sabra by the Houthi group. Sabra is well-known for his prominent role in defending detained journalists in Houthi-controlled areas and for his continuous efforts to expose judicial irregularities and abuses affecting journalists’ cases, despite the threats and risks he faces.

According to information received by the Marsadak from Sabra’s colleagues, armed men affiliated with the Houthi group stormed his office in the Shumaila neighborhood of Sana’a and took him to an unknown location, without disclosing his place of detention or allowing his family or colleagues to learn about his legal situation, an act that constitutes enforced disappearance and a clear violation of international human-rights standards.

Marsadak affirms that this arrest comes within a systematic pattern of violations committed by the Houthi group against journalists, human-rights defenders, activists, and anyone who opposes its views. The group continues to detain eight journalists, some of whom have been imprisoned for more than ten years.

Marsadak (Yemeni Media Freedom Observatory) calls on the Houthi group to immediately and unconditionally release lawyer Abdulmajid Sabra and holds it fully responsible for his physical and psychological safety. The Marsadak also calls on the United Nations, relevant Special Rapporteurs on judicial independence and protection of human-rights defenders, and all international organizations to exert serious pressure on the Houthi group to end its systematic targeting of journalists, lawyers, and advocates of freedom of expression, and to ensure respect for its obligations under international humanitarian and human-rights law.