Yemen: Al-Awdi and Al-Alfi Released... Anwar Shaab Remains Detained

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

The Houthi group released today the academic Dr. Hamoud Al-Awdi and the engineer Abdulrahman Al-Alfi after weeks of their arrest, following the presentation of "attendance guarantees" from a number of merchants, according to what Xinhua correspondent Fares Al-Himyari reported. In contrast, Anwar Khaled Shaab remains in detention until this moment. According to Al-Himyari, the group stipulated that the commercial guarantees be provided by merchants who own shops in Sana'a and with renewed commercial records, in exchange for the release of Al-Awdi and Al-Alfi. The details of the arrest date back to the tenth of November, when the security and intelligence apparatus affiliated with the Houthis summoned both Al-Awdi and Al-Alfi, and they were arrested upon their arrival at the headquarters of the apparatus in the political district of Sana'a, with any communication with them cut off. A security force also stormed the headquarters of the "Dal" Center for Social Studies located on the first floor of Dr. Al-Awdi's house in the Hadda neighborhood, and arrested the center's secretary, Anwar Khaled Shaab, in addition to confiscating devices, books, and research from the center and Al-Awdi's house. The next day, November 11, Al-Awdi and Al-Alfi were transferred to another detention center belonging to the apparatus in the Shamlan area, where they remained detained until their release today. Simultaneous with the release process, human rights calls continue for the release of Anwar Shaab and the rest of the detainees, with emphasis on the need to stop arbitrary arrests and respect legal procedures and transparency in dealing with detainees.