The repressive role of the son of the founder of "Houthiism" has increased.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Arabian Sea - Yemen - Middle East: Amid escalating violations in areas controlled by the Houthi group, the intelligence role of the son of the group's founder has increased; he now oversees most of the agencies and institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the coup government, relying on the great support given to him by his uncle, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the current leader of the group. Security and political sources in Houthi-controlled areas told "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" that the intelligence and repressive role of Ali Hussein al-Houthi, who was granted the rank of major general in security, and a special intelligence apparatus was created for him under the name "Police Intelligence Apparatus," has increased significantly during the first months of this year. The repressive apparatus led by the son of the founder of "Houthism" carried out last year the largest campaign of arrests among supporters and members of the "General People's Congress" party founded by the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh. According to these sources, this influence has overshadowed the so-called "Security and Intelligence Apparatus" run by the leader Abdul Hakim al-Khaywani; it has extended to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the government that no one recognizes; because the young man - in addition to the support he enjoys from his uncle, the leader of the group - is presented among its supporters and followers, and even its leadership levels, as the son of the "Founding Leader." While Ali Hussein al-Houthi - according to the sources - has become managing prisons independent of the known prisons in the country, he is currently overseeing the campaign of arrests that has affected dozens of teachers, doctors, academics, and social figures. The sources indicated that the recent arrest campaign carried out by the Houthi group in Ibb Governorate (193 kilometers south of Sanaa) is behind this newly established intelligence apparatus, before it extended to the outskirts of Taiz Governorate, and the governorates of Dhamar and Sanaa. Human rights sources say that the detainees, who number more than 130 people, are not known exactly what charges are brought against them, and their families have not been allowed to visit them or appoint lawyers to defend them. In light of this repressive increase of the son of the founder of "Houthism," Ishraq al-Maqtari, a member of the National Committee for Investigating Allegations of Human Rights Violations, stated that the number of people arrested by the Houthis during the past three months in Ibb Governorate alone reached 90 detainees from all directorates, especially in the countryside of Ibb, Al-Hazm, Al-Sadda, Al-Mashnah, Al-Zahhar, Al-Udayn, Mudhaykhira, Al-Sayyani, Al-Nadera, and Al-Qafr. Ishraq al-Maqtari said that most of the detainees are workers in the education sector, followed by workers in banks and commercial centers, and heads of charitable associations. The human rights official confirmed that these arrests come within a broad restriction campaign that the group has been practicing for some time on the governorate, whose residents are the most exposed to arrests, harassment, levies, and the closure of mosques that do not repeat the slogan of the "Khomeini Revolution," and do not practice the sectarian rituals imposed by the group's elements. In the same context, political sources told "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" that the current arrest campaign is an extension of the campaign supervised by the son of the group's founder last year, which affected more than a thousand people, most of them from Ibb Governorate, under the pretext of preparing to celebrate the anniversary of the "September 26 Revolution" that overthrew the Houthis' ancestors in 1962. According to the sources, the Houthis, who have become wary of a popular uprising coordinated with the internationally recognized government, have been continuing for 3 months to arrest dozens of teachers in particular, who are mostly members of the "Yemeni Islah Gathering" party or activists in it, or worked for banks or commercial institutions owned by members or leaders of this party. The police intelligence apparatus led by the Houthi son - according to the sources - decided to expand this campaign during the current and following month, as a preventive measure to prevent any popular movements during the anniversary of the overthrow of their ancestors. According to what political sources in Sanaa stated, the Houthis directed a clear warning to the wing of the "General People's Congress" party in their areas of control, prohibiting the celebration of the party's founding anniversary on the 24th of this month. The Houthis also warned the rest of the components and activists against any preparations to celebrate the anniversary of the overthrow of the Imamate regime in northern Yemen, and threatened that any move in this direction would be considered a hostile act, and would be dealt with severely, claiming - during their warnings - that reviving these two occasions serves Israel and the United States. In a related development to human rights issues, the Yemeni National Committee for Investigating Allegations of Human Rights Violations concluded, in the temporary capital Aden, a workshop on the nature of trials for perpetrators of human rights violations, with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The workshop, which lasted for two days, was attended by 25 people from the committee members, assistant investigators, representatives of the judiciary and the Attorney General's office, along with civil society organizations active in the field of accountability and combating impunity. This workshop is part of the committee's activities aimed at raising awareness and strengthening the path of accountability in serious and grave violations in Yemen, undermining the policy of impunity, and following up on official and unofficial efforts in this field. The workshop program included discussion sessions on the historical background of trials related to human rights violations, the historical development of the protection of these rights, the activation of accountability, and a review of international, regional and national experiences in this field, in addition to presenting the committee's vision on trials, the types of serious and grave violations, and the roles of actors in creating a suitable environment for conducting trials. The discussions also focused on analyzing patterns of violations, mechanisms for improving the environment and climate of trials in cases related to human rights violations, the clarity of their procedures, and identifying the needs of judicial bodies for technical support and capacity building in this field. Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat