Legal Affairs Minister Accuses Commander of Obstructing Probe into Unlawful Detention Centers

The Minister of Legal Affairs, Ishraq Al-Maqtari, has accused Brigadier General Abu Bakr Al-Jubouli, Commander of the Fourth Mountain Infantry Brigade and the Tor Al-Baha Axis Commander, of obstructing the work of the National Committee investigating human rights violation allegations, thereby preventing disclosure of the fate of dozens of detainees held under enforced disappearance for years.

Al-Maqtari asserted in a post on the "X" platform that Al-Jubouli explicitly prevented the National Committee's team from visiting "unlawful" detention facilities under the command of his forces in the districts of Tor Al-Baha (Lahj) and Ash-Shamaytain (Taiz).

The Minister noted that this obstruction directly disregarded explicit directives issued by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, which mandate full cooperation with the Committee and facilitation of its oversight and legal mandates.

According to the notification, the Committee's team intended to investigate the detention and enforced disappearance of 42 individuals from the villages and hamlets of Al-Muqaterah and Ash-Shamaytain. These detainees face uncertain conditions within these prisons, with some having been held for over three years without being presented before judicial authorities or released.

Al-Maqtari deemed the continued existence of extra-legal prisons a primary obstacle to the path of justice, emphasizing that the "closure of illegal detention centers" is a cornerstone in safeguarding public freedoms in the "liberated areas."

She further stated that enforcing the law in these complex cases sends the most crucial message regarding the restoration of citizen trust in legitimate state institutions, asserting that the protection of human rights serves as the true test of the state's effective presence on the ground.