Amnesty International Demands Release of Lawyer Detained by Houthis

Amnesty International has renewed its call for the immediate and unconditional release of lawyer and human rights activist Abdulmajeed Sabra, who has been held in detention in Sana'a for approximately seven months without legal justification.

The organization stated in a release on Thursday that Sabra was abducted on September 25, 2025, while working in his office. His detention is reportedly linked to opinions he expressed on social media and his participation in commemorating the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution. Amnesty International noted that the Houthi militia has not presented him before any judicial authority or filed formal charges against him since his abduction.

The conditions of Sabra's detention have escalated significantly, according to the organization. He was placed in solitary confinement for over two weeks in late 2025, prompting him to engage in a sporadic hunger strike in protest of mistreatment and the denial of his fundamental rights as a detainee.

Amnesty International clarified that the case of lawyer Sabra is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of systematic violations. The organization emphasized the necessity of releasing all arbitrarily detained individuals, including UN staff and civil society activists who have been abducted and forcibly disappeared during security campaigns in the country over the past two years.

The organization concluded its statement by highlighting that the continued detention of human rights defenders constitutes a blatant violation of international law. It urged the international community to exert pressure to ensure respect for the right to expression and protect activists from arbitrary persecution.