Houthi Militiamen Abduct Tribal Sheikh in Ibb Over Social Media Criticism

Militiamen affiliated with the Houthi group have abducted tribal Sheikh Haitham Al-Habishi in the Ibb Governorate, taking him to an unknown location following his criticism of the group's security practices and home invasions on social media.

Local sources reported that a security force belonging to the Houthi militia raided Al-Habishi's home and abducted him. This action occurred mere hours after he posted an angry message on his personal Facebook account, delivering sharp criticism to the governorate's security director, the director of the Houthi intelligence agency (Abu Zeid), and the so-called "Preventive Security" apparatus.

In his post, Al-Habishi had condemned the escalating trend of Houthi-controlled police stations raiding citizens' homes late at night. He asserted that these raids were based on "false reports and fabrications" and were motivated by financial extortion, aiming to extract money or illicit payments.

Al-Habishi also expressed his profound dismay in the same post regarding the terrorizing of women and children and the violation of tribal and societal norms that criminalize the desecration of homes. He threatened to release audio and visual recordings documenting one of the raids carried out by these elements.

Sources linked the swift abduction of Al-Habishi to the fears of Houthi leadership concerning the potential release of these recordings, which expose the extortion tactics and abuses perpetrated by their security agencies against residents in the governorate.

The Ibb Governorate, under Houthi control, is witnessing a noticeable escalation in security violations and home raids, accompanied by systematic repression and the silencing of any local or tribal voices attempting to criticize the practices of Houthi supervisors and leaders.