Yemen: Release arbitrarily detained education expert

Moujib al-Mikhlafi is an education expert and trainer who has been working at the Ministry of Education in Sana’a for 24 years until he was detained on 10 October 2023. His work included trainings targeting education staff at schools on the rights of the child, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, dialogue and nonviolent communication.

Following his arrest, his family submitted an appeal to the head of the Supreme Political Council and the head of the security and intelligence service and a complaint to the head of the legal unit at the office of the Huthi leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi, but they have not received a response to date. 

Arbitrary detention violates the Yemeni Criminal Procedures Law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Yemen is a state party. 

All parties to the conflict, including the Huthi de facto authorities, the internationally recognized government, and the Southern Transitional Council have carried out arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, harassment, torture and other ill-treatment, and unfair trials. 

Since 2015, Amnesty International has documented the cases of scores of journalists, human rights defenders, academics, members of the Baha’i community, and others perceived as opponents or critics who were subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, and unfair trials with recourse to the death penalty by the Huthi de facto authorities. All were targeted simply because of their work as journalists or for exercising their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and thought, conscience and religion or belief.