Geneva — SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that Yemeni student Mutahhar Hamid Abdulrahman Masad Al-Madani, 25, from Al-Hudaydah Governorate, was abducted at 3 a.m. on August 26 from one of the checkpoints in the Bin Ma’ili area of Marib Governorate, while returning from Malaysia to spend his vacation in the capital, Sana’a, through the Shahn – Marib – Sana’a route. The organization said he was seized solely because of his family name, stressing that this act is reprehensible, violates freedom of movement, and constitutes an assault on citizens’ liberties. SAM called on the local authorities in Marib to work toward releasing Al-Madani and to take responsibility for the risks posed to his life.
In a statement issued today, Saturday, the organization explained that, according to the information it obtained, student Mutahhar Al-Madani had traveled from Malaysia to Oman, then proceeded through the Shahn border crossing in Al-Mahrah, eastern Yemen, heading toward Marib in order to reach Sana’a. Upon arriving at one of Marib’s checkpoints, he was kidnapped and forcibly disappeared by armed individuals belonging to military entities in Marib—four persons, three wearing civilian clothing and one in military uniform—due to his family name, at 3 a.m. on Saturday, August 26. After removing him from the vehicle, they took him in a 2006 Toyota Corolla toward the Marib complex. His father said: “We do not know his exact place of detention. We received information that he might be held at military intelligence, then at the Special Security forces, or in an isolated house.” He added: “The kidnappers contacted me on WhatsApp and demanded the release of twenty detainees held by the Houthis. I have no connection to the Houthis, and I have been suspended from work for seven years. We have notified the security authorities, but unfortunately, the response has been slow.”
The student, Mutahhar Al-Madani, was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago after returning from Malaysia—where he is studying—through the Shahn crossing in Al-Mahrah, eastern Yemen. He was abducted upon arriving in Marib and staying at a hotel, after being reported as someone belonging to the “Al-Madani” family. He was then transferred to the Third Military Region, without any knowledge of the entity responsible for his abduction.
Information confirmed that the student has been studying in Malaysia for six years and is currently in his final academic year. He returned to Yemen about two weeks ago to complete his engagement and marriage arrangements. He chose to return through Oman and the Shahn crossing in Al-Mahrah to avoid the risk of arrest by forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, as had happened to previous students returning via Aden Airport. Nevertheless, he was subjected to enforced disappearance in Marib because of his family name, despite the fact that his maternal uncle serves as the Minister of Higher Education in the internationally recognized government.
According to relatives who spoke with SAM’s team, “the student has no political or partisan interests, and his family has no involvement in the war or its consequences. Yet, because of his family name, he became a victim of kidnapping, enforced disappearance, and possibly torture. His family has suffered severe psychological distress, and the Yemeni student community in Malaysia—especially those who know Mutahhar and his family—are shocked, as they know him to be calm, disciplined, and uninvolved in any conflict.”
The organization highlighted that it obtained exclusive audio recordings—which it withholds to protect the student’s safety—showing that the kidnapping was politically motivated and linked to demands for the release of individuals detained by the Houthi group. SAM stated that this is a dangerous practice that severely violates freedom of movement and personal security, stressing that the authorities bear full responsibility for the student’s life.
SAM emphasized that the kidnapping of Mutahhar Al-Madani reflects deepening social divisions and the deterioration of respect for individual rights. It also raises serious questions about the role of security agencies in ensuring public safety and protecting all individuals, especially since two weeks have passed without locating the student or learning the circumstances of his disappearance.
The organization pointed to provisions in the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen and national laws that criminalize arbitrary arrest, including Article (48) of the Constitution, which states: “The state guarantees citizens their personal freedom and safeguards their dignity and security. The law shall determine the cases in which a citizen’s freedom may be restricted, and no person may be deprived of their freedom except by an order from a competent court.”
International conventions, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, also prohibit enforced disappearance. Article (1) states: “No one shall be subjected to enforced disappearance. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or the threat of war, internal political instability, or any other public emergency, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearance.”
The organization concluded its statement by expressing its strong condemnation of the kidnapping of student Mutahhar Al-Madani, affirming that the authorities in Marib bear full responsibility for his life, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding his current situation and the identity of those responsible for his abduction.
SAM called on the internationally recognized government to act swiftly and exhaust all possible efforts to ensure the student’s release, return him safely to his family, and hold those involved in his kidnapping accountable, imposing the harshest penalties to prevent recurrence of such violations that endanger the safety and stability of individuals' lives.