Geneva – SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties reported that educational expert Mohammed Khamash, who had been arbitrarily detained by the Houthi security and intelligence service in Sana’a, has died after three months of complete isolation from the outside world. His arrest was part of a broader crackdown targeting educational experts involved in updating school curricula in accordance with methodologies supported by UNICEF.

According to local sources, Khamash’s family was notified of his death on the evening of Tuesday, October 22, and was asked to collect his body. However, the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear. As reported by Yemen Future, Khamash had no contact with his family throughout his detention, raising further suspicions that he may have been subjected to torture and mistreatment.

SAM expressed deep concern over the dire conditions faced by detainees in Houthi prisons. Reports indicate that many are subjected to enforced disappearance and brutal torture in unmonitored facilities, sparking serious fears for their safety and fundamental rights. SAM emphasized that the lack of communication between detainees and their families, along with the absence of information on their whereabouts, heightens uncertainty and anxiety, necessitating urgent intervention to protect these victims.

The organization also warned that the rising number of deaths among arbitrarily detained individuals exacerbates concerns about detainee conditions. SAM cited the recent death of Sabri Al-Hakimi, who passed away after six months in custody under the Houthi intelligence service. These security forces have become a principal tool for repression, engaging in practices that constitute crimes against humanity, such as enforced disappearance and torture—both serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Such actions could also lead to prosecution in international courts, including the International Criminal Court.

SAM held the Houthi security and intelligence service fully responsible for arbitrary detentions and torture, stressing that these practices represent blatant violations of international human rights law. The organization called on the international community to document these violations, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure such abuses are not repeated in the future.

Additionally, SAM urged the international community to take immediate steps to rescue detainees in Houthi prisons. It highlighted that the ongoing severe human rights violations—including torture and ill-treatment—require strong and decisive pressure on the Houthis to release the detainees and ensure their human rights are protected.