SAM expressed its deep concern at the continued arrest of dozens of citizens by the "joint forces" against the backdrop of unsubstantiated accusations about a week ago, and the concealment of others in multiple prisons, including illegal prisons in the city of al-Makha that follows Taiz Governorate.

SAM for Rights and Liberties said in a press release today that the joint forces - including the "The Giants Brigades" led by Abu Zarrah al-Mohrami and the "National Resistance" of Brigadier General Tariq Mohamed Abdallah Saleh - had arrested around 20 residents of Hays and Al Khawkhah south of Hodeida Governorate, under the pretext of contact with the Houthi group, most of whom are still under arrest, refusing to respond to parents' demands to release their relatives.

SAM explained that the charges against the arrested persons on the basis of which they were detained, which included the contact with the Houthi group and posting on Facebook, stressed that the charges were political and were not based on any legal justification or judicial orders issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office, and that the charges were broad and unspecified and they constitute a serious attack on the competence of the judiciary, which has sole powers to arrest and detain on the basis of legal reviews, and not arrest warrants  issued only by the military responsible for combat .

SAM reported that it had obtained statements confirming the arrest of "Muhannad Sindi" from the fourth point of the Seventh Brigade, and "Mohamed Haidera" for posts written on Facebook. They also arrested "Tarek Matelah" and " Al Qaqaa Said", as well as "Ibrahim Zahir, Ali Zahir and Fouad Zahir". It is reported that the last detainee has been repeatedly arrested for suspected communication with the Houthis, most recently after returning from a Houthi - controlled city.

The residents confirmed to SAM that the detainees were spread over a number of prisons, including the National Resistance Intelligence Prison run by Amar Mohamed Abdullah Saleh in the city of al-Makha,and another part is located in prisons belonging to the Seventh Giants Brigade , led by the Salafi "Ali Kenini," a member of the Joint Forces.

SAM noted that the failure of the joint forces to observe international legal norms, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guaranteed personal freedom and prohibited arbitrary detention without judicial orders, stressed that those forces violated basic conditions and standards in ensuring the right to health, particularly in the context of the spread of the corona virus and that continued arrests and single-room gatherings will have serious consequences, given the unprecedented rise in the virus related deaths and infections.

 At the end of its statement, SAM called on the Joint Forces Command to immediately release those arrested and to ensure the application of the health protocol on them and all detainees in order to safeguard their safety and health, and to stop arbitrary arrests and forced concealment against civilians as well as working to provide civilians with basic personal protection requirements and to spare them from armed conflict and political attractions between different parties.