Geneva –SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said that military forces affiliated with Presidential Council member "Tariq Saleh" and the leadership of the "Hays" district have arrested citizen " Siddiq Ali Gaid Mohamed", 60 years old, for seven months in the 400 prison belonging to the "Abu Musa Al-Ashari" camp in violation of the law." "Siddiq" has ten children and works as a teacher of Islamic education, he suffers from heart disease, the arrest compounded his health suffering and endangers his life, the security authorities affiliated with Ammar Tariq must quickly release him unconditionally.

"On December 7, 2022, forces affiliated with the director of security in Hays, Colonel Mohamed Kazih, arrested " Siddiq Ali Gaid" from his home in the city of Hays where he was displaced. The neighborhood's sane person accompanied by a military member from the Hays Security Administration visited his home shortly before sunset, and he went with them to the security administration. After half an hour, we went to find out what had happened to him, but we did not find him. We were informed that a military force had taken him to the "Abu Musa Al-Ashari" camp based on malicious charges, according to the testimony of his close relatives and friends. He was taken to the "Abu Musa Al-Ashari" camp since the date of his arrest in the 400 prison belonging to the West Coast Forces affiliated with Presidential Council member "Tariq Saleh"."

"Regarding the reasons for his arrest, relatives of the kidnapped person testified to "SAM" that "Siddiq was subjected to torture to force him to confess to his relationship with one of the people affiliated with the Houthi group, but this is untrue and what happened to him is based on malicious charges." They pointed out that "Hays director of security, Mohammed Kazih, himself arrested 'Sadiq' and placed him in the 'Abu Musa Al-Ashari' camp, which is affiliated with the West Coast Forces."

"The kidnapped person's relatives added in their testimony, 'We have followed up with all official authorities since the first moment of Sadiq's kidnapping, but we have not reached a result. We consulted with the region's sheikhs, who signed a good conduct paper and asked the director of security of the directorate to release him, but to no avail. We also contacted the security director in Al-Hudaydah, but he told us that 'Siddiq' is accused of communicating with the Houthi group.'"

"According to the witness, the kidnapped person's son is the one who visits him, and he confirmed that 'the prison administration pressured Siddiq and forced him under torture to contact one of his acquaintances to communicate with the Houthi group to put his name in a prisoner exchange deal. He was forced to speak and asked them to include him in one of the exchange deals against his will.'"

"His son says, 'My father is sick and in a very difficult condition. When I visit him, he leans on one of the soldiers, as he is unable to walk. He faints constantly and is rushed to the city of Mukha, where they give him medication in the form of pills under his tongue, which only provides temporary relief. We demand that he be presented to a specialized hospital even if it is in Aden or Egypt. In addition, the prison conditions are not suitable for his health condition.'"

"The 400 prison is one of the illegal prisons located inside the 'Abu Musa Al-Ashari' camp in the Al-Muntafa Al-Khawka area. The 'Abu Musa Al-Ashari' camp is directly under the control of Ammar Tariq, the former head of the National Security Agency, according to reports received by SAM. It appears that he has returned to carry out his duties to support Presidential Council member Tariq Saleh in the Tihama region. According to witnesses, it is impossible to visit a prisoner in the 400 prison without coordination with the governor of Al-Hudaydah appointed by the legitimacy. The coordination takes about two weeks before they allow us to visit once a month. The reservation consists of a number of rooms ('wards'), each of which has more than 20 detainees, who are subjected to torture, including tying their hands for days until they confess to the charges attributed to them. They do not receive any medical care.

"SAM has reviewed an official document bearing the logo of the Ministry of Justice from the sheikhs, officials, judges, and school directors of the region, stating that they vouch for Mr. Siddiq's good behavior and loyalty. They attest that they have full knowledge that he has no connection whatsoever with the Houthi group, either directly or indirectly. They guarantee his release under the signature of one of the court judges, according to a small plea that Siddiq wrote to one of his friends, seemingly written in blood, in which he states that he is innocent and has no connection to the Houthis, and that what is happening to him is revenge for the 2011 revolution."

"According to one of Siddiq's relatives, 'Siddiq is innocent, and many people in the region know his behavior and stance towards the Houthi group. We fear that this may be a case of revenge against Siddiq, who was a legal agent before the official authorities in a traffic accident case that occurred between his brother-in-law, who was driving a Hilux car, and a bus driven by one of Tariq Saleh's personnel. A judgment was issued in favor of Siddiq, but I am not sure about that.'"

"SAM confirms that the kidnapping incident of several individuals violates several legal texts and rules that guarantee freedom of movement and movement, criminalize arbitrary detention, and threaten the freedom and safety of individuals without a legal permit or judicial decision. What happened to citizen 'Siddiq Ali Gaid Mohammed' is a complete kidnapping crime that requires the security authorities in Hays, particularly its security director 'Mohammed Kuzaih,' who is responsible for the area where the kidnapping took place, to take urgent action and reveal his fate instead of the unjustified policy of silence and procrastination towards this serious violation."

"SAM concludes its statement by calling on Presidential Council member Tariq Saleh and the local leadership in the Hays area to investigate the allegations regarding the detention of the 400 prison in the Abu Musa Al-Ashari camp, provide complete information to the judicial authorities, and immediately release citizen 'Siddiq Mohammed' without conditions. SAM emphasizes the importance of the authorities responsible for the area where the kidnapping incident took place to provide sufficient information about the incident and to work on bringing those involved to a fair trial for their unjustified and serious violation of several international laws and agreements."

"Furthermore, SAM confirms that the recurrence of such incidents contradicts the statements made by the security authorities there regarding their commitment to legal rules and regulations. It also reinforces the escalation of violations instead of making the security agencies a source of safety and protection for Yemeni citizens."