Geneva – SAM for Rights and Liberties said that the Houthi group’s detention today of local mediator Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Muradi in Sana’a constitutes a serious violation of international law and directly undermines humanitarian efforts aimed at securing the release of detainees in Yemen.
According to information obtained by the organization from local mediators involved in prisoner exchange efforts, al-Muradi—one of the earliest and most prominent local mediators in this file since 2016—traveled to the capital Sana’a in response to an official request from the group’s “Prisoners Committee” to continue discussions previously held with the group’s delegation in Amman, Jordan, aimed at facilitating a UN-sponsored prisoner exchange deal. However, he was detained upon arrival despite the humanitarian nature of his mission.
A representative of the organization said: “Detaining a local mediator who was officially invited to carry out a humanitarian negotiation task is not only a violation of his fundamental rights, but also a direct blow to the credibility of any humanitarian negotiation process in Yemen.”
The organization explained that al-Muradi played a key role in bridging gaps between the conflicting parties by addressing outstanding technical issues that had hindered progress toward an agreement. His detention therefore represents a direct setback to humanitarian efforts seeking to end the suffering of thousands of Yemeni families.
SAM stated that this detention amounts to arbitrary deprivation of liberty, in clear violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to liberty and security of person. It also constitutes a breach of international norms that provide protection to humanitarian actors and local mediators. The organization added that summoning a mediator and then detaining him undermines the principle of good faith in negotiations and threatens informal channels that have played a critical role in achieving tangible progress in prisoner exchange efforts in recent years.
The organization noted that this incident cannot be viewed in isolation from a broader context of restrictions and risks faced by local mediators in Yemen, where thousands of civilians rely on these informal channels amid stalled political processes. It warned that the continuation of such practices could deter mediators, tribal figures, and community leaders from engaging in mediation efforts out of fear of detention or targeting, potentially shutting down one of the last effective humanitarian channels and undermining prospects for progress in the detainee file.
SAM stressed that targeting mediators not only affects the individuals concerned but also jeopardizes the broader humanitarian track, particularly the prisoner exchange file, which remains one of the few areas that has seen relative progress despite the complexities of the conflict. Such actions could delay or derail future agreements, prolonging the suffering of thousands of detainees and their families.
The organization called on the Houthi group to immediately and unconditionally release Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Muradi, ensure his physical and psychological safety, and refrain from targeting local mediators or using them as leverage. It also urged the UN Special Envoy to Yemen and the international community to take urgent action to secure his release, adopt effective measures to protect local mediators and humanitarian actors, and prevent the recurrence of such violations that undermine peace efforts.