19 September 2008

Yemen: Release of Mr Louay Al-Mouayyad, journalist and human rights activist

Alkarama has learned of the release of Mr Louay Al-Mouayyad on 12 September 2008 at 1 am after 74 days of detention. He was not subject to any legal proceedings during his detention and was released without ever being brought before a judicial authority.

Mr AL-MOUAYYAD, member of the Organization for Rights and Democratic Freedoms, was arrested at his home by the Security Police (Amn Al Assiyassi) on 30 June 2008, taken to an unknown destination and held incommunicado since that date.

Alkarama had asked the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression to intervene urgently with the Yemeni authorities.

Reminder:

Louay M. Abdulwahab Ali Al-Mouayyad was born on 1 January 1984 in Sana'a where he resides.

He is a journalist, executive director of information portal 'Yemen libre’ / 'Free Yemen' and a committed advocate for the promotion of human rights in his country where he campaigned with the Arab Organization for Human Rights and the Yemeni Organization for Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms.

On 30 June 2008, officers of the Security Police (Amn Al Assiyassi) in civilian clothes, and accompanied by several uniformed military personnel went to Mr Al-Mouayyad’s home. The officials had no judicial mandate and gave no reason for his arrest.

He was taken to an unknown destination and his family received no news of him.

Yemen ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 9 February 1987 and the Convention against Torture on 5 October 1991.

For more details see our press release

Iraq - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Ratified on 25.01.1971
Optional Protocol: No

Last State report: 11.10.2013
Last concluding observations: 19.11.1997

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 07.07.2011
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

Last State report: 30.06.2014
Last concluding observations: 17.09.2015

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

CED: Accessed on 23.11.2010
Art. 33 (Inquiry procedure): Yes

Last State report: 26.06.2014
Last concluding observations: 18.09.2015

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 11.2014 (2nd cycle)

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) – Status B