16 February 2010

Yemen: Yasser Al-Fakeeh, a young student of 23 years, stopped after leaving the mosque

Yasser Alezzi Hamud Al-Fakeeh, a 23 year old student, was arrested on 22 September 2009 by Political Security agents and military personnel while on his home was with his father after prayer. To date, he has been detained for nearly five months without legal procedures.

The arresting officers threw Yasser Al-Fakeeh into a car and took him to an unknown destination, without ever showing him an arrest warrant, nor did they give him the reasons for his arrest. Yasser Al-Fakeeh, was initially detained incommunicado for three weeks at security services' premises in Al-Hodeida, without any contact with the outside world - neither his wife nor his parents.

He was eventually transferred to Political Security headquarters in Sana'a and detained for another three weeks incommunicado - it is where he remains to this day. His father was eventually able to visit him and discovered that he was in a psychologically precarious state.

Yassser Al-Fakeeh still has no idea why he was arrested and his future remains a mystery.

Alkarama is deeply concerned over Yasser Al-Fakeeh's situation. His arrest and detention is manifestly arbitrary, outside any domestic legal framework and in complete contradiction with standards international human rights law. Alkarama sent Yasser Al-Fakeeh's case to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention today, asking for its intervention with the Yemeni authorities.