Mr Abdullah Saad Ghazi Al Ghazi Al-Rimi, born in January 1986 and residing in Sana'a, was arrested on the afternoon of 3 April 2008 while he was in Sana'a Police School’s party room where an awards ceremony, organized by official authorities in the presence of the Minister in charge of waqfs, was taking place. He was to receive an official prize.

While waiting in the room with other winners whose names had just been read to the public, an officer of State Security approached him and asked Al-Rimi to follow him outside of the room, where he was then arrested and taken to Sana'a’s local intelligence service (Al Amn al-Siyassi) premises.

According to the testimonies of those present, no judicial warrant was presented and he was not informed of the reasons for his arrest.

His family, some of whom were present in the room to attend the award ceremony, immediately sought to know the reasons for his arrest but the next day, official authorities and the media presented Mr Al-Rimi as a terrorist chief, and as being a member of the group of prisoners having escaped from the prison of "Al Amn al-Siyassi" in Sana'a.

Very quickly, however, it was established that this was a mistake, and that intelligence service agents had confused his name with that of another person for whom they were actually searching and who had subsquently surrendered to the yemeni authorities.

Mr Al-Rimi’s family therefore expected him to be released immediately once the State Security’s error had been detected, and even reported by the local press. However, he remained in detention. When asked by the family, the President and Vice-President of Parliament sent an official letter to the head of State Security requesting his release.

Despite this formal request, Mr Al-Rimi is still being kept in detention at the State Security premises in the absence of any legal proceedings.

His parents, including his brother Abdel Basset Al-Rimi, a lawyer, were finally allowed to visit him recently.

The visit took place in the presence of members of State Security, which is why it was not possible to receive details of the treatment he had suffered. The family, however, is particularly concerned because he was in a bad physical condition and had probably been tortured.

Alkarama shares the concern of Al-Rimi’s family and fears that he may still be subjected to ill treatment or torture during his continuing detention in a place not intended for this purpose. Alkarama is seeking an urgent intervention for him to be placed under the protection of the law.

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