On the Tenth Anniversary of His Enforced Disappearance: Online Campaign Demands the Release of Politician Mohammed Qahtan

Yemen Monitor / Special Report:

The Media and Culture Department of the Yemeni Islah Party has launched a wide-reaching online campaign under the hashtag #Qahtan_10_Years_of_Disappearance, demanding the release of political leader Mohammed Qahtan, who was abducted by the Houthi group from his home in Sana’a on April 5, 2015, and whose whereabouts have remained unknown for ten years.

The campaign coincides with the tenth anniversary of his enforced disappearance. Qahtan is considered one of the most prominent figures of the National Dialogue Conference and a senior member of the Islah Party’s Higher Authority.

In a press statement on Thursday, the Islah Party called on activists, journalists, and human rights organizations to actively participate in the campaign, which began on Friday evening. The party affirmed that the continued disappearance of Qahtan constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls for the respect of detainees’ rights and their release.

The statement noted that the Houthi militia continues to refuse to inform Qahtan’s family of his fate or allow them to visit him, despite presumed deterioration in his health condition. This, the statement said, amounts to a “psychological war crime” aimed at terrorizing his family and national partners.

Journalistic Testimonies and Acknowledgment of National Role

In their articles, journalists and activists highlighted Qahtan’s historic role as a flexible negotiator and a balanced voice during the National Dialogue Conference of 2013–2014 — a role that, according to journalist Ali Al-Uqbi, explains “why the Houthis fear his political influence even behind bars.”

The campaign emphasized the urgent need for the international community and human rights organizations to pressure the militia into disclosing Qahtan’s whereabouts and releasing him immediately, especially as concerns about his health continue to rise.

Participants in the campaign urged the public to amplify the hashtag to convey the humanitarian suffering of his family, which has lost dozens of relatives during the long years of waiting, still with no knowledge of his fate.

Personal Recollections and Condemnation of Enforced Disappearance

Journalist Rashad Al-Sharaabi recalled his last call with Qahtan on the night he was abducted, saying:
“Ten gloomy years have passed without his warm voice and the humor that used to bring light during crises.”

He added:
“Ten years of Houthi criminality and militia terrorism — they forcibly disappeared a political leader who was taken from his home in Sana’a, armed with nothing but his love for Yemen and its people. They have been adamantly denying him any contact with his family, or even allowing them to know about his health conditions or to hear his comforting voice.”

Journalist Ali Al-Uqbi wrote:
“A decade has passed, and the prominent politician and Islah Party leader #Mohammed_Qahtan remains forcibly disappeared in the prisons of the #Houthi_militia — simply because he was a balanced voice and a model of a flexible, acceptable political leader. He played an active role in the National Dialogue Conference, which the militia later overturned.”

Journalist Mohammed Abdulwahab Al-Yousfi added:
“The Houthis’ behavior in hiding Islah leader Mohammed Qahtan reveals the level of fear he instills in them — not just as a political leader, but as a national symbol with wide-reaching influence in the Yemeni political landscape since the early 2000s.”

Journalist Abdullah Al-Munaifi commented:
“Mohammed Qahtan possesses a unique political cunning and a sharp insight into Yemen’s political complexities — that’s why the Houthi militia fears him and insists on keeping him disappeared all these years.”

Activist Abdullah Saleh Al-Abdali said:
“The abduction and disappearance of politician Mohammed Qahtan in Houthi prisons for ten years is a crime that amounts to a war crime and requires the prosecution of those responsible in both local and international courts.”

The campaign reiterated the need for international and human rights bodies to take action to pressure the Houthi militia into disclosing Qahtan’s location and releasing him immediately, especially as concerns grow over his well-being.

Participants called for a widespread amplification of the hashtag to highlight the humanitarian suffering of his family, who have endured a decade of painful waiting without knowing the fate of their loved one.