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The detention of Yemeni activist Shoaib Mohammad Al-Dhubhani in Taiz Governorate is the latest alarming sign of deepening repression against peaceful civic voices, Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) said today.
Al-Dhubhani was taken into custody by police in Al-Shamaytin Directorate early Sunday morning following days of threats from influential figures. His “offense,” WJWC reported, was publicly urging a reduction in electricity prices after the national currency’s recent rebound, and calling on citizens to gather peacefully in support of that demand.
Instead of engaging with the substance of his call, local authorities allowed an orchestrated campaign of intimidation to unfold—culminating in his arrest. The case, WJWC said, reflects not only the targeting of an individual activist but a wider trend of silencing dissent through coercion.
What makes this incident more troubling, the organization noted, is that the electricity supplier at the center of the dispute is a private commercial company. Police intervention in favor of a corporate actor raises serious concerns about the neutrality of law enforcement, the capture of state institutions by vested interests, and the misuse of security powers to protect private profit over public welfare.
WJWC stressed that the arrest meets the definition of arbitrary detention under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and also violates the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly enshrined in Articles 19 and 21 of the ICCPR and guaranteed under Articles 42 and 58 of the Yemeni Constitution.
The organization underlined that advocating for affordable electricity and better living standards is not a threat to public order—it is a legitimate, lawful, and necessary form of civic engagement. Meeting such demands, WJWC said, is both a national obligation and a humanitarian imperative in line with Yemen’s own policy goals and international commitments.
WJWC called on authorities in Taiz to:
· Release Shoaib Mohammad Al-Dhubhani immediately and unconditionally.
· Launch an independent, transparent investigation into his detention.
· Hold accountable those who threatened or incited reprisals against him.
The organization also urged the Yemeni government to end the entrenched practice of intimidating and arbitrarily detaining activists, and to guarantee their safety and ability to work without fear of retaliation.
“The continued use of arrests and harassment to muzzle peaceful voices undermines the rule of law, destroys public trust in state institutions, and shrinks the civic space essential to any functioning society,” WJWC warned. “Authorities must choose engagement over suppression, dialogue over detention.”
