Human rights lawyer faces imminent danger after 100 days in Houthi detention

Human rights lawyer Abdulmajid Sabra is facing a life-threatening situation after being held in solitary confinement for nearly 100 days by the Houthi-controlled Security and Intelligence Service, according to Women Journalists Without Chains.

Sabra has reportedly been denied regular contact with his family and legal counsel and has been on an open-ended hunger strike for more than 20 days. His last communication with relatives took place about three weeks ago. Family sources say his health has deteriorated to a critical level, with severe exhaustion and alarming physical decline under harsh detention conditions that lack basic health and legal standards.

The organization stressed that Sabra’s case is particularly grave given his role as a practicing lawyer and one of the country’s most prominent defenders of detainees held arbitrarily in Houthi prisons. His detention, it said, reflects a broader pattern of intimidation and retaliation targeting lawyers and human rights defenders in areas under Houthi control.

Women Journalists Without Chains emphasized that Sabra is entitled to special protection under the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which guarantee the right to practice law freely and prohibit arbitrary arrest or harassment for professional duties. His solitary confinement, denial of family and legal contact, and hunger strike in protest of arbitrary detention constitute a flagrant violation of the independence of the legal profession, the right to defense, and the legal immunity afforded to lawyers. The group added that these practices contravene the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules, which ban prolonged solitary confinement and require immediate medical care for detainees.

The rights group accused the Houthis of pursuing a systematic policy of targeting lawyers, human rights defenders, and journalists to undermine the right to defense and silence independent voices. It held the Houthi militia fully responsible for Sabra’s safety and demanded his immediate and unconditional release, along with urgent access to independent medical care.

The statement also called on the UN envoy to Yemen, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and international mechanisms to take swift action and apply serious pressure to prevent another humanitarian tragedy inside Houthi prisons.

The organization warned that continued international silence over the case of a lawyer on hunger strike in solitary confinement represents dangerous negligence that could lead to irreversible consequences and poses a direct threat to the right to life.