Family of Three Fishermen Appeals for Information on Sons Forcibly Disappeared Five Years Ago on Yemen’s Western Coast

The Al-Maiti family has issued a heartfelt plea for the fate of their three sons, who have been subjected to enforced disappearance since 2020. The men were abducted at sea by forces affiliated with Tareq Saleh and have been held incommunicado ever since, without charge or legal process, amid complete inaction from authorities in Yemen’s western coastal region.

In a formal appeal submitted to the American Center for Justice (ACJ), the family identified the disappeared men as Othman Ali Salem Al-Maiti, Hussein Ahmed Al-Maiti, and Mansour Ahmed Al-Maiti. According to the statement, the three were seized while fishing and were subsequently detained at the Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari military camp in the Al-Khokha district. Their last known contact with the family occurred at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2020, during a phone call in which they confirmed they were being held by naval forces under the command of Tareq Saleh. Since that time, all communication has ceased, and no official charges have been brought against them, despite the passage of five years.

The family reports that repeated appeals to local authorities in Al-Mokha and Al-Khokha have been met with silence. One of the abductees recently lost his father and had been the sole breadwinner for his family, deepening the family’s anguish. Despite knocking on every possible door, the family says they have received no response or information.

The American Center for Justice (ACJ) strongly condemns the continued enforced disappearance of the three men, describing it as a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a clear breach of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The convention explicitly criminalizes secret detention and the deprivation of fundamental rights.

ACJ calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees and urges an independent investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible. The Center emphasizes that the culture of impunity is what enables the continued perpetration of such violations in Yemen.