Michigan — The American Center for Justice (ACJ) has issued an urgent appeal to Dr. Shaya Mohsen Al-Zandani, Yemen’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, calling for immediate diplomatic action to secure the release of two Yemeni seafarers who have been detained in Iranian prisons since October 2022 under conditions that pose serious risks to their health and violate international law.
In its letter, the ACJ confirmed that the two men, Mahmoud Waheed Hussein Mohammed (First Mate) and Mahboub Abdu Thabet Al-Amari (Captain), both from Aden, were part of the crew of the oil tanker Ariana, which was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while transiting Omani territorial waters en route to the Port of Mocha in Yemen. Although 17 other Yemeni crew members were later released, Mahmoud and Mahboub remain in detention despite having no ownership stake in the vessel or its cargo.
According to the ACJ, the Bandar Abbas Court recently handed down an arbitrary ruling sentencing the two men to 15 years in prison or payment of a $15 million fine each, or to be exchanged for Iranian detainees held in Yemen, a practice the ACJ strongly condemned as political extortion and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
The Center also raised serious concerns about Mahmoud’s deteriorating health. He previously underwent open-heart surgery and now requires continuous medical care and medication, which he is reportedly being denied in prison, putting his life at risk. The Center further noted that the vessel’s owning company has abandoned the seafarers and that their appointed lawyer has failed to pursue their case effectively.
Given these grave human rights violations, the ACJ called on the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take urgent diplomatic action through official channels with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand their immediate and unconditional release. It also urged the Ministry to coordinate with Yemen’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations to submit a formal briefing to the relevant UN Special Procedures, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants.
The Center further appealed for diplomatic or international mediation to ensure the detainees’ release, secure urgent medical care, and facilitate communication with their families. It also called on the Ministry to engage the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify their detention conditions and facilitate humanitarian visits.
The ACJ concluded by emphasizing that the case is not only a humanitarian and legal issue but also concerns the dignity and fundamental rights of Yemeni citizens abroad. It urged the Yemeni government to fulfill its constitutional and diplomatic responsibilities and to exert all possible pressure to end this unlawful detention.
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