Michigan - The American Center for Justice (ACJ) said that the Southern Transitional Council was required to disclose the fate of the forcibly disappeared citizen, “Ahmed Saleh Musaib Abdullah,” 44 years old, from Aden Governorate, Sheikh Othman District, Al-Sila area, after he was arrested by gunmen more than a year and a half ago without any confirmed information about his fate.

The (ACJ) indicates the information it obtained showed that the victim, “Ahmed,” refused to leave the land where he lived, so a merchant threatened him to force him to leave it. On 07/20/2022, the family's house was stormed by a security force that included 6 military vehicles, armored vehicles, and armed elements belonging to the Security Belt, Eighth Sector, and the Thirteenth Sa’iqa Brigade, which belongs to the “Transitional Council” that controls Aden Governorate.

The house was stormed without an arrest warrant from the judicial authorities and without the presence of the women’s police. They broke down the family's wooden house on that plot of land without an evacuation order and took the victim's sons along with their father. The sons were separated from the father and the family became homeless until they built another small house to shelter them. 

During the search if the family for him, they were informed that he might have been in "Al-Habilain" prison. They were also told that he was accused of killing Major General "Thabet Jawas." According to the victim’s son’s confirmation, at the time of their interrogation, the investigators’ questions focused on the relationship between the killing of Major General Jawas and their father. Despite the family and the victim’s sons denying his connection to the assassination incident and his presence with his family at the time of the incident, these forces still insist on accusing him and forcibly disappearing him without bringing him before the judicial authorities or allowing him to defend himself, in violation of national laws and international treaties ratified by the Republic of Yemen.

The American Center for Justice (ACJ) calls on the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to quickly reveal the fate of the victim, “Ahmed Saleh Abdullah,” allow him to communicate with his family, immediately release him or refer him to justice if he is accused of committing a crime, and enable him to defend himself before a fair trial. The Center emphasizes that procedures for arresting and charging people must be carried out by an official authority authorized by law to do so and in accordance with the procedures specified in the Yemeni Criminal Procedure Code.