Michigan - The American Center for Justice (ACJ) stated that the Houthis' broadcast of confessions by two educational experts, Dr. "Mohamed Hatem Al-Mikhlafi" (65 years old) and "Mujib Mahyoub Al-Mikhlafi" (52 years old), where they admit to collaborating with American organizations and leaking information about workers and curricula in Yemen, is part of a series of ongoing violations by the group against the educational system in Yemen.

The recordings broadcast by the Houthis through their media channels showed both experts confessing to working with American organizations and being recruited by individuals in direct contact with the United States, with the aim of providing them with specific information about education, curricula, and teaching staff.

In this context, ACJ pointed out that it has documented numerous violations against the two educational experts, including the broadcasting of alleged confessions on television, which is a clear violation of the privacy of the investigation and their right not to have its contents aired. Additionally, the confessions were made in front of judicial officers, which is a fundamental procedural flaw, as investigations should be conducted before the public prosecution.

The Executive Director of ACJ, "Abdulrahman Barman," said, "What happened with the two educational experts involves serious legal violations, including breaches of privacy and the airing of recordings in which the detainees were forced to confess to the alleged crimes. These confessions were made during their forced disappearance and in front of the Houthis' security apparatus, which is not legally authorized to conduct investigations. The Houthis have a track record of similar incidents, suggesting that they pressured the detainees to extract these confessions."

He added, "We must also point out the psychological impact on the families of the detainees after the airing of such confessions, which exacerbate the negative effects on them, in addition to the distress caused by their disappearance and the lack of information about their whereabouts. This situation often leads to societal suspicion and bullying of the children, especially in schools, where we have monitored cases of students dropping out or transferring to other schools to escape comments and bullying from their peers."

ACJ emphasized that this is not the first time the educational sector has been targeted, as the Houthis' record is full of unjustified violations against the educational system. This includes kidnapping teachers, supervisors, and academic experts, in addition to their persistent attempts to alter educational curricula to serve their sectarian goals. The group has deliberately accused individuals known for their contributions to the development of Yemen’s education sector in order to remove them and replace them with individuals who share their ideology and work to indoctrinate students with their ideology. 

The American Center for Justice had previously issued a statement regarding the Houthis' violations against educational workers following the abduction and forced disappearance of educational expert Dr. "Mohamed Al-Mikhlafi" and senior educational trainer "Mujib Al-Mikhlafi," along with several other experts in October 2023. One of the experts, "Sabri Al-Hakimi," head of the training department at the Ministry of Education, died under mysterious circumstances in a Houthi detention center, with no investigation opened into the cause of death.

ACJ calls on the Houthis to urgently release the detainees "Mujib and Sabri Al-Mikhlafi" and stresses the need for an immediate and impartial investigation into the abduction, torture, and deaths of educational workers in Houthi prisons, in order to hold those responsible accountable.