Michigan – The American Center for Justice (ACJ) strongly condemns the detention of six doctors from Sana’a by Al-Nasr Camp in Aden. The doctors were in Aden to retrieve medical equipment belonging to a hospital in Sana'a, stored in a local warehouse. This followed a dispute with the warehouse guard, which was resolved amicably.

According to ACJ’s monitoring team, the doctors were detained on the evening of Friday, October 25, 2024. The detained group includes Basem Al-Ameri, director of Uni Max Hospital in Sana’a, along with Rami Al-Shadhli, Sami Al-Absi, Sameh Al-Qudsi, and Riyadh Al-Iraqi.

They are currently held in Al-Nasr Camp, under the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, with no information disclosed regarding their detention conditions or health status. The detaining authority justified the action with unverified suspicions of links to the Houthi group, despite the absence of a judicial warrant.

The ACJ emphasizes that this detention constitutes a clear violation of both Yemeni law and international legal standards, which prohibit arrest or detention without legal cause or a judicial order. Article 48 of the Yemeni Constitution prohibits detention without an order from a competent authority, and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects individuals from arbitrary detention, marking this act as a breach of international human rights laws.

The ACJ calls on the Southern Transitional Council to immediately and unconditionally release the detained doctors and halt all arbitrary measures against them. It further urges Aden authorities to respect individuals' rights and prevent arbitrary detention, in line with local and international laws, emphasizing the need for fair trial guarantees for anyone detained. The ACJ underscores the importance of ensuring that detention is not used as a tool for political pressure or discrimination.