Anger sweeps southern street due to manipulation of Ashal case, abductees in UAE-run prisons
ADEN, Aug. 08 (YPA) – The recent denial by the Interior Ministry in the government loyal to Saudi-led coalition, regarding any external coercive orders against seven individuals accused of various serious offenses—including kidnapping, murder, and involvement in armed gangs, with a specific mention of the abduction of Major Ali Ashal-has provoked significant outrage in southern Yemen.
This response followed the release of a memorandum from the Attorney General in Aden.
The memo from Aden’s Attorney General, Qaher Mustafa Ali, addressed to the head of the “Communications and International Cooperation Division and International Criminal Police (Interpol),” has heightened skepticism.
There are allegations that the Attorney General is attempting to obscure the truth about the numerous cases of abductions and forced disappearances taking place in theUAE-backed Southern Transitional (STC)’s detention facilities.
Several human rights activists, who chose to remain anonymous, have criticized the memo as an attempt to placate the southern public.
They asserted that it is a diversion from the urgent demand for information on Major Ashal, who has been missing since June, and to abandon the cases of hundreds of individuals who have been kidnapped or forcibly disappeared over the past years.
The advocates believed that the memo is merely a superficial effort to mislead those calling for the release of detainees from the STC’s prisons in Aden. They argued that the document lacks transparency and credibility due to its failure to clearly name the individuals involved.
Human rights advocates have highlighted that Interpol’s procedures require comprehensive legal files, pointing out that the Attorney General’s actions appear to align with the STC’s efforts to keep the issue away from public scrutiny.
They argued that this move aims to obscure the fate of all individuals detained in secret prisons, which are reportedly beyond the control of the pro-coalition Interior Ministry.
The advocates have downplayed the significance of the Attorney General’s memo concerning the apprehension of Yasir al-Maqtari and his assassination and kidnapping cell, who are reportedly in the UAE.
They suggested that there may be involvement from individuals close to the head of the STC, Aidaroos al-Zubaidi.
They emphasized that resolving the issues of assassinations, kidnappings, and extrajudicial killings within secret prisons depends on maintaining public pressure in the southern regions, rather than relying on external bodies influenced by political agendas.
The advocates have urged the Preparatory Committee for the Major Ashal Protest and all free citizens of Abyan and the south to continue their popular pressure on the transitional authority and the Ben Mubarak government.
They stressed the need to expose violations affecting the honorable people of the south and to demand accountability.
@E.Y.M