Video shows armed raid on home in Aden
ADEN, June 29 (YPA) – A video shared on social media shows armed men raiding a private home in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, raising concerns among rights activists over alleged abuses during late-night security operations.
The video shows a raid on the home of Yasser Mohammed Saleh Al-Yafai, who is reportedly impersonating the rank of “colonel,” in the early hours of Friday, according rights advocates.
The raid was allegedly carried out by an armed group of around 12 members affiliated with Musleh Al-Dharhani, a commander in the Dar Saad district.
It also shows armed men forcing their way into the residence, terrifying women and children inside the home.
Rights activists said the armed men detained Al-Yafai’s four sons—Ammar, Imad, Abdulhafiz and Abdullah—inside the home at gunpoint while their father was in another room and was allegedly being pressured to surrender, before taking them all to an unknown location.
Sources familiar with the incident confirmed that that Al-Yafai and his sons were beaten during the arrest, describing the operation as an excessive use of force that traumatized the family.
They said Al-Yafai and his sons were taken from Al-Basateen Police Station, which at the time denied involvement in the incident, to the Criminal Investigation Department in Khormaksar. The youngest son was released on Saturday, with visible signs of alleged torture.
The sources said the detainees were initially taken to Al-Basateen Police Station, which reportedly denied involvement in the operation, before being transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Khormaksar.
The youngest son was released on Saturday and showed signs of torture on his body, according to rights activists.
The raid came after Al-Yafai, an anti-narcotics officer, said in a Facebook post that he had received death threats from armed individuals allegedly involved in drug trafficking and reportedly holding influence within security and military formations affiliated with Saudi-backed forces in Aden.
@E.Y.M