In the days leading up to the 63rd anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, the Houthi group has escalated campaigns of arrests and persecution targeting activists, journalists, and writers in Sanaa and several provinces. The anniversary has become an annual season of detentions under Houthi rule, often justified by allegations of “collaboration” or “disturbing public order.”
The Houthi-run Interior Ministry announced in a statement, published by the group’s Saba News Agency, that it had uncovered “hostile plots” aimed at destabilizing the internal front and sowing chaos. The ministry vowed to thwart such efforts, warning against any activities marking the revolution outside official frameworks.
In a parallel statement, the General Authority for Tribal Affairs in Sanaa declared a state of mobilization in support of security services, calling on tribal leaders and citizens to remain vigilant and report any “suspicious activity.” It stressed that Yemen’s tribes would “stand united against any attempts to incite chaos or threaten community security.”
Observers say the arrests and statements reflect the Houthis’ determination to tighten control over the public sphere during the anniversary of the 1962 revolution that toppled the Imamate, at a time when the group faces accusations of seeking to revive a similar “Imamate-style” rule.
On the ground, the group abducted tribal sheikh Harith bin Abdulaziz Al-Hashhar in the city of Khumr, Amran Province, after he posted the September 26 Revolution slogan on WhatsApp. Meanwhile, the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate condemned the abductions of journalist Majid Zaid and writer-poet Oras Al-Iryani, holding the Houthis fully responsible for their safety and that of other detained journalists, and calling for their immediate release and an end to ongoing violations against press freedom and free expression.
The internationally recognized government also condemned a Houthi crackdown in Hamdan District, Sanaa Province, which included raids on villages, home sieges, and the abduction of several residents—among them Sheikh Aref Mohammed Qutran and his son Abdul-Salam, Hamid Abdulwahab Al-Asad, Mohammed Abdu Sharyan, and Yahya Rashid Al-Muafa—after they raised the national flag on social media and expressed solidarity with detainee Jamil Sharyan.
According to the government, these “criminal practices” are part of a broader pattern of arbitrary detentions by the Houthis, targeting hundreds of civilians across their areas of control for planning to celebrate Yemen’s September Revolution and for raising the national flag. The government described the campaign as a repeat of last year’s crackdown against civilians during the same anniversary.
