Yemeni activists have launched a widespread social media campaign demanding the release of prominent politician and Al-Islah party leader Mohammed Qahtan, who has been held captive by the Houthi rebel group for the past 9 years.

The campaign, launched on Sunday evening under the hashtag "#QahtanIsTheKeyToPeace", has seen widespread participation from Al-Islah party members and supporters. The party's Media and Culture Department has called on its cadres to engage with the initiative.

In a statement reviewed by Barran Press, an Al-Islah media spokesperson "reaffirms the moral and legal responsibility of the United Nations and its representatives in Yemen to enforce the implementation of Resolution 2216, which obligates the Houthis to release Qahtan."

The spokesperson has also appealed to the President and members of the Presidential Leadership Council, as well as the legitimate Yemeni government, to prioritize Qahtan's case. They stressed the "necessity of adhering to the principle of (all for all) that the Houthis had committed to and then reneged on."

Qahtan, a prominent politician and senior figure in the Al-Islah party, was abducted by the Houthis on April 5, 2015. He remains the only individual included in UN Security Council Resolution 2216 for release who is still being held by the rebel group, which has refused to allow him to communicate with his family.

Other individuals named in Resolution 2216 include former Defense Minister Major General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, Major General Nasser Mansour Hadi (brother of former President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi), and Commander of the 119th Infantry Brigade Major General Faisal Rajab.