Local sources in the Yemeni capital Sana'a reported on Saturday, September 9, 2024, that Houthi militias, designated as a terrorist group by several countries, had stormed the home of prominent Islah Party leader Sheikh Shaker Hassan al-Hetari.

Sources told Barran Press that several military vehicles belonging to the Houthi group, carrying armed men and women (known as "Zainabiyat"), stormed al-Hetari's home after breaking down doors and windows. They forcibly evicted his children from the house and looted its contents.

Sources accused the Houthi militias of "intimidating families and dragging them out of the house without any justification." They pointed out that the group had recently obtained an order from its specialized criminal court to seize the house, with the intention of confiscating and taking possession of it.

Sheikh al-Hetari has been residing in the Netherlands for several years, having fled the country "due to Houthi persecution," according to sources.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani, representing the internationally recognized government, condemned the raid. He stated that the Houthi group has adopted a policy of confiscating and demolishing homes, forcibly displacing residents, as a systematic method and tactic to terrorize citizens and retaliate against those who oppose them.

The minister mentioned that human rights organizations have documented the Houthi group's demolition of 900 homes belonging to government, military, security, political, media, human rights, and religious figures, as well as ordinary citizens, across 16 Yemeni governorates.

The Houthi group frequently conducts raids and seizures of homes belonging to citizens who oppose them or hold differing ideologies. These actions are often justified under various accusations, including "treason and collaboration," which human rights reports describe as "fabricated."

Share