On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, local and human rights sources confirmed the death of educational expert Mohammed Khammash while in the custody of the Houthi group, which is internationally designated as a terrorist organization. Khammash's family received a call from officials at the Houthi-run security and intelligence prison, asking them to come and collect his body without disclosing the circumstances surrounding his death.

Khammash, along with several colleagues, was abducted by the Houthis on June 6, following their work on educational curriculum development. Many of his colleagues remain detained, facing accusations of "espionage."

According to the non-governmental organization Sam for Rights and Liberties, Khammash died after three months of arbitrary detention in complete isolation from the outside world. In a statement published on their website, Sam indicated that Khammash's abduction was part of a broader crackdown targeting educational experts involved in updating curricula following methods endorsed by UNICEF.

The organization, in the statement seen by Barran Press, expressed deep concern over the dire conditions faced by detainees in Houthi prisons. Reports suggest that many are subjected to enforced disappearances and brutal torture in unmonitored facilities, raising serious fears for their safety and basic rights. The lack of communication between detainees and their families has further exacerbated the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding their fates, prompting urgent calls for intervention to safeguard these victims.

Sam noted the increasing number of deaths among detainees, highlighting the case of Sabri Al-Hakimi, who died six months after being arbitrarily detained in security and intelligence facilities, which have become the main instruments of these violations.

These practices of enforced disappearance and torture are considered serious breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law, potentially leading to criminal prosecutions in international courts, such as the International Criminal Court.

Sam held the Houthi-run security and intelligence agency fully accountable for the arbitrary detentions and torture, asserting that these acts constitute a blatant violation of international human rights laws. The organization called on the international community to document these violations and to hold perpetrators accountable to prevent recurrence in the future.

Moreover, Sam urged immediate action to rescue detainees from Houthi prisons, emphasizing that ongoing gross human rights violations, including torture and mistreatment, necessitate effective pressure on the Houthis to release detainees and ensure their humanitarian rights.

Since June, the Houthi group has launched a widespread campaign of arrests, targeting 13 Yemeni employees from UN agencies and detaining dozens more from international and local organizations working in humanitarian relief. Human rights estimates suggest that over 70 individuals have been detained under accusations of "espionage and spying," with the Houthis rejecting all local and international calls for their release.