The American Center for Justice (ACJ) reported on November 5, 2024, that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has detained a group of doctors arriving in Aden from the Houthi-controlled capital, Sana’a.

In a statement obtained by "Barran Press," the rights organization indicated that the doctors were held at the STC's "Victory Camp." The detained doctors were in Aden to retrieve medical equipment belonging to a hospital in Sana’a that was stored in Aden after a dispute with the warehouse guard, which was reportedly resolved amicably.

The ACJ noted that the detention occurred on the evening of October 25, 2024, and listed the detained doctors as: Basem Al-Amri, director of UniMax Hospital in Sana’a; Rami Al-Shadhli; Sami Al-Absi; Samah Al-Qudsi; and Riad Al-Iraqi.

The organization stated that the doctors are being held without any disclosure of the conditions of their detention or their health status. The STC justified their detention by alleging links to the Houthi movement, despite the absence of any judicial order against them.

The American Center for Justice condemned this action as a clear violation of national and international legal provisions. It emphasized that both the Yemeni constitution and international laws prohibit the detention or arrest of individuals without legal cause or judicial order, categorizing the STC's actions as a breach of international human rights norms.

The ACJ called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained doctors and urged the STC to cease all arbitrary actions against them. The organization also implored authorities in Aden to respect individual rights and protect citizens from arbitrary detention in accordance with local and international laws.

In its statement, the center underscored the importance of ensuring fair trial guarantees for anyone detained or suspected of wrongdoing and stressed that detention should not be used as a means of political pressure or discrimination.

Since late 2019, the Southern Transitional Council, which seeks to separate southern Yemen from the north, has established full control over Aden amid a near-total absence of the security and judicial apparatus of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which maintains only a nominal presence in the city.