The U.S. Embassy in Yemen made a bold statement on December 18, 2024, asserting that the United States imposes sanctions only with solid evidence. This remark comes in response to recent sanctions against Houthi prisoner committee leader Abd al-Qadir al-Murtadha, who is facing serious allegations.

In a post on the social media platform X, the embassy used the hashtag #ExposeHouthiCrimes, which has gained traction among Yemenis seeking to highlight the Houthi militia's terrorist activities. The embassy emphasized, “We do not impose sanctions without evidence. Lies and propaganda videos do not constitute a defense for al-Murtadha.”

Accompanying the post were images purportedly showing the weapons used by al-Murtadha to threaten those celebrating the Yemeni Revolution on September 26, as well as a photo of a wound on the head of a detainee, further supporting the embassy's claims.

Previously, the Iran-backed Houthis launched online campaigns accusing the U.S. of widespread violations in its detention facilities, likely as a reaction to the American sanctions against the prisoner committee and its leader. Al-Murtadha argued on X that the sanctions were purely political, linking them to Yemen's support for Palestine, and claimed that the U.S. had no standing to make accusations while being “immersed in heinous humanitarian crimes” in Palestine and elsewhere.

On December 9, the U.S. administration imposed new sanctions targeting the Houthi prisoner committee and its head, Abd al-Qadir al-Murtadha, who is accused of torturing detainees, including journalists and aid workers.

According to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, al-Murtadha has been identified as responsible for serious human rights violations under his leadership of the Houthi committee, which manages detention centers. The statement noted that one facility in Sana'a, known as Dar al-Sarf, systematically subjects prisoners to torture and other cruel treatment.

The report also highlighted that members of the prison administration, including al-Murtadha, are personally involved in abuses against detainees, with former U.S. embassy staff and UN employees among those imprisoned.

Last year, a UN Security Council expert panel accused al-Murtadha of committing torture and serious violations in multiple prisons, including the Central Prison in Sana'a.

Witnesses from released detainees have accused al-Murtadha of personally torturing them, describing him as “addicted to torture,” with no respite until he inflicts pain on captives.