A state of security fear has been experienced by the Houthi group in Yemen since its coup on September 21, 2014, which has made it impose the weapon of “house arrest” on its opponents, and on potential opponents as well, including politicians, party leaders, and parliamentarians, whom the group fears will leave its areas of control and join the recognized legitimacy. Internationally, it takes the city of Aden, south of Yemen, as its capital.

The Houthi group imposes house arrest on 30 parliamentarians, who are the remaining parliamentarians present in Sanaa, in addition to some party leaders, and prevents them from leaving the Yemeni capital, as it places them under tight security surveillance.

Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed contacted one of the parliamentarians present in Sanaa to inquire about the state of house arrest imposed on parliamentarians. He only responded with four words: “My phone is not mine alone.”

The process of imposing house arrest on political figures and parliamentarians increased after the dissolution of the alliance between the Houthi group and the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in December 2017, especially after the success of a number of leaders of the General People’s Congress party and members of its parliamentary bloc in leaving Sanaa and joining the... Legitimacy, and tipping the balance in favor of legitimacy by granting its parliament the necessary quorum to convene.

The Houthi group imposes house arrest on 30 parliamentarians, who are the remaining parliamentarians present in Sanaa.

Although the leaders of the "Congress" in Sana'a, under duress, always declare their support for the Houthi policies in the face of legitimacy and the "Arab Alliance," the Houthis deal with the members of the "Congress" party as potential opponents, and impose house arrest on the leaders of this party. They are forced to take positions contrary to the positions of the General People's Congress within the legitimacy.

The Houthi apprehension of the conference leaders inside Sanaa is increasing with the escalation in the media discourse by some of the conference leaders, the most recent of which is the statements of the conference leader Sadiq Amin Abu Ras during the anniversary of the founding of the “Congress” party last August, in which he called for paying employees’ salaries, demanding transparency. In the general budget as well as revenues.

Abu Ras’s statements were responded to by the Houthi leader, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, by threatening to confiscate the conference’s headquarters, and the latter wrote in a tweet on the “X” website (formerly Twitter): “Unless there is a legitimate or legal impediment, we direct the brothers in the Ministry of Finance and the fight against corruption And the Central Oversight Agency and the Public Prosecutor will sell any headquarters rented to Ansar Allah from the property of the former regime, if the authorities confirm that it is not money that the official inherited from his father or mother. Also, selling the homes of mercenaries whose plots against the nation have been proven and transferring them to the teacher’s fund will implement what was mentioned. above after presenting it to the House of Representatives and approving it.”

The Houthis began adopting this policy when they took control of Sanaa. They imposed house arrest on a number of ministers of the Government of National Accord at the time, including the ministers of defence, legal affairs and local administration, preventing them from leaving their homes, and imposed a security cordon of their gunmen around the homes of the targeted ministers.

On January 21, 2015, the Houthis besieged the homes of a number of ministers, including the home of the Minister of Local Administration, Abd al-Raqib Fatah. Four military crews arrived at midnight to besiege his house, after the government submitted its resignation.

Fatah told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “The suffering was severe, especially during the first week of the siege, when entry and exit to the house was prevented, and my family, my mother, and I remained trapped inside the house, and I had only one way out, which was my Facebook page.”

Fatah pointed out, "After we issued many appeals, I was contacted by the Political Bureau to lift the siege on the condition that some of them are with me. I rejected the idea, and said I do not accept that house arrest be transformed from a fixed residence into a mobile residence, and I began media and political activity." Ongoing, I called on all political forces to stand in solidarity with me.”

Fatah added, "After 10 days, some people were allowed to enter, media professionals flocked to my house, and my house turned into a media center." He continued: “I issued a statement daily on my Facebook page about what was happening, and I conducted several interviews with the media, and there was a great interaction and a solidarity march came in front of my house to demand my release. Many mediations were offered to the armed militias, but they rejected them, and they accused me of being an advocate of the state.” "Federal". He stressed that that period "was full of pain and heartbreak and lasted more than a month."

Regarding the end of his house arrest, Fatah said, “After the escape of former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi from Sana’a, I moved with my family there, after mediation led by Rashad Al-Alimi, and the Houthi leader Saleh Al-Sammad and a number of members of the Houthi political bureau arrived at my house, and a long conversation took place.” Between us".

He explained: "I told them, 'We went to you as supporters and you came to us as besiegers, and this is unacceptable. You will not continue as long as you besiege people's homes and demolish places of worship.' They prevented me from even going out to pray on Friday, and after the mediation of Rashad Al-Alimi, I went out incognito with my mother via Hodeidah and from there to Taiz and then to Aden.”

President of the Yemeni Students Union and leader of the Yemeni Islah Party, Radwan Masoud, was one of the leaders who was subjected to arrest and torture. After his release, he was placed under house arrest, before he succeeded in escaping from the grip of the Houthis, leaving Sanaa for the Ma’rib Governorate, where he currently resides.

Radwan Masoud told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “I was kidnapped by the Houthi group in January 2015 and remained in a secret solitary prison for a month. I was kidnapped again on October 11, 2016 and placed in a secret prison. I remained in a solitary confinement cell for 91 days.” I was hidden for more than 6 months until I was only allowed to communicate, visits were prohibited, and I was subjected to all kinds of torture until I was released on July 29, 2017.”

Masoud added: "After my release, I was placed under house arrest, where recorded (video) pledges were taken from me that if I left my home, my blood would be permissible, as would the blood of my wife and children. All my property would be confiscated and I would be dismissed from my job. The fingerprinting on papers was also done under duress." .

He continued: “I pledged to contact them via a number they gave me every 48 hours, and I pledged not to leave my home except with their permission, and I committed to returning to them two weeks after leaving prison, but for fear of returning to prison and because I suffered from enforced disappearance and torture, I decided to escape even though it was an adventure.” I succeeded in doing so on August 7, 2017.”

Masoud confirmed that the Houthi group "imposes house arrest on influential figures in the masses, including party leaders, parliamentarians, and trade unionists, for fear of influencing segments of society, as well as for fear of them joining the legitimacy, especially since there are many influential figures who left Sanaa and announced their joining the legitimacy, including ministers in the Houthi government." .