Additional Name(s): Ahmad Al-Malahi, أحمد الملاحي
Gender: Male
Current Location: Sana'a
Perpetrator: Houthis
Religion or Belief: Bahá`í
Health Concerns: Liver fibrosis
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Date of Detainment: May/25/2023
Date of Release: July//2023
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Online Activity Religious Activity Religious Expression Religious Identity
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Ahmad Al Malahi was detained for his religious activity.
On May 25, 2023, armed Houthi forces detained 17 Baha’is, including Al Malahi, after raiding a private residence in Sana’a where members of the Baha’i community were attending their annual national convention to elect the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Yemen. Al Malahi and the others were reportedly accused of practicing a “fake religion” and spying for Israel, the US, and UK. They were taken to an unspecified detention center in Sana'a.
On June 21, 2023, Al Malahi was reportedly hospitalized in an ICU ward due to the aggravation of a pre-existing liver problem. After a brief medical examination, the Houthis reportedly brought Al Malahi back to prison.
On or around July 12, 2023, Houthi authorities released Al Malahi.
Al Malahi suffers from category 3 liver fibrosis, a life-threatening chronic illness that requires specific medications and diet that the Houthis have refused to provide.
Al Malahi is married with three children. His wife is pregnant with their fourth child.
USCIRF Commissioners Abraham Cooper and Stephen Schneck, Tweet, July 12, 2023
USCIRF Commissioners Abraham Cooper and Nury Turkel, Tweet, June 30, 2023
USCIRF Press Release: USCIRF Calls for Immediate Release of Baha’is Forcibly Disappeared by the Houthis in Yemen June 2, 2023
“Yemen: Houthis Forcibly Disappear Baha’is” Human Rights Watch (HRW)
“Armed Houthis attack peaceful Baha’i gathering, arresting at least 17, in fresh crackdown” Bahá’í International Community
USCIRF Factsheet: Religious Freedom in Houthi-Controlled Areas of Yemen May 2023