Libi Marhabi
Additional Name(s): Levi Salem Musa Marhabi, Libby Salem Marhaby, ليبي سالم مرحبي
Gender: Male
Current Location: Sanaa, Yemen
Perpetrator: Houthis
Religion or Belief: Jewish
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes
Sentence: 3 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: March//2016
Date of Sentencing: March/13/2018
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Identity
Nature of Charges: Unknown
Libi Marhabi
Extra Bio Info:
Libi Marhabi is imprisoned for his religious identity.
In March 2016, Houthi forces arrested Marhabi for allegedly smuggling an ancient manuscript out of Yemen.
On March 13, 2018, Marhabi was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
In 2019, a Houthi appeals court ordered Marhabi's release. However, security forces only released his non-Jewish co-defendants and have instead kept him detained, despite subsequent court orders demanding otherwise.
According to sources, Marhabi lives in inhumane prison conditions, where his health continues to deteriorate. He reportedly suffers from kidney and lung issues and has lost all his teeth from being tortured repeatedly.
In November 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for Marhabi's immediate release.
Sources:
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USCIRF Factsheet: Religious Freedom in Houthi-Controlled Areas of Yemen May 2023
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USCIRF Country Update: Religious Freedom Conditions in Yemen September 2021
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“Iran-backed Houthis continue to imprison sick Yemeni Jew” The National
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“A Jewish man, Levi Marhabi, is being held hostage by Yemen’s Houthi rebels” Jewish Insider
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USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore, Tweet, April 1, 2021
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“The Charge: Being Jewish: A Report on the Yemeni Detainee Libby Salem Marhabi” INSAF Center for Defending Freedoms & Minorities
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“Pompeo calls for release of Yemeni Jew held by Houthi militia” Jerusalem Post
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“Wrongful Detention by the Houthis of Levi Salem Musa Marhabi” Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, U.S. Department of State