INSAF Center Organizes a Seminar Entitled “Libby – Six years Behind Bars”, along with his brother Habob Marhaby: My brother is Imprisoned Unjustly
INSAF Center for Defending Freedoms & Minorities organized a special seminar on Monday evening, December 20, 2021, on Libby Salem Marhaby, the Jewish detainee in Houthi prisons. This event coincided with the sixth year of his detention and deprivation, despite the issuance of judicial orders for his release.
The seminar held virtually via Zoom and entitled “Libby – Six Years Behind Bars, Injustice, Repression, Oppression”, was attended by several jurists, and interested parties. Activist Rasha Kafi, who moderated the seminar, stated that the seminar was organized in response to the pleas of the mother of Libby Marhabi, and in conjunction with the commemoration of the International Day for Human Rights.
During the seminar, the detainee’s brother, Habob Salem Marhaby, spoke about the details of his family’s suffering as a result of his brother’s ongoing detention, explaining that the arrest of Libby was entering its seventh year and that he was subjected to enforced disappearance for a whole year, as his family did not know about his whereabouts.
He further explained that after confirming his whereabouts in the National Security Prison, his family was able to obtain permission to visit him, where he was carried out to meet them by two individuals, as he was unable to walk, due to the torture he was subjected to in prison. The visit was repeated 15 days later and was found to be in the same condition.
Habob pointed out that his family does not know anything about this health condition, and that the arrest of Libby continues to this day despite the issuance of orders from the Public Prosecutor for his release, yet they refuse to release him due to him being Jewish.
Libby’s brother also appealed to humanitarian organizations and concerned authorities to apply pressure on the “Sana’a” government, to aid in the release of his brother who was unjustly imprisoned.
The writer and researcher in the field of minorities, Maysa Shujauddin, considered that Libby’s case is part of a major problem in Yemen during the ongoing war and the control of militias that exercise a large part of the de-facto authority and practice the maximum number of violations.
Shujauddin explained that this situation is reflected in the persecution of rights and in the restrictions of freedoms, which is systematically practiced against minorities in particular, considering that they are the most vulnerable to violations compared to the rest of society, which was also what was practiced against the Bahais and the Ismailis.
She, Shujauddin , focused on the issue of violations against the Jews, since the start of the Saada war and its aftermath, noting that the Houthi slogan is a slogan hostile to a religious group, the Jews, who throughout history have been part of the structure of Yemeni society, its culture, and history. Emphasizing that Yemen lost a lot with the exodus of the Jews from Yemen.
For his part, Libby’s lawyer Abdul Baset Ghazi, explained the efforts and procedures associated with his arrest, referring to the previous orders issued for his release, but which did not find acceptance with the authorities responsible for his arrest.
He pointed out that as a lawyer assigned to the family of the detainee, the Public Prosecutor, Judge Muhammad Al-Dailami, handed over a memorandum calling for the release of Libby attached to the previous orders issued in this regard. However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office apologized for the memo and stated that the Public Prosecutor had contacted security authorities regarding the case.
Ghazi also emphasized the details of his request to be allowed to meet with Libby on behalf of his family, who are currently outside the country, in order to be able to check on his health condition. However, Ghazi stated that: “Unfortunately, the Attorney General refused to issue a warrant”.
Chairperson of INSAF Center, Eman Homaid, spoke at the seminar, referring to the efforts made by the center to end the suffering of Libby Marhaby, including the establishment of an advocacy campaign on social media and other means, and the appointment of a lawyer from the center to follow up on Libby’s case and the production of a film that tells the story of Libby, which was launched on September 24, 2021, to help spread awareness on Libby’s case everywhere, in addition, to communicate with the Security Council and international specialists and actors.
Homaid hoped that the seminar would contribute to the release of Libby, stating that: “We do not know the reason for his detention until now.”
The seminar included many interventions and discussions that dealt with the humanitarian and legal aspects related to Libby Marhaby’s situation and violations against the rights of minorities in general.
