Yemen’s Al-Islah party accuses Houthis of torturing leader to death

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Al-Islah party) accused the Houthis of assassinating one of its leaders through torture in the coastal city of Al-Hudaydah, west of the country.

The party’s official website stated that “party official, Sulaiman Ali Hammoud, died on Thursday as a result of torture, two months after being kidnapped by the Houthis in Al-Hudaydah.”

“The official, who also worked as a guidance councillor in Al-Hudaydah, was kidnapped from the Bajel governorate in the city. He was detained in one of their prisons and died as a result of torture.” They did not give any other details.

No response was immediately available from the Houthis, or from an independent source.

The Houthis have kidnapped a large number of Al-Islah party members over the past few months, including senior officials. They were detained in prisons before a number of them were released.

The Houthis took control of Al-Hudaydah in late 2015, weeks after they took control of the capital city Sana’a.