Yemeni activist Hisham Al-Omeisy abducted by Saleh-Houthi fighters

A famous Yemeni activist has been abducted by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi armed group, journalist Iona Craig reported today.

Iona Craig, a Yemen-based Journalist, broke the news that her friend Al-Omeisy had been abducted by armed security forces.

At request of family many of us had been keeping quiet about @omeisy's abduction and ongoing detention by security forces. Silent no more.

— Iona Craig أيونا كريچ (@ionacraig) August 18, 2017

Thirty-eight-year-old Al-Omeisy was detained at 14:45 in Jawlat Al-Misbahi, outside Sana’a, by approximately 15 armed security officers. Al-Omaisy is currently being held incommunicado in an unknown location. Al-Omeisy has not had access to a lawyer or contact with his family.

Amnesty International reported on the abduction and imprisonment, asserting that the Houthi-Saleh forces “must immediately and unconditionally release a leading political activist’ who has been detained in the capital of Yemen since 14 August.

Al-Omeisy’s political voice rose to prominence during the Arab Spring and the Yemen civil war through Twitter. The Hashtag #FreeHisham has been used by Iona, in a bid to highlight the abduction case.

The last tweet from Hisham’s twitter account was on the 12 August 2017.

Armed goons backed by corrupt officials are forcefully taking real estate properties in Sana'a. They just showed up at my door. #Yemen

— Hisham Al-Omeisy هشام العميسي (@omeisy) August 12, 2017