Yemen: STC closes Islah Charitable Society office in Aden

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Thursday closed the headquarters of the Islah-affiliated Charitable Society for Social Welfare in the Dar Saad district of the Aden Governorate, Anadolu Agency reported.

Al-Islah Charitable Society is affiliated with the largest Islamic party in the country, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, which carries out charitable and humanitarian work often focusing on helping low-income families, displaced persons and people with special needs.

The media office of the director-general of the Dar Saad Directorate posted a statement on Twitter: “The directorate’s commissioner, Ahmed Aqil Baras, has issued an administrative decision banning Islah Charitable Society from engaging in any activity in the directorate after monitoring suspicious activities carried out by the association.”

“The decision stipulated not to deal with the association, to close its headquarters, prevent its [members] from entering any government facility, and ban all associations, organisations and initiatives associated and cooperating with it,” the statement confirmed.

According to observers, the closure decision is part of a larger policy implemented by the STC towards suppressing political opposition and restricting political parties loyal to the legitimate government in Aden.

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