A story of an elderly man and grandson at the Security Department of Taiz
An elderly man, Ahmed Hamoud Al-Zubairi (81 years old), was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the lower jaw that was difficult to remove in hospitals in Sana’a. His treatment required travel abroad. Therefore, on July 31, 2023, he traveled with his grandson, Ahmed (20 years old), to the city of Taiz on an urgent mission to obtain a passport. However, they never returned.
The young Ahmed accompanied his grandfather due to his old age, so they booked a collective transport company from Sana’a to Taiz to obtain a passport, enabling them to travel abroad for medical treatment. After a period of their arrival in Taiz, all contact with them was lost.
The family of the two victims say that they have been in contact with individuals who provided them with some information. They learned that the two individuals had fallen into the hands of the security forces affiliated with the internationally recognized government in Taiz. When they contacted some of the mobile numbers provided as belonging to the security personnel, they received a one-minute video of Ahmed (the young man) saying he was okay but they needed unspecified things.
A close relative in the family said, "They did not spare the old man's age and his urgent health condition. The elderly man and his grandson arrived in the city of Taiz, booked a hotel, and then went to the passport office the next day to obtain a passport. When they returned to the hotel, the place where they were staying was raided, and they were arrested. We do not know the charges against them. On August 11, someone called the young Ahmed’ mother for the second time and told her that he had been transferred to the Intelligence Service premises, but the elderly man remained detained by the Taiz Security Department."
