Ezzat... Enforced disappearance continues for more than seven years
On the morning of Saturday, March 10, 2018, at approximately 6 AM, a security force affiliated with the so-called Anti-Terrorism Forces under the control of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) stormed the home of young Ezzat Abdulrahim Mohammed Abdulrahman in the Kabota neighborhood of Al-Mansoura in Aden. The force entered the house without presenting an arrest warrant or a judicial order and took Ezzat away in front of his family to an unknown location, amidst a state of shock and fear. Since that moment, there has been no news of him whatsoever.
Ezzat, a young person in his thirties, worked as a taxi driver and was the main breadwinner for his family. He was not known to have any political activity or affiliations with armed groups. He left his home handcuffed without his family being informed of the reason for his detention or the party that took him, and he was not given a chance to communicate with a lawyer or his family.
From the first day, the family began a daunting search. His father went to Al-Jalaa prison in Al-Buraiqah, where it was initially reported that Ezzat was held. Later, the family learned that some of those detained with him that same day were transferred to Bir Ahmed prison and underwent investigation and trial procedures. However, the relevant authorities denied having Ezzat in their custody, and his name was not included in the lists of detainees or those referred to court.
His father attended the trial sessions of several of his companions who were taken in the same operation, hoping to hear his name mentioned or to see him suddenly appear in the courtroom. But Ezzat's name was never called. Over time, the conflicting signals faded away, and silence remained the only response.
The family did not receive any official notification regarding his place of detention or legal status. He was not presented to the prosecution, no public charges were brought against him, and visits were not permitted. The family states that they filed complaints and consulted multiple security authorities, to no avail. With every door closed, the circle of anxiety broadened.
Despite the political and security changes that Aden has witnessed over the past years, and the Southern Transitional Council losing control over some areas and the balance of power shifting, Ezzat has not reappeared, and no official information about his fate has been revealed. This continued ambiguity, despite changes in authorities and circumstances, raises serious questions about the fate of the forcibly disappeared and the responsibility of the parties that detained them or managed their places of detention in previous periods.
Detaining a person without announcing his whereabouts and depriving him of basic legal guarantees, along with denying his existence or fate, falls under the crime of enforced disappearance according to international human rights standards. The responsibility lies with the party that carried out the arrest, as well as the authorities that later managed the security file in Aden, to uncover the truth and ensure accountability.
All currently governing authorities in Aden, in addition to those responsible for the detention of Ezzat Abdulrahim, must immediately disclose the fate of Ezzat Abdulrahim Mohammed Abdulrahman and all forcibly disappeared individuals, enable their families to know their whereabouts, release those unlawfully detained, and open independent and transparent investigations to identify those responsible for these violations and hold them accountable. It is essential to ensure justice for the victims and their families, provide them with redress, and put an end to the policy of impunity that prolongs the suffering of families and undermines the foundations of justice and the rule of law.
