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Six Years of Disappearance
It has been six full years since Mu'taz Abdul Hamid Al-Shujaifi left his home on a cold evening in February 2020. Six years of heavy waiting, exhausting searching, and unquenchable hope. Six years have passed with holidays and seasons changing, faces transforming, and ages growing, yet Mu'taz's place in the house remains unchanged, his picture still hanging on the wall, and his name continuously present in every prayer. His absence is no longer a fleeting incident; it has turned into an ongoing time of its own, a continuous crime that renews itself every day.
On the evening of February 24, 2020, at eight o'clock, Mu'taz (26 years old) rose from his seat in his home in Al-Hawban, an area controlled by the Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) in Taiz Governorate. He informed his older brother Mazen that he would go out for a while and then return. He did not take his phone, as it had run out of battery. There was nothing suspicious about it; he was accustomed to stepping out for errands or to visit a nearby friend, returning shortly afterward. However, that night was unlike any before. Mu'taz went out… and never returned.
During those days, he was planning to travel to the city of Taiz to visit his mother, whom he had not seen for many months due to the blockade and division imposed by the war. Longing for her accompanied him, and he often spoke of their forthcoming reunion, yet the trip he eagerly awaited never happened.
As hours passed, concern crept into his brother's heart. Mazen tried to convince himself that Mu'taz might have suddenly decided to visit their mother without informing him, but a heavy feeling pressed on his chest. He couldn't sleep that night. With dawn breaking, he called their mother, hoping to hear Mu'taz's voice, only to find out she hadn’t seen him for months. At that moment, he realized this was no ordinary absence.
He approached the security authorities and filed an official report, leading to the opening of a case and its referral to the Criminal Investigation Department. From that day on, a long journey began, moving between police stations, prisons, and official offices, seeking any information, any trace, any lead that could lead to him. Many doors were knocked on, and numerous promises were made, yet without any results.
Later, he received unofficial information suggesting that Mu'taz might be detained in Al-Salih prison, one of the detention centers in areas controlled by the Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) in Taiz. In a desperate attempt to hear his voice or ensure his safety, he reached out to someone who claimed he could help them for a fee. The family paid what they could, but that person disappeared after taking the money, adding a new wound to the series of open injuries.
As the years passed, the story transformed from merely the disappearance of a young man into a daily tragedy endured by the entire family, especially his mother, who was worn out from waiting and crying. Six years filled with unanswered questions: Where is he? Is he okay? Is he being mistreated? Is he still alive?
Every Ramadan, his chair remains vacant at the table. At every joyful occasion, laughter is absent. Every night, everyone stares at the door as if waiting for it to open suddenly, expecting Mu'taz to enter with a smile, just as he used to.
From February 24, 2020, until today, six full years after his disappearance, his fate remains unknown. His disappearance is no longer a past event; it is a continuous violation that renews itself with each passing day without uncovering the truth.
The Ansar Allah group (Houthis) must reveal the fate of Mu'taz Abdul Hamid Al-Shujaifi, release all arbitrarily detained individuals, work towards ending the crime of enforced disappearance and the related violations affecting hundreds of victims in areas under their control, and open independent and transparent investigations to identify those involved in forced disappearance crimes and hold them accountable, seeking justice for the victims and their families, and providing them with reparations.
