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Al-Mukalla (Yemen): In an effort to crackdown on online influencers who point out the shortcomings of its leaders, Houthi militants have allegedly abducted three well-known Yemeni YouTubers who have followers in millions in Sanaa.
Social Activists claimed that Hamoud Al-Mesbahi, Ahmed Elaw, and Mustafa Al-Mumari had been kidnapped by the Houthis for posting videos on social media in support of prominent YouTuber Ahmed Hajar, who had been taken from a Sanaa street more than ten days prior.
Additionally, the posts on social media criticised the failure to address famine and pervasive corruption.Al-Mumari is a well-known social media figure in Yemen, with over 2 million YouTube subscribers and tens of thousands of Facebook fans.
He had recently slammed the Houthis for kidnapping his friend, Hajar via a video.
In addition to calling out specific “corrupt” Houthi leaders, he urged the Houthis to fight widespread institutional corruption.
“If you are trustworthy and looking for the corrupt, I will provide you with evidence,” he said.
“If my claims are untrue, put me to death; if they are genuine, hold those (corrupt officials) responsible,” he added.
Soon after the video was posted, Al-Mumari and Al-Mesbahi were kidnapped from a Sanaa street and taken to a security facility.
Three days ago, Elaw posted a video on his YouTube channel demanding the release of his detained friends and warning the Houthis against ignoring corruption or popular unrest.
“We will not forget our imprisoned brethren and will continue to advocate for their release,” he said.
His house was quickly overrun by the Houthis, who then abducted him.
A Yemeni lawyer in Sanaa claimed on Tuesday that Houthi prosecutors, security agents, and intelligence agencies had started questioning Hajar in preparation for his trial when the abductions took place.
“The specialised criminal prosecution is now interrogating Ahmed Hajar at the Shamlan building of the Security and Intelligence Service,” lawyer Abdul Majeed Sabra told Arab News.
The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the recent kidnapping of the YouTubers, but according to their supporters, their social media posts were supported by the militia’s enemies.
Abdulsalam Jahaf, a member of the Houthi Shoura Council, said: “Anyone who serves the enemy is an enemy, and the security services are tasked with apprehending anyone who attempts to compromise our security.”
The Houthis’ campaign against social media influencers, according to Yemeni officials and analysts, is intended to silence well-known individuals who have the ability to reach millions of Yemenis.
The Houthis fear an uprising because of their oppressive rule, inability to pay public employees’ wages, and failure to provide services, said Yemen’s Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani.
“These frantic campaigns serve as confirmation of the hysteria that has engulfed the Houthi militia’s leaders in the aftermath of calls for a popular uprising to remove this scourge,” he added.
He denounced the Houthi policy of “poverty and starvation against residents” in the regions it ruled, which “destroyed everything lovely in Yemen to further the goals of its Iranian overlords.”
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