Politician and national leader Muhammad Qahtan, a member of the Supreme Authority of the Yemeni Islah Party, appears as an icon of political action, a pioneer in the field of politics and dialogue, and one of the most prominent influential figures who contributed to formulating Yemeni politics and establishing its pillars.

Nine years have passed since the abduction and hiding of the fighter Qahtan in the prisons of the Houthi militia, who was abducted by the militia on April 5, 2015. Qahtan is the person who remained at the dialogue table, believing that it was the path that would lead the country to safety, while the Houthi militia had at that time taken the path of satanic thought, Who does not believe in politics nor dialogue.

Qahtan was hidden for nine years amidst the most horrific violation of human rights. During this period, not even his family was able to communicate with him. During this period, the Houthi militia continued to insist on his absence as confirmation of the absence of the homeland in the darkness of its racist, priestly thought.

Despite the absence of him, Qahtan appears as a national politician with a long history in party and democratic political work, which can be considered a complementary path to the history and struggles of the Yemeni national movement, and the product of its September and October revolutions, and later he accompanied the makers of those revolutions and their senior leaders.

A political combatant for Yemenis and their rights:

Dr. Muhammad Musa al-Amiri, Advisor to the President of the Republic and Chairman of the Yemeni Rashad Union, confirms that the abduction and hiding of the dialogue man Muhammad Qahtan is a crime against humanity as defined by international law, and even his family knows nothing about his whereabouts or fate. Qahtan lives in a state of torment, anxiety, gross injustice, and an assault on his rights and dignity, and this also inflicts injustice on his family. This crime is a clear embodiment of the reality and criminality of this militia and its lack of humanity. It also reflects the state of moral bankruptcy of a group that has fully dedicated itself to punishing the Yemeni people, dominating them, and confiscating their most basic rights, which is the right to life.

In a statement he made to the ilIslah-ye.net website, al-Amiri considered that the Houthi militia’s insistence on hiding Muhammad Qahtan embodies the lack of religious and humanitarian scruples of this militia, and its insistence on harming a Yemeni political combatant who devoted his life to fighting for the interests of Yemen and the Yemenis, respecting their rights and rejecting injustice. This militia is trying to use Qahtan’s card, like other humanitarian and legal issues, only for the sake of blackmailing and taking pleasure in the suffering of a Yemeni person, his family, and his lovers.

Al-Amiri stressed that it was supposed first to restore Yemen, liberate society from the grip of this militia, disarm it, and continue to resist its bloody project. He called on the international community to look at Yemen through the tragedy of this political figure who is being subjected to abuse because it represents a realistic embodiment of the nature of the Houthi militia, which is impossible to deal with through political action or the rules of civil action, as evidenced by this tragedy.

Evidence of the militia’s racist approach:

The leader of the Peace and Development Party, Ahmed Al-Sabahi, confirms that the nine years that have passed since the kidnapping of Qahtan are conclusive evidence that the Houthi militias are a racist, terrorist group that cannot accept the approach of political dialogue and coexistence, because they kidnapped a man of politics and civil dialogue who rejected the rule of divine right and supported state institutions.

He continued his speech to the alislah-ye.net website by saying, “The legitimate government must fulfill its obligations towards a political detainee who has been absent in prison for a long period, in addition to exerting local, tribal and organizational pressures so that he returns to his family and lovers to be a witness to the terrorism and priesthood of this racist group that You want to return the Yemeni people to the time of the defunct imamate.”

Symbolism in the political struggle:

This is supported by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information and the leader of the General People’s Congress, Dr. Najib Ghallab confirms to the Al-Islah Net website that Qahtan’s symbolism in opposing the religious racist priesthood is high, whereas this militia has placed the Republican national ranks on its list of priorities, and Qahtan is a politician, intellectual, and experienced person who defiantly contradicts the Houthis and denies the idea of guardianship.

Ghalab recalled Qahtan’s strict and resolute positions during the Houthi militia’s coup, considering that his abduction incident worked to motivate the national forces to adopt the option of resistance, because it would mean liquidating and prosecuting all leaders.

Ghallab interpreted the refusal and stubbornness of the Houthi militias to release Qahtan or disclose his fate by saying that the militia fears his release will have more influence than the period that preceded his abduction and forced imprisonment, and is also afraid of the coming symbolism of Qahtan if he is released from prison and his influence will be greater than the period that preceded his arrest.

Ghallab stresses the adoption of a national, regional and international human rights movement to put more pressure on the Houthi militia, with its focus being Muhammad Qahtan in addition to other systems that focus on violations, injustices and crimes.

He believes that it is possible to transform the human rights and political struggle through what Qahtan was exposed to into a vital field of resistance, and this would contribute to making Qahtan’s symbolism one of the foundations of confronting Iranian agents and the Imamate in Yemen.

Man of dialogue, consensus and partnership:

A leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party, Asaad Omar, points to the very large void left by the absence of Muhammad Qahtan in Yemeni political life, and says, “We needed a man of political dialogue who means consensus and partnership for this particular stage, which requires everyone to come together and make concessions to make it successful that".

In a statement he made to the alislah-ye.net website, he recalled the impressions of Muhammad Qahtan, along with the martyr Jarallah Omar and others, in establishing the experience of the Joint Meeting Parties, as Qahtan was a visionary and politically aware person, recalling some of his comments and observations in several positions for the sake of alliance and coordination, including his saying that “consensus and partnership requires making concessions.”

Asaad Omar stressed that the Houthi militia’s insistence on concealing Qahtan’s fate is due to two things. The first is related to the nature of the group and its criminal tendency towards opponents, while the other is related to its knowledge of the truth about Muhammad Qahtan and what he represents, as well as the negative impact that will result from the emergence of his fate.

He stresses the importance of there being a shift in following up on the case of Muhammad Qahtan and taking greater escalatory measures in cooperation with all sponsoring countries and the Office of the UN Envoy, because Muhammad Qahtan is the only one remaining among those included in UN Resolution No. 2216, which stipulated their release, and because this matter has its status and is considered essential when talking about any factors or guarantees for building trust.

At the heart of political life:

Lawyer Abdul Rahman Barman made it clear that the Houthi militias do not accept the opposing civilian political figures as partners in the homeland, and their insistence on forcibly disappearing him without external communication and visits to his family, as well as their contradictory behavior with the international community in peace consultations.

Barman reviewed Qahtan’s consensual march at the heart of political and bilateral life with Jarallah Omar, Assistant Secretary-General of the Yemeni Socialist Party, in dialogues with Yemeni parties with their various intellectual stripes and historical rivalries.

Barman, who is director of the American Center for Justice, emphasized that the issue of the abduction of Qahtan and all the abducted people should not be just a seasonal memory, but must have its continued right to political discussions and negotiations, most notably the Yemeni Islah Party.

The absence of political life:

The head of the SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, Tawfiq al-Humaidi, believes that Qahtan’s abduction represents the absence of political life, freedom of opinion and expression, and moderation at the expense of militia force and weapons, and his release is a victory for peace and the absent justice.

Al-Humaidi says that it is certain that Qahtan’s release will reveal the hidden and abhorrent face of the Houthi group in raising the issue and the importance of the international community’s role in the issue of all forcibly hiding persons and turning it into a national day in Yemen to combat enforced hiding in related human rights activity and to publish research, studies and legal work against the people involved.