Yemen: After More Than 800 Days in Detention, Dr. Al-Madhwahi Appears Before Court Amid Allegations of Torture , Coerced Confessions

Sana’a –  Local sources in Sana’a have revealed new developments in the case of Yemeni physician and health consultant Dr. Ali Ahmed Al-Madhwahi, who has been detained for more than 800 days, confirming that he has been referred to the Specialized Criminal Court following a prolonged period of detention.

The sources said that Al-Madhwahi was subjected to solitary confinement, torture, and severe psychological pressure during his detention, and that confessions obtained from him during interrogations were made under coercion, according to statements he made before the court.

These developments come more than two years after Al-Madhwahi’s arrest in Sana’a. According to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, he was arrested on June 8, 2024, when members of the Security and Intelligence Service raided his office in the Yemeni capital as part of a wave of arrests targeting a number of individuals working with or associated with international organizations. He remains in detention under the Houthi authorities.

Al-Madhwahi Requests Legal Representation

According to the sources, the judge asked Al-Madhwahi during the hearing whether he wished to defend himself or be represented by a lawyer. He confirmed that he wanted legal counsel to represent him.

In a notable move, Al-Madhwahi requested that Shams al-Din Mohammed Sharaf al-Din, the Grand Mufti in Sana’a, and Mohammed Miftah undertake his defense.

In making his request, he cited the Quranic verse:

“The only response of the believers, when they are called to Allah and His Messenger so that he may judge between them, is to say, ‘We hear and we obey.’ It is they who are truly successful.”

He also indicated that, should either or both decline to defend him, he would remind them of the verse:

“My Lord, judge with truth. And our Lord is the Most Compassionate, Whose help is sought against what you claim.”

Allegations of Torture and Coerced Confessions

Sources close to Al-Madhwahi said he disclosed that, during more than 800 days of detention, he had been subjected to solitary confinement, torture, and severe psychological pressure, adding that he was forced during interrogations to make confessions under coercion.

According to the sources, Al-Madhwahi rejected the validity of those confessions, maintaining that statements extracted from him under pressure and coercion did not reflect the truth and that the confessions he had been forced to make were “based on falsehood.”

These allegations raise human rights concerns regarding the conditions of his detention and interrogation, particularly after he remained in custody for more than two years before his case reached this stage of judicial proceedings.

Childhood Vaccinations at the Center of the Interrogations

In another notable aspect of the case, the sources revealed that Al-Madhwahi said childhood vaccination and immunization programs in Yemen were among the issues raised with him during interrogations.

According to the sources, Al-Madhwahi reaffirmed his insistence on the continuation of childhood vaccinations and immunization programs, saying that his position stemmed from his professional responsibility and his commitment to “upholding the trust” placed in him to safeguard public health.

He said his support for the continuation of immunization programs was based on his professional duty to protect children and the wider community from diseases and epidemics. He reiterated that other confessions he had been forced to make under coercion were “based on falsehood.”

This aspect of the case is particularly significant given Al-Madhwahi’s long professional career in the health sector, where he has worked for years in public health, maternal and child health, immunization and vaccination programs, nutrition, epidemic control, and health and humanitarian emergency response.

Previously published material indicates that he worked at Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population in the fields of family health and immunization. In 2010, he appeared in his capacity as Director General of Family Health at the Ministry of Public Health and Population, speaking about the importance of childhood immunization and combating childhood diseases.

Human rights reports and other publications have also highlighted Al-Madhwahi’s commitment throughout his professional career to maintaining childhood vaccination and immunization programs, including during the years of war and the health crises that have affected Yemen.

His wife, Safiya Mohammed Al-Madhwahi, spoke in July 2026 about her husband’s professional support for vaccinations and the protection of children from diseases and epidemics, linking this issue to some of the matters raised during his detention, according to Yemeni media reports.

Who Is Dr. Ali Al-Madhwahi?

Dr. Ali Ahmed Al-Madhwahi is a Yemeni physician and consultant specializing in public health, with extensive experience in health-system policies, maternal and child health, immunization and vaccination programs, nutrition, health education, and epidemic control.

Since his arrest, his wife and family have issued a series of appeals calling for his release and for information about the conditions of his detention.

In June 2026, as his detention entered its third year, his family renewed its call for his immediate release, saying that he had spent more than two years in detention without any formal charge being publicly announced against him, according to the information available to the family at the time.

During his detention, Al-Madhwahi’s case has developed into a human rights and humanitarian issue, particularly following repeated appeals by his wife and family members. These have included messages concerning his daughter Yumna, who has continued to wait for her father’s return. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights has also documented some of these appeals in its reports.

A New Stage in the Case

With his referral to the Specialized Criminal Court after more than 800 days of detention, the case of Dr. Ali Ahmed Al-Madhwahi has entered a new stage following a prolonged period in custody.

Calls are growing for his full right to legal defense and access to a lawyer to be guaranteed, for the charges and evidence against him to be disclosed, and for an independent and transparent investigation into his allegations of torture, solitary confinement, psychological pressure, and confessions extracted under coercion.

There are also calls to ensure that any judicial proceedings against him comply with fair-trial standards and due process, and that any confessions proven to have been obtained through torture or coercion be excluded.