Human Rights Watch speaks out for Yemeni model in Houthi custody
Since her arrest in February, Entisar Al-Hammadi has been accused of committing an indecent act and drug possession.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are subjecting a detained Yemeni model to an “unfair trial” and have threatened her with a forced virginity test in a case "marred with irregularities and abuse," Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
The lawyer for Entisar al-Hammadi told the rights organization that the model has been brought before a Sanaa court twice this month on charges of committing an indecent act and drug possession. Hammadi was reportedly denied access to her court-appointed lawyer, who in May was suspended in what he said was retaliation for his speaking to the press.
Unnamed sources told Human Rights Watch that the authorities forced her to sign documents while blindfolded during interrogations. She was reportedly told she could walk free if she “if she would help them entrap their enemies with ‘sex and drugs.’”
In May, Amnesty International urged the Houthis to call off their threat to conduct a “virginity test,” which is considered a form of sexual violence and torture under international law. The World Health Organization has condemned the examination as having no scientific merit.
