Former Houthi hostage recounts torture, hiding in a mortuary before escaping to Germany - interview

Ezzadin Al Awadhi, a Yemeni aid worker formerly held hostage by the Houthis, recounted his experience of torture, forced labor, and hiding in a mortuary for nearly three months before escaping to Germany, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. He described being forced to sign documents, accused of espionage, and eventually fleeing with a fake ID.

Ezzadin Al Awadhi, a Yemeni aid worker formerly held hostage by the Houthis, described his ordeal of torture, forced labor, and hiding in a mortuary before escaping to Germany, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Awadhi worked for the Anhar Al-Firdaws Foundation in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, which was seized by the Houthis during the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm in 2015. After the initial raid, he turned himself in to avoid a manhunt, was forced to sign documents acknowledging accusations, and was released on condition he help with Houthi media operations. He was later forced to present public events mobilizing support for war. In early 2017, when the Houthis launched another raid to arrest him, he hid in a mortuary for nearly three months. He eventually surrendered and was detained, accused of espionage for Saudi airstrikes and being an Israeli agent. He was forced to sign further documents under threat of transfer to the Habrah detention center, known for torture. He escaped to Germany after going into hiding with a fake ID.