Yemen – March 21, 2026 – Women Journalists Without Chains stated that Eid al-Fitr this year comes amid a continued deadlock in the issue of prisoners, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons in Yemen, with no tangible progress recorded.

The organization said the ongoing impasse deepens an already severe humanitarian crisis, prolonging the suffering of thousands of families who had hoped the holiday would bring a long-awaited breakthrough. Many detainees and disappeared individuals have remained in captivity for nearly eleven years, in what Women Journalists Without Chains described as a sustained violation of fundamental legal and human rights.

Women Journalists Without Chains noted that the absence of progress, despite the humanitarian significance of Eid and its association with tolerance and justice, reflects a failure by relevant parties to meet their legal and moral obligations. The continued inaction, it said, perpetuates the hardship faced by detainees and their families, with no credible indications of imminent resolution.

The organization added that preventing families from reuniting with detained or disappeared relatives during a major religious occasion constitutes an additional layer of harm. It underscored that arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance continue to be practiced without accountability.

Women Journalists Without Chains stressed that resolving the issue of prisoners, abductees, and the forcibly disappeared is an urgent humanitarian priority that cannot be deferred. The prolonged failure to address this matter, it warned, signals a broader absence of political will to resolve one of Yemen’s most critical human rights concerns.

The organization renewed its call for the immediate and comprehensive implementation of the Muscat agreement, without delay or selectivity, describing it as a binding humanitarian and legal obligation. It also called for the unconditional release of all individuals subjected to arbitrary detention, abduction, or enforced disappearance, including those not covered by the agreement.

Women Journalists Without Chains urged authorities to disclose the fate and whereabouts of all forcibly disappeared persons, particularly in Aden, to close all unofficial detention facilities, and to ensure that all places of detention operate under judicial oversight. It further called for accountability for those responsible for violations, including enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention.

The organization also called on the international community, including the United Nations and relevant human rights mechanisms, to take more effective action. This includes exerting pressure on all parties to comply with their obligations, supporting the implementation of existing agreements, ensuring transparency regarding the fate of detainees, and facilitating independent international investigations aimed at accountability.