Yemen's Houthis release model after five years in prison

Yemen’s Houthis have released model and actor Entisar al-Hammadi after nearly five years in detention on charges of indecent behaviour, her lawyer said on Sunday.

Hammadi, 25, was arrested in February 2021 in Sanaa while on her way to a photo shoot.

She was later sentenced to five years in prison on charges of prostitution, drug use and fornication, accusations her lawyer and human rights organisations described as fabricated and intended to suppress women’s freedoms.

Her lawyer, Khaled al-Kamal, said Hammadi was released on Saturday from the central prison in the capital Sanaa. He added that she suffered from various illnesses and her health deteriorated during her time in prison.

Rights groups have criticised  reported that the high-profile model had tried to take her own life in 2021.

Born to an Ethiopian mother and a Yemeni father, Hammadi had shared numerous photos online in both traditional Yemeni dress and modern outfits, with and without a headscarf.

Yemen crisis: How cuts to vital services are imperilling women

Read More »

Hammadi had worked as a model for four years and appeared in two Yemeni television series in 2020. She had thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook.

Human Right Watch (HRW) described her case as "marred with irregularities and abuse."

The group condemned the court proceedings as arbitrary and devoid of due process.

Amnesty International said that after her arrest, Hammadi was "interrogated while blindfolded, physically and verbally abused, subjected to racist insults and forced to 'confess' to several offences - including drug possession and prostitution".

According to HRW, warring parties in Yemen - including the Houthis, the internationally recognised government and the Southern Transitional Council - have curtailed women's rights in areas under their control.

In a March 2024 report, the group said women are barred from travelling between provinces and, in some cases, from leaving the country without permission from a male guardian or the company of a close male relative. 

These policies have severely impacted women's access to work, education, healthcare and their ability to visit family members.