“The Killing of Elderly Sheikh Al-Shaba’i in Sana’a Unmasks the Brutality of Houthi Commanders”

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will & Hope) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the brutal and treacherous crime that claimed the life of the elderly Sheikh Ahmed bin Ahmed Al-Shaba’i, aged eighty, in the village of Shia’a – Bilad Al-Rus District, Sana’a Governorate.

The Yemeni Center has followed with profound sadness and sorrow the passing of Sheikh Al-Shaba’i at dawn on Monday, May 4, 2026, succumbing to his wounds after ten days of suffering in intensive care. The elderly Ahmed Al-Shaba’i thus becomes a new victim of the policy of impunity.

Eighty years of age did not intercede for the elderly Al-Shaba’i, who passed away due to treacherous stabs inflicted by a Houthi terrorist inside the House of God.

The act committed by the Houthi supervisor and leader, Abdullah Yahya Al-Kibsi—stabbing an eighty-year-old man inside a house of worship—serves as fresh evidence of the utter disregard for civilian lives, the violation of the sanctity of places of worship, and the magnitude of the Houthi terrorism weighing down on the necks of civilians, which does not discriminate between a child, a woman, or an elderly man.

This heinous crime is a direct result of systematic incitement and the policy of impunity that provides killers with cover to practice the most horrific forms of abuse against social figures and unarmed citizens. This serves as a report to the global conscience: the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Shaba’i in Sana’a is an act of terrorism that desecrates the blood of the elderly and the sanctity of places of worship.

We, at the Yemeni Center, present this incident with all its bloody details to the Yemeni, Arab, and international communities, as well as local and international human rights organizations affiliated with the United Nations. The Yemeni Center demands a firm stance that moves beyond silent condemnation toward actual pressure to hold the perpetrators accountable and stop the bloodshed in Houthi-controlled areas.

The international silence regarding the daily, shameful crimes committed by the Houthis—including abduction, killing, bombing, destruction, forced displacement, the planting of millions of landmines, and the liquidation of women, children, and the elderly inside mosques—gives the killers a green light to continue their atrocities.

Hence, the Yemeni Center renews its demand for the prosecution of Houthi leaders and the opening of a transparent, independent international investigation into all the Houthi militia’s crimes against civilians. We demand an end to the dilution of cases or the protection of criminals under any political or familial justifications.

Mercy and eternity to the victims; shame upon the criminal Houthi killers.

Issued by: The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will & Hope) Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Republic of Yemen