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Hiiraan Online Today from Hiiraan Online: Somali Music advertisements Houthi rebels free Yemeni-Ethiopian model after years of detention FacebookFacebook messengerTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInTelegramEmail Monday October 27, 2025 Yemeni-Ethiopian model and actress Entisar al-Hammadi, seen here in an undated photo, was released by Houthi authorities after spending nearly five years in detention on charges that rights groups described as fabricated and politically motivated. (Photo courtesy of BBC) Mogadishu (HOL) — Yemen’s Houthi authorities have released Entisar al-Hammadi, a Yemeni-Ethiopian model and actress who spent nearly five years behind bars on charges widely condemned as fabricated and politically motivated. Her lawyer, Khaled al-Kamal, confirmed to AFP that al-Hammadi was freed late Saturday and has since returned home in Sanaa. The 24-year-old was arrested in February 2021 while taking part in a photo shoot and later sentenced to five years in prison on accusations of prostitution, drug possession, and “immoral behaviour.” Human rights organizations described her trial as a symbol of the Houthis’ campaign to suppress women’s freedoms in territories under their control. “Entisar endured severe mistreatment and her health deteriorated because of the injustices committed against her,” her lawyer said. Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, documented that she was blindfolded during interrogations, physically assaulted, and coerced into signing confessions. Prison guards allegedly hurled racial insults at her—calling her a “prostitute” and “slave” because of her dark skin and Ethiopian heritage. Al-Hammadi reportedly attempted suicide later in 2021 after months of abuse and humiliation in custody. Amnesty International said she was also subjected to threats and forced to confess to drug-related crimes she did not commit. Before her arrest, al-Hammadi had built a modest modelling career and appeared in a Yemeni television series. On social media, she had thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook, where she shared photographs wearing traditional Yemeni attire, jeans, or leather jackets, sometimes veiled, sometimes not. Her imprisonment drew international condemnation and renewed focus on Yemen’s deteriorating human rights record. Activists say the Houthis have imposed severe restrictions on women’s employment, dress, and movement since taking control of the capital in 2014. The Houthis seized Sanaa that year after ousting the internationally recognized government, prompting a Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, to intervene in 2015. While fighting has slowed in recent years, the United Nations says Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with widespread hunger, displacement, and continuing repression in areas under Houthi control. With files from the BBC Somali Service Opinion| Privacy Policy|Sports|Somali Music|Somali Map All Rights Reserved Copyright. © 1999-2025, www.hiiraan.com
