Sana’a – Human rights sources have confirmed that Houthi authorities in northern Yemen have secretly transferred a group of detainees—arrested for intending to celebrate the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution—to an undisclosed location, following a month-long detention at the Sanhan District Security Directorate.

The detainees were reportedly arrested in late September for raising national flags and preparing commemorative gatherings in honor of the 1962 revolution that overthrew the Imamate and established the Republic of Yemen. Families of the detainees told local media that they had been denied visitation rights and were informed this week that their relatives were no longer held at the Sanhan facility.

According to a report by the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, over 1,000 individuals were detained across Houthi-controlled areas in recent months for participating in or planning September 26-related activities. Rights Radar also documented hundreds of arrests in previous years, warning that the crackdown reflects a broader campaign to suppress republican symbols and historical narratives.

The latest development has sparked concern among human rights advocates, who fear that the detainees may be subjected to enforced disappearance or mistreatment. Activists are calling on international organizations to pressure the Houthis to disclose the whereabouts of those transferred and to release all individuals detained for peaceful expression.

The September 26 Revolution remains a deeply symbolic event for many Yemenis, especially in the south and among republican factions, while Houthi authorities have increasingly sought to downplay or erase its legacy in favor of their own ideological narratives.