زهرة اسماعيل - الرياض - URGENT APPEAL: Regarding the Arbitrary Detention of American Citizen Ali Ahmed Saleh Abdo in Aden

The family of American citizen (of Southern origin), Ali Ahmed Saleh Abdo, issues this urgent appeal to all international human rights organizations, led by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the U.S. Department of State, calling for immediate intervention to reveal the fate of their son, who has been missing for three days.

A security force affiliated with the "Ma’ashiq Palace Protection Units" in Crater, Sirah District, detained Ali from a public street without any legal justification or an official arrest warrant while he was participating in a peaceful protest. Since the moment of his arrest, security authorities have refused to disclose his place of detention, allow him to communicate with his family, or grant him access to legal representation.

While expressing our deep concern for the safety of our son, Ali, we emphasize that this targeting is not the first of its kind. He and his brother were previously subjected to arbitrary detention, documented cases of torture, and solitary confinement in 2009 at the Military Intelligence prison in Al-Fath. This history doubles our fears of a recurrence of such grave violations.

Accordingly, we hold the government authorities in Aden fully responsible for his life and physical safety. We call upon the international community and U.S. diplomatic missions to exert pressure to ensure his immediate and unconditional release and to end the systematic abuse of citizens based on their political views.

Issued by: The Family of American Citizen Ali Ahmed Saleh Abdo

Aden

Date: February 20, 2026