The head of a prominent Yemeni teachers’ union, who was arrested by the Houthis last October for demanding salaries to teachers, has been transferred from prison to hospital in Sanaa, official sources and rights groups disclosed.
They blamed the Houthis for Abu Zaid Al-Kumaim deteriorating health, claiming they tortured him and refused to offer access to necessary medication.
Thousands of teachers have gone on strike in Yemen in recent months to pressure the Houthis to pay their wages. The Houthis responded by kidnapping union leaders and firing those who went on strike
Al-Kumaim, the head of the Teachers’ Club, has been moved from a Houthi-held jail in Sana’a and is currently in a “complete” coma in Al-Kuwait hospital.
The Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties reported on Friday that Al-Kumaim’s condition had significantly deteriorated over the past five days, leaving him in a coma.
Public pressure on the Houthis to pay public employees has been growing for more than a year.