Yemeni Model Entisar al-Hammadi Finally Released After 5-Year Imprisonment by Houthi Rebels

Yemen's Houthi rebels have released model Entisar al-Hammadi after nearly five years of imprisonment, according to her lawyer and a security source who spoke with AFP on Sunday.

The 23-year-old model was initially detained in February 2021 while en route to a photo shoot in Sanaa. She faced charges of prostitution, drug abuse, and fornication—allegations that her attorney and human rights organizations have consistently denounced as fabricated and targeted at restricting women's freedoms.

"Entisar al-Hammadi was released yesterday evening and has returned to her home," confirmed her lawyer, Khaled al-Kamal, to AFP reporters.

He further stated, "Entisar experienced various health issues, and her condition worsened due to the injustice she endured during detention."

According to human rights groups, Hammadi had attempted suicide in 2021 while in custody.

The model, born to an Ethiopian mother and Yemeni father, had established a significant social media presence before her arrest. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts featured numerous photographs of her wearing traditional attire, casual clothing like jeans, and leather jackets—sometimes with an Islamic headscarf and sometimes without.

Human Rights Watch noted that Hammadi had worked professionally as a model for four years and had acted in two Yemeni television series prior to her detention.

Amnesty International reported disturbing details about her treatment following arrest, stating she was "interrogated while blindfolded, physically and verbally abused, subjected to racist insults and forced to 'confess' to several offences—including drug possession and prostitution."

The situation reflects a broader pattern of increased violence against women, particularly in territories controlled by Houthi forces, since Yemen descended into civil war in 2014. The United Nations has characterized this conflict as creating the world's worst humanitarian crisis.