Yemeni model released after around five years in prison

The Houthi rebels in Yemen released a young model over the weekend. She was imprisoned for almost five years for allegedly violating local customs, which she denied. The model occasionally appeared without a veil. Her lawyer and a security source told the AFP news agency on Sunday.

Intissar al-Hammadi posed for local fashion designers, often with his hair uncovered. She shared her pictures with thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook. She was arrested in 2021 while on her way to a photo shoot with a friend. The two women were sentenced to five years in prison by a local court the following year. The charges included ‘fornication’, ‘prostitution’ and ‘drug use’. According to her lawyer and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), these allegations were unfounded and an attack on women’s freedoms.

“Intissar al-Hammadi was released last night and is now at home,” her lawyer Khaled al-Kamal told AFP on Sunday. “She has experienced a lot of suffering and her condition has worsened due to the injustices she suffered,” he added.

A few months after her arrest, Amnesty International called for the model’s immediate release. The organization said she was “mistreated” and “forced to confess to several crimes.” She was also punished because she defied “deeply patriarchal” social rules.

Intissar al-Hammadi was born to an Ethiopian mother and a Yemeni father. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), she had published dozens of photos online. In it she wore traditional clothing, jeans or a leather jacket, with or without an Islamic headscarf. She also starred in two local television series.

Yemen was already considered one of the most difficult countries for women. However, the situation has continued to deteriorate in Houthi-controlled areas since the country plunged into civil war in 2014.