An official source denies the arrest of a Hungarian man in South Yemen

Reports

Fri, 14-05-2021 02:23 AM, Aden Time

Aden (South24)

Official sources in South Yemen denied allegations published by Yemeni media, close to the Islah Party (Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen), that a Hungarian was arrested and killed by southern security forces.

The Belqis TV, based in Turkey, as well as the SAM organization, had reported these allegations, based on tweets by former jihadist "Adel Al-Hasani", also residing in Turkey.

Belqis TV and SAM Organization did not show any documents or information to support the allegations they reported.

Al-Hasani said, in tweets, that the security forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) had arrested and tortured a Hungarian citizen, called "Abdul Hakim Faris" (Georgi Kultai).

The Hungarian man "died in the Waddah hall detention facility last Ramadan 2020," said SAM organization.

It claimed that "the man was arrested from a hotel in Al-Mualla in the city of Aden, after his arrival in Aden from Hungary in 2020, by security agents."

South24 investigated the truth about this conflicting news, which was also circulated by Hungarian media, based on the tweet of "Al-Hasani."

Another official source told "south24" that they had never heard of this name, nor did they know any information about the Hungarian man.

"There was no person with this name in any prison in South Yemen," said The source, who requested anonymity, because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

No government agency has issued any official comment yet.

South24 found a Facebook page, which has not been verified, but it shows the image of the Hungarian man, and bears the name (Abdul Hakim Faris Al-Dhali). However, some of his pictures can be seen stamped with the South Yemen flag.



A Hungarian media said that the Yemeni embassy in Budapest was not able to confirm the news of the death of the Hungarian citizen, but they know for sure that they did not issue him an entry visa.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet been able to confirm what happened," said the "Magyar Nemzet" Website.

A Hungarian journalist interviewed the man whose photo was circulated as "Abd al-Hakim Faris."

The journalist said that the man “spent three years in captivity with the Houthis (North Yemen), was beaten by the rebels, and was tortured by various means,” before returning to Hungary in 2019.

The STC is fighting the Houthi group in South Yemen, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing it of being "the main incubator of terrorism."

The Islah Party (the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood) has not denied these accusations, but it accuses the Southern Transitional Council of implementing the agenda of the United Arab Emirates.

- south24

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