Exclusive: Yemenis go on hunger strike over months-long detention in Russia

Yemenis held in a Russian prison have staged a five-day hunger strike to protest their detention, sources close to their relatives have revealed.

The Yemeni men, identified as Mohammed Al-Murai, Ibrahim Salim, Mohamed Al-Qudsi, and Khader Al-Sawad, were reportedly arrested three months ago and have been held in a deportation centre outside of the capital, Moscow, ever since.

The health of one of the detainees, Khader Al-Sawadi, was rapidly deteriorating, prompting the remainder of the Yemeni prisoners to go on hunger strike, sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The four men were reportedly detained for "violating" the country’s residency rules by overstaying their visas, the sources said.

Russian police allegedly arrested them after they tried to book a hotel room in Moscow, for which they had to hand over their passports, revealing expired visas.

The four Yemenis are reportedly being subjected to harsh conditions in detention and have been ordered to pay fines before their deportation.

The Yemeni embassy in Moscow has failed to properly deal with their case and coordinate with Russian authorities on the matter, despite the pleas of the detainees and their families, the sources said.

The New Arab has contacted the Yemeni embassy in London and the Russian foreign ministry's spokesperson about the matter but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The four have also appealed to human rights organisations and activists, urging them to pressure the Yemeni government to repatriate them.

It remains unclear what the men were doing in Russia but there have been reports of Yemenis joining the Russian army, as it continues its invasion and war in Ukraine. There is no indication that the men were serving in the military.

In June, the Sheba Intelligence platform confirmed that one Yemeni diplomat, Ahmed al-Sahmi, was killed fighting alongside the Russian army in a confrontation with Ukrainian troops.

At least two other Yemeni citizens - Asaad Tariq Abdul Latif Al-Kanani and Zubair Mohammed Ziyad - have also been killed while fighting with the Russian army.

Al-Sahmi acquired Russian citizenship and served with the Yemeni diplomatic mission in Moscow until 2017, and had a Russian spouse.

Ziyad and al-Kanani were students in Russia before being drafted into the military.

Russia has drafted soldiers from multiple countries into its forces, including from the Arab world, notably from Libya and Syria.

Foreign fighters have been lured into the army with promises of Russian citizenship and financial gains but the outcome for many has been fatal.