At the end of the interrogation her lawyer witnessed her being slapped by the prison manager. Intisar al-Hammadi has regularly appeared in photographs online including in social media posts, without a headscarf defying strict societal norms in Yemen.
Women living in Yemen face rampant discrimination and are subjected to highly conservative cultural gender norms. The security forces allege they found cannabis in the possession of one of the other passengers. According to her lawyer, the year-old actress and model, born to a Yemeni father and an Ethiopian mother, usually looks after her sick mother, elderly father and year-old brother who has mental disabilities.
During that time, she was held incommunicado and subjected to repeated interrogations while blindfolded. The public prosecution has prevented her lawyer from accessing her casefile despite repeated requests.
On 27 April, the lawyer was approached by a gunman who threatened him and asked him to drop the case. Any statements she has made under duress must be excluded from evidence during her prosecution. What we do. Emergency exit. Public security. What we do About us.
