Jailed Model Who Refused To Wear Hijab In Pictures To Undergo Forced Virginity Test On Prostitution Charges
A teenage model who was snatched off the street by Iran-backed Houthi rebels is going to be forced to face a ‘virginity test’ in the next few days after being told she faces prostitution charges, according to Amnesty.
Entesar Al-Hammadi, 19, at the time she was abducted, was arrested in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on 20th February.
She and her colleagues were on their way to film a drama TV series when their vehicle was stopped by Houthi rebels, who abducted the women, taking them to a secret location.
According to Amnesty International, the actress and model has already been “subjected to interrogation while blindfolded, physically abused and charged with drugs and prostitute offences”.
According to her lawyer, the manager of the prison in which she is being held even slapped her following an interrogation.
Amnesty says that the now-20-year-old woman, whose mother is Ethiopian, was also “verbally abused and subjected to sexist and racist remarks by prison guards”.
The NGO now says Entesar will be subjected to a ‘virginity test’ in the next few days as soon as a court order can be given to a doctor.
Amnesty says forced virginity tests are “a form of sexual violence and amount to torture under international law”.
The NGO is calling for her immediate release, although the authorities holding her have so far shown little respect for the law, and even her lawyer has also been threatened at gunpoint for defending her.
Amnesty also revealed that Entesar’s mother is sick, her father is elderly, and her 12-year-old brother is mentally disabled.
It is believed that the young woman is being held for violating Islamic dress norms and for questioning ‘social norms’.
She sometimes forgoes the hijab in photos posted to her Instagram, where she has shy of 4,000 followers.
The Houthis, who took control of the Yemeni capital in September 2014, are known for following a conservative doctrine.
They have been accused of human rights violations during the Yemeni Civil War, which is ongoing. They currently control most of the north-western part of the country.
