Sana'a: Houthi militias impose taxes on women in exchange for travel permission

The Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militias imposed financial sums in exchange for allowing women in Sana'a to travel, under the name of "regulating women's travel without a mahram", as part of a series of arbitrary measures aimed at restricting citizens and blackmailing them financially.

Dhikra Al-Jundi told "Yemeni Youth Net" that the Houthi militias prevented her from traveling from Sana'a via buses to Aden to visit her mother who is suffering from illness, despite her bringing all her personal documents to obtain a travel permit that the militia imposed as part of its decision to prevent women from traveling without a mahram.

She explained that the militias continued their intransigence, and requested the presence of the husband, and when he came and agreed to travel by filling out a form, they asked her to bring her father's ID card, provided that it was the original, noting that she was unable to present the original card because all of her family members were in Aden.

Al-Jundi added that she spent a week moving between her home and the office responsible for issuing travel permits, which is affiliated with the Houthi Ministry of Interior, before it became clear to her that the obstinacy and procrastination had a financial goal, stressing that she gave one of the office workers a sum of 7,000 riyals and he immediately granted her a travel permit.

Another traveler - who declined to give her name - confirmed that she had purchased a permit from the Houthi militia office in Sana'a for 10,000 riyals, and that it was brought home after repeated attempts and continuous visits to the licensing office, despite the availability of all the requirements and special documents.

She pointed out that the Houthi militias use tricks and methods to sell these licenses indirectly, by using "brokers" who follow them, stressing that the Houthi decision to prevent women from traveling without a mahram aims to gain financial gain and blackmail people who are already suffering from harsh humanitarian conditions.