Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Tawakkol Karman has strongly criticized the continued presence of Faraj al-Bahsni, former governor of Hadramaut and current member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, and Tariq Afash, nephew of late president Ali Abdullah Saleh and commander of the National Resistance forces, describing their roles as “political absurdity.”

Karman argued that al-Bahsni’s role in the council represents a dangerous entrenchment of impunity, effectively transforming what she called “high treason against the nation” into a reward. She warned that such practices undermine efforts to establish justice and accountability, while sending the wrong message to those who have betrayed national interests.

The activist extended her criticism to Tariq Afash, stressing that his record should not be whitewashed or recycled under any pretext. According to Karman, allowing figures like Afash to remain in positions of influence risks legitimizing past actions that should instead be subject to scrutiny and accountability.