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and Contributed to the Release of 19
Mwatana for Human Rights stated that through its field lawyers, it provided legal support to 416 victims of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, contributing to the release of 19 of them in January 2025.
During this period, Mwatana for Human Rights provided legal support to civilian victims through its field lawyers in cases involving various parties: 171 victims at the hands of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, 116 victims at the hands of the Southern Transitional Council forces, 112 victims at the hands of the internationally recognized government forces, and 17 victims at the hands of the Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces. These victims were distributed across different governorates, with the highest numbers recorded in Al Dhale’ (62 victims), followed by Taiz (54 victims), Amanat Al Asimah (51 victims), Hadhramout (48 victims), Aden (48 victims), Hajjah (26 victims), Marib (23 victims), Lahj (18 victims), Shabwah (18 victims), Al Hudaydah (15 victims), Al Bayda (14 victims), Abyan (13 victims), Ibb (10 victims), Al Mahrah (6 victims), Sana’a (4 victims), Dhamar (3 victims), Amran (2 victims), Raymah (1 victim), and the Yemen-Saudi border (3 victims).
In January alone, Mwatana for Human Rights documented 74 new incidents of violations related to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group was responsible for 26 of these incidents, the Southern Transitional Council forces for 25 incidents, the internationally recognized government forces for 22 incidents, and the Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces for one incident.
January 2025 also witnessed another wave of arbitrary detentions carried out by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group against humanitarian organization staff. The group detained seven additional employees of international organizations, prompting the United Nations Office to suspend all official movements in Houthi-controlled areas until further notice.
It is worth noting that Mwatana for Human Rights provides legal assistance through a network of lawyers across various regions of Yemen to victims of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture perpetrated by different parties to the conflict. The organization works alongside the victims’ families or on their behalf, following meticulous documentation of all information related to each victim and incident, and based on informed consent from the victims or their families.
Mwatana’s legal support team focuses on ensuring procedural justice for all individuals who come into contact with law enforcement agencies or those detained by armed groups that have become de facto authorities. The aim is to guarantee that detainees receive their full rights from the moment of detention, through the interrogation and defense stages, the conditions and location of detention, and ultimately, the trial process.
