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and Contributed to the Release of 41
Mwatana for Human Rights stated that it provided legal support, through its field team of lawyers, to 348 victims subjected to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, contributing to the release of 41 of them during February 2025.
Mwatana for Human Rights provided legal support through its field lawyers to civilian victims during February 2025 across various parties, as follows:
• 148 victims detained by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group,
• 84 victims detained by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces,
• 98 victims detained by the internationally recognized government forces, and
• 18 victims detained by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces.
These victims were held across several governorates in varying numbers, with the highest concentration in:
• Aden (50 victims),
• Taiz (49 victims),
• Sana’a Capital and Hadramawt (48 victims each),
• Hajjah (26 victims),
• Lahj (23 victims),
• Marib (22 victims),
• Shabwah (19 victims),
• Al-Dhale’ (16 victims),
• Abyan (13 victims),
• Al Hudaydah and Dhamar (7 victims each),
• Amran (6 victims),
• Sana’a governorate (4 victims),
• Al-Bayda and the Yemen-Saudi border areas (3 victims each),
• Ibb (2 victims),
• Sa’dah and Al-Mahrah (1 victim each).
During February 2025, Mwatana for Human Rights documented 65 new violations related to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, with responsibility attributed as follows:
• 21 violations by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group,
• 22 violations by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces,
• 20 violations by the internationally recognized government forces, and
• 2 violations by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces.
That same month witnessed a surge in arbitrary detentions in southern governorates, particularly in Aden, Abyan, and Shabwah. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces carried out these detentions against civilians participating in popular protests, which erupted in response to deteriorating living conditions and prolonged power outages.
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, regardless of the party responsible. The organization pursues its efforts alongside victims’ families or on their behalf, following meticulous documentation of all information related to the victim and the incident, and based on informed consent from the victims or their families.
The legal support team at Mwatana focuses on ensuring procedural justice for all individuals in contact with law enforcement authorities or those detained by armed groups that have become de facto authorities. Their efforts aim to guarantee full legal rights from the moment of arrest, throughout interrogation and legal defense, during detention, and through to trial proceedings.
