A Call for the Release of Hundreds of Victims of Enforced Disappearance, Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Ill-Treatment
Mwatana for Human Rights has reported that incidents of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment continue to occur on a large scale in Aden and other areas under the control of factions aligned with the Presidential Leadership Council and the internationally recognized government. Despite the passage of nearly six months since Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, the internationally recognized President of the Presidential Leadership Council, announced on January 5 two decisions to merge the Political Security and National Security agencies along with various intelligence departments under the new "Central State Security Agency," and to establish a Counter-Terrorism Agency, there has been no significant improvement in the rule of law in these areas.
The decisions, initially aimed at addressing the cases of hundreds of victims of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture, and at alleviating their suffering through their release and reunification with their families and loved ones, were also expected to lay the foundation for further institutional reforms. These reforms were to include bringing these security and intelligence agencies and their facilities under the authority of the Public Prosecution and the judiciary, in line with the rule of law and the principles of justice.
Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, Vice Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated, "The time has come for the Presidential Leadership Council and all its affiliated factions, along with the internationally recognized government, to promptly undertake a comprehensive assessment of all official and unofficial detention facilities, and the various security agencies' establishments under the control of different parties. They must reveal the fate of all those subjected to enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, release them, and ensure their redress and compensation."
Al-Faqih added, "The Presidential Leadership Council must take urgent and necessary institutional reform steps to put an end to these grave violations committed by security agencies and formations throughout the years of war. This includes ensuring the prohibition of torture, and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as killings in detention facilities under any circumstances."
He further emphasized, "The Council, the government, and the factions must begin rebuilding security institutions according to strict guidelines and procedures that mandate compliance with the rule of law, respect for human rights, and full adherence to international humanitarian law and international human rights law. This is essential to achieve justice, provide redress and compensation for victims, and hold perpetrators of violations accountable."
Mwatana for Human Rights has documented over 1,225 cases of arbitrary detention, 553 cases of enforced disappearance, and 357 cases of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment in areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, the authorities loyal to the Islah Party in Marib and Taiz, and the Southern Transitional Council during the years of conflict.
Mwatana has documented at least 200 incidents of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment committed by the formations of Southern Transitional Council since its establishment. According to the cases documented by Mwatana and testimonies from victims of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, those held in prisons managed by Southern Transitional Council forces in Aden and other southern Yemeni governorates have been subjected to severe beatings, forced confessions, and signatures under duress, deliberate humiliation, prolonged sleep deprivation, denial of medical treatment and visitations, and long-term arbitrary detention without trial in extremely poor conditions.
Mwatana for Human Rights calls on the Attorney General in Aden to exercise judicial authority over all security agencies and formations, and their facilities, in Aden, Marib, and all other governorates. The organization urges the opening of cases involving hundreds of victims of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, to uncover their fates, secure their release, and provide necessary compensation to them and their families.
Mwatana also calls on all parties within the Presidential Leadership Council and the internationally recognized government to cease all forms of psychological and physical torture and other inhumane practices in their prisons. They should release all those who have been forcibly disappeared and arbitrarily detained in the custody of their official and unofficial agencies and formations, outside the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecution and judiciary, and without any legal justification.
Mwatana for Human Rights also calls on all local and international human rights organizations and actors to pressure all parties involved in the Yemen conflict who are complicit in crimes of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. These parties must be urged to stop using torture and inhumane and degrading treatment during interrogations and to respect the dignity of detainees under investigation. They must adhere strictly to the procedural approach outlined by the law, without overstepping or abusing their authority.
Examples of Incidents
On Thursday, November 16, 2023, at around 11:30 a.m., the Security Belt Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council in Khormaksar district, Aden, detained a lawyer and imprisoned him without any legal justification. The victim was not subjected to any interrogation and has remained forcibly disappeared since the moment of his detention, without being allowed visits or being referred to the legally authorized authorities.
A second victim, who requested anonymity, told Mwatana that he was tortured in the "Counter-Terrorism" prison in Aden. He described being taken into a room with his eyes blindfolded with a cloth and his hands bound behind his back with iron cuffs. He was beaten on his ribs and face with hands and feet, and then hung by his hands from the ceiling with iron cuffs, standing on the tips of his toes on a brick for three hours. This was done to force him to confess to belonging to Al-Qaeda and participating in bombings and assassinations in Aden. He was then forced to sign investigation reports while blindfolded, without being allowed to see what was written in them.
A third victim, also a victim of enforced disappearance and torture who requested anonymity, said, "A day after my detention, they took me from my cell, blindfolded and handcuffed, to the interrogation room where several people were present; I couldn’t distinguish their number. They interrogated me, demanding that I confess to being affiliated with Al-Qaeda. They were insistent that I had ties to Al-Qaeda and forced me to sign papers without allowing me to read them. One of them then punched me in the face and ribs with his hands that I felt my ribs break. He hit me with an iron rod in the stomach, making me lose my breath for a few seconds. I felt intense pain and thought I was going to die. I screamed and begged them to have mercy on me because I was innocent, but their hearts were hardened. While this was happening, another person kicked me and slapped me across the face..."
A fourth victim, who requested anonymity, described his detention and torture in Marib, under the control of the Islah Party, saying, "I was subjected to torture, beating, cursing, and accusations. They accused me of being a senior Houthi supervisor and recruiting women for the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group. The prison was filthy, cramped, and suffocating due to poor ventilation and overcrowding. It was the Central Security Directorate prison. They interrogated us and beat us with electrical cables (whips) all over our bodies – head, hands, back, legs. They also placed electric wires on my toes and subjected me to electric shocks while I was blindfolded."
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, security forces at the Coalition checkpoint in Marib city district of Marib Governorate detained a traveler and transferred him to the prison of Al-Rawda Police Station in the second security zone. He was found hanged in Al-Rawda prison on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just one day after his detention.
