Torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment must cease under all circumstances.
In a statement released today to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed annually on June 26, Mwatana for Human Rights highlighted the persistent use of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the warring parties in Yemen since the conflict began in late 2014. These acts have been committed against hundreds of Yemenis who have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared. All parties involved in the conflict, as well as various authorities, must immediately cease these practices to protect Yemen's present and future under all circumstances.
Mwatana for Human Rights has documented at least 657 incidents of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The responsibility for these acts is distributed as follows: 248 incidents by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, 157 incidents by the internationally recognized government, 200 incidents by the Southern Transitional Council, 35 incidents by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition, 6 incidents by the Joint Forces, 4 incidents by terrorist organizations, and 7 incidents by individuals without formal authority.
Based on testimonies from victims or their families documented by Mwatana, the forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatments practiced by the various parties include: Nail removal, Severe beatings with sticks, wires, whips, rifle butts, and kicks, Electric shocks, Sexual humiliation and threats of rape, Sleep deprivation, Suspension from ceilings, Body cavity searches, Forced and humiliating nudity, Torture with burning, Denial of toilet access, Use of loudspeakers to create noise to prevent sleep, Denial of food and water, Burns with cigarette butts, Denial of religious practices, Forced prostration to national flags, Hammering of limbs, Forced consumption of urine, Genital burning.These heinous acts have been inflicted upon Yemeni citizens, including men, women, and children.
Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, Vice Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, stated, "The warring parties in Yemen have continuously engaged in various forms of torture and inhuman, cruel, or degrading treatment. These acts are considered crimes that do not lapse with time and are condemned under all circumstances, regardless of the charges. However, the parties in Yemen persist in committing these violations due to the lack of accountability and the prevalence of impunity, or even the expectation of any punishment for such disgraceful practices."
A 16-year-old torture victim, who was tortured while in the custody of authorities loyal to the Islah Party and affiliated with the internationally recognized government in Marib, recounted his experience, "During the interrogation, the investigator slapped me hard, causing my nose to bleed, and demanded that I write down what he dictated. They forced me to write false statements, making me appear as a criminal and an accused, even though I was the victim. I begged him to stop, but he threatened to electrocute me if I refused to write, and made me sign the false statements while I cried in anguish."
In another case of torture, a woman was subjected to brutal treatment after being detained by forces loyal to the Islah Party and affiliated with the internationally recognized government in Marib. She recounted, "They interrogated me late at night, and on one occasion, they took me to the interrogation room at two in the morning. They retrieved private photos from my phone and showed them to me, along with inappropriate pictures of women that were not on my phone but were planted to fabricate immoral charges against me. When I asked them to verify the date these photos were added to my phone, one of them threw a water bottle at me." She added, "On another occasion, the investigator hit me on my chest, causing me to fall to the ground, and I have asthma."
In a more horrifying account, the wife of a torture victim recounted the atrocities committed by forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council. She described her visit to her husband in his cell, "I saw my husband lying on the ground like a slaughtered animal. His body was covered with signs of beating and torture, his left eye was severely bruised and swollen, and he had scattered bruises on his back and abdomen along with a deep wound under his right shoulder. I broke down in tears, feeling that my husband was surely going to die. In a faint voice, he told me that he had been interrogated and forced to confess to belonging to Al-Qaeda. Three days later, I found my husband’s lifeless body in a garbage dump on the street, with marks of electric burns, beatings, and deep wounds that appeared to be caused by a sharp blade."
In another account, a victim of torture by the Southern Transitional Council described his harrowing experience, "I was subjected to severe torture, harsh treatment, and humiliations that are beyond description. They would take us to a hangar they called 'caravans' in the prison yard after midnight. Each night, they selected a group of us, blindfolded us, and took us to these caravans. They stripped us naked, brought police dogs close to us while we were blindfolded and handcuffed, and poured hot water on our bodies. We could hear people speaking in Emirati accents laughing and mocking us as we stood there naked. The place reeked of alcohol, and those approaching us also smelled of it. They did this almost every week, choosing a group each night for torture. The younger detainees, teenagers around 16 or 17 years old, told me they were raped during their turn, while we were stripped naked and occasionally sexually harassed by touching our private parts. I was certain they were Emiratis because, upon entering the container where they tortured us, they would say things like, 'How are you? We’ll bring your brothers here too.' This is one of the phrases I still remember.
I even heard them insulting the Yemeni soldiers. One Emirati soldier told a Yemeni soldier affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, who was threatening another soldier, 'You are like a tissue; I can throw you away whenever I want.' They didn't just torture us physically; they also tormented us psychologically, threatening to torture and arrest our families. They forbade us from praying in groups and refused to give us Qur’ans when we requested them. We wore the same clothes for a month without being allowed to change or clean them. They also provided contaminated water and dirty food. Breakfast was half a small loaf of bread with some peas, while lunch and dinner were shared among four or more people with just half a chicken and a bit of rice. The water was extremely hot, and we had to sleep directly on the floor without any mattresses, blankets, or covers. The prison cell I was in held twenty detainees in a four-by-four meter space. We had to take turns sleeping; one group would sleep while the other stayed awake. This led to the spread of viral infections among us, and they did not provide medical aid even when we caught colds or other illnesses. The torture and poor conditions worsened my health, causing my lymph nodes to swell, a condition I still suffer from today. Due to this swelling, I find it difficult to work and live my life as I did before my enforced disappearance and torture. They refused to release any detainee, no matter how severe their condition. There was one detainee in my cell who developed leukemia. Despite his deteriorating condition, they only released him when he was critically ill. He died at home ten days after his release due to the worsening of his condition."
A torture victim recounts his experience while detained by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group authorities: "I was taken into a room where they interrogated me and brutally beat me with their hands, shoes, and electrical wires. They attempted to strangle me with their hands, threatened me with a gun, and urinated in my mouth. They forced me to sign a document without knowing its contents, under pressure and coercion."
In another account of torture, the mother of a victim detained by Ansar Allah (Houthi) group authorities told Mwatana, "After my son had been detained and disappeared for some time, I finally found out where he was being held. He appeared on television confessing to killing a Houthi military commander and collaborating with the enemy. When I visited him, I screamed at him, asking why he confessed to murder and working for the enemy. My son shouted back, 'Mother, you don’t know how they tortured me. They hung me on an iron board for five days, tied my penis until it bled, and I’m still bleeding and unable to urinate.'"
She added, "My son cried out, ignoring the soldiers around us, telling me that he confessed under duress and that his statements were neither voluntary nor truthful."
Mwatana for Human Rights calls on all parties to the conflict to cease committing acts of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Mwatana emphasizes the necessity of holding those responsible for such violations accountable and urges all parties to adhere to national and international legal and humanitarian obligations that criminalize these actions. Mwatana reminds all parties in Yemen that the crime of torture is one of the violations that do not lapse with time.
