Rights Group Documents Nearly 5,000 Houthi Violations in Hodeidah During 2025

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms documented 4,868 violations attributed to the Houthi militia throughout 2025 in Yemen's western Hodeidah Governorate, cataloging offenses including extrajudicial killings, extensive landmine planting, arbitrary detentions, and the use of civilians as human shields.

The organization released its findings in a report titled "Hodeidah… Human Shields in the Garden of Death," detailing that the documented abuses included 262 instances of killing, among which were 51 children and 37 women. Furthermore, 225 individuals sustained injuries, including 47 children and 40 women.

According to the report, landmines reportedly planted by the militia resulted in the deaths of approximately 80 civilians, including 19 children and eight women, and injured 66 others, comprising 14 children and eight women. The report also noted that the districts of Hays, Al Khawkhah, Al Tuhayta, and Al Durayhimi faced recurrent shelling from mortar rounds, Katyusha rockets, and artillery, fostering continuous displacement and fear among the resident population.

The network documented 2,304 cases of arrest and abduction, which encompassed 274 instances of enforced disappearance, 38 cases of torture, 21 instances of using civilians as human shields, and nine summary executions within detention centers. An additional 11 deaths were attributed to medical negligence. The group also reported observing the establishment of 72 secret prisons in areas under the militia’s control.

Regarding civilian property, the report documented 1,024 violations, including damage to 842 homes either partially or totally, 1,354 raids and home invasions, 131 instances of asset confiscation, 23 cases of home booby-trapping and demolition, nine instances of public bridge destruction, and the theft of 98 private vehicles. Additionally, 64 violations were recorded against places of worship.

The report further accused the Iran-backed militia of utilizing the Port of Hodeidah for smuggling prohibited weapons and materials. The Network asserted that the documented figures reflect a "systematic pattern" of abuses, urging the United Nations and the international community to exert pressure to halt these actions, secure the release of detainees, impose sanctions on those responsible, support demining programs, and refer what it termed grave crimes to international accountability mechanisms.