Rights Group Demands Release of 100+ Detainees Held by Houthi Militia in Dhamar

A human rights organization has reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of over 100 civilian detainees held by the Houthi militia in prisons in Dhamar Governorate, with some individuals having been detained for more than nine years.

Musaawa for Rights and Freedoms stated on Saturday that more than 100 civilian detainees, including 20 young men who have received arbitrary death sentences, remain in Houthi militia custody. They are reportedly subjected to torture and endure severe humanitarian and psychological conditions under harsh and unlawful detention circumstances.

The organization emphasized that the systematic abduction campaigns witnessed in Dhamar Governorate, which have targeted civilians, activists, educators, and social figures from the region, constitute a flagrant violation of fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by national laws and international covenants.

Musaawa urged the United Nations and international and human rights organizations to assume their humanitarian and legal responsibilities regarding the detainees. The group called for pressure on the Houthi militia to release all abducted and forcibly disappeared individuals held in their prisons.

The organization highlighted that the issue of civilian detainees in Yemen is one of the most prominent humanitarian files that necessitates serious and urgent international action to address it and end the suffering of those detained. Musaawa stressed the importance of taking action to end all forms of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, halt all violations targeting Yemeni civilians, and work towards holding perpetrators accountable and achieving justice for the victims and their families.