Prisoners’ Authority Exposes “Systematic and Horrific Violations” in Houthi Prisons
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The National Authority for Prisoners and Detainees has accused Yemen’s Houthi group of committing “systematic and horrific” abuses against detainees in its prisons, describing the practices as crimes against humanity and calling for urgent international intervention to end what it termed “barbaric acts.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the authority said it had received verified reports and testimonies from families of detainees documenting a sharp escalation in both psychological and physical torture, alongside denial of basic human rights, particularly in Hadda and Shamlan prisons.
According to the statement, family visits have been turned into a form of psychological torture, conducted under strict surveillance that prevents meaningful communication. Even handshakes are prohibited, and visits have been reduced to less than ten minutes.
The authority also reported degrading practices, including stripping detainees of clothes and blankets at the onset of cold weather and forcing them to sleep on bare concrete floors, worsening their health conditions. Several sick detainees, it added, were denied treatment and had their medicines confiscated in what it described as a policy of “slow extermination.”
The statement further noted that detainees engaged in religious activities such as Quran memorization or preaching face severe punishments, including transfer to harsher prisons and complete isolation from the outside world. It cited the case of one detainee who was transferred from Shamlan to Hadda prison, after which all contact with him was lost.
The authority urged the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and human rights organizations to assume their humanitarian and legal responsibilities by pressuring the Houthis to halt abuses, guarantee detainees’ basic rights, and work toward their unconditional release, particularly of the sick, elderly, and minors.
It warned that the continued silence of the international community amounts to giving the Houthis a “green light” to commit further crimes against detainees.
