100 Victims Expose Violations of Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance in Hadramawt
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The city of Mukalla witnessed, today Monday, a public hearing session held by the National Commission to Investigate Allegations of Human Rights Violations, during which more than one hundred victims recounted their personal stories of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance. This came as part of the commission’s investigations into violations that have occurred since 2016 along the Hadramawt coast.
The session—attended by commission members Judges Hussein Al-Mashdali, Mohammed Talyan, Nasser Al-Awdhali, and Ishraq Al-Maqtari—heard victims’ testimonies about the unlawful practices they endured, including illegal detention, physical and psychological torture, deprivation of contact with their families, and in some cases death under torture inside official and unofficial prisons and government detention centers.
The victims said they were taken from their homes, workplaces, or public roads, then transferred to secret locations where they were subjected to mistreatment and multiple forms of violence and torture, resulting in permanent injuries, disfigurement, and psychological disorders.
They also submitted lists of the accused, details of detention facility locations, and attached medical reports, photographs, and video footage documenting their health conditions upon release. They demanded the prosecution of those responsible for the violations, individual and collective reparations, justice for all those harmed, and the restoration of their human dignity.
According to its sources, the commission affirmed that this session represents an important step toward documenting violations and holding those responsible accountable, reflecting its commitment to transparency and openness in listening to victims and their legitimate demands.
Earlier, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Al-Khanbashi, said at a press conference broadcast on Yemeni television that “Hadramawt has recently suffered from militias loyal to the President of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, and supported by the UAE, which swept through the governorate, terrorized peaceful residents, and committed violations and crimes of looting, killing, and vandalism of state property.”
Al-Khanbashi revealed the discovery of secret prisons and underground cells in Hadramawt that were used for torture and enforced disappearance, noting that violations committed against Yemenis are being documented and that there will be an opportunity to visit a number of these prisons. He affirmed that “all legal measures will be taken against the UAE and the armed groups affiliated with Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, justice will be applied, and the law will take its course.”
