Shocking Testimonies Place the File of UAE-Run Secret Prisons in Yemen Before International Accountability

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom / Agencies:

The testimony of a former detainee in Hadramawt Governorate has revealed shocking details regarding the existence of secret prisons inside Al-Rayyan Airport in the city of Mukalla during the period when the airport was under the administration of Emirati forces. The testimony spoke of systematic patterns of physical and psychological torture, and detention outside any legal or oversight framework.

Ali Hassan Baqutian, a civil activist and director of a development foundation in Mukalla, recounts that he spent more than a hundred days in detention as part of a series of arrests following bombings that struck the city during Ramadan in 2016. He explained that these arrests targeted employees of his foundation without any official warrants, as their homes were directly raided by military vehicles.

According to his account, the beginning of his detention was at an intelligence headquarters, where he was blindfolded and handcuffed immediately upon arrival before being placed in a cramped cell with a number of other detainees in sweltering heat. Despite no charges being proven during preliminary investigations, he was later informed that his detention came at the direct request of Emirati investigators.

In late Ramadan of the same year, he was transferred with others to a detention center inside Al-Rayyan Airport. There, he was confronted by an Emirati officer with an offer for release in exchange for providing confessions against various figures belonging to different political and religious movements—an offer he refused, leading to his detention for additional months.

Baqutian describes Al-Rayyan detention center as metal shipping containers placed on the airport runway, unequipped for detention, which became suffocating places by day and freezing at night. He added that detainees were forced to sleep huddled together on the floor, with lights kept on 24 hours a day and eyes blindfolded even inside the cells.

He noted that the soldiers used pseudonyms to hide their identities and that the investigations were characterized by contradiction, as he was simultaneously accused of belonging to politically and ideologically opposing organizations. He also spoke of repeated insults, beatings, and humiliating practices against detainees, in addition to harsh psychological pressure tactics.

The former detainee confirmed that the violations were not limited to him but also affected the elderly and young minors held under the same conditions. He pointed out that fear was a primary tool for managing the prison, carried out by figures known among the prisoners for their direct role in torture.

After more than three months, he was released at dawn and returned home. However, the release—according to him—was accompanied by blackmail attempts and offers to work for the entities supervising the prison, which he refused, leading to his later re-arrest.

Baqutian also revealed that investigators pressured detainees to provide any information that could be linked to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, even in the absence of evidence—a claim confirmed by several other detainees who shared his period of imprisonment.

He concluded his testimony by questioning the effectiveness of what was called “counter-terrorism,” wondering why individuals actually involved in violence were released while civil activists were arrested and tortured. He emphasized that his release from prison does not mean justice has been achieved, considering that true fairness begins with revealing the truth and holding those responsible for turning a civilian airport into a secret detention center accountable.

For his part, the Yemeni Minister of Information, Tourism, and Culture, Moammar al-Eryani, stressed that these prisons do not follow any official legal or security system and operate outside the authority of the state and the Yemeni constitution. He confirmed that establishing detention centers outside state institutions represents an explicit violation of Yemeni law and international humanitarian law, noting that the state did not authorize any local or foreign party to carry out arrests or investigations outside the legal framework.