Yemen Monitor | Newsroom:
On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the National Committee for Prisoners and Abductees reaffirmed its commitment to defending the rights of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons, and to supporting victims of grave human rights violations in prisons and detention centers run by the Houthi armed group—where abuses were described as “horrific.”
In its statement, the committee expressed deep concern over the brutal practices committed against detainees, stressing that what occurs in these facilities blatantly violates humanitarian principles and international law. It described the abuses as a systematic pattern of violations that amount to crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute and other relevant international conventions.
According to the committee’s documentation, the Houthis operate an extensive network of 778 prisons and detention centers across 17 Yemeni provinces, including official, secret, and private prisons. These facilities systematically use degrading forms of physical and psychological torture, such as severe beatings, hanging, burning, branding, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, verbal abuse, and sexual assaults.
Between 2014 and 2025, the committee recorded 2,388 cases of torture, including 275 women and 67 children, along with 324 deaths inside those detention facilities. These deaths were caused by either direct torture or medical neglect, and include the deaths of 12 children and 2 women. The committee emphasized that these numbers reflect a deliberate and systemic policy, not isolated incidents.
The committee called for urgent international action, demanding the formation of an independent and impartial international investigation committee to examine these violations, ensure accountability, and end impunity. It also urged the immediate and unconditional release of all abductees, forcibly disappeared persons, and those held outside the bounds of law, as well as the closure of all secret and private prisons.
Furthermore, the committee stressed the importance of allowing local and international human rights organizations access to these detention sites to assess the humanitarian conditions, and to provide psychological, medical, and legal support to victims and their families, in accordance with Article 14 of the Convention Against Torture.
It also called on the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to include these violations in his periodic reports and to conduct an urgent field visit to Yemen to monitor and evaluate detainee conditions.
Finally, the committee warned that continued international silence in the face of such crimes threatens not only the pursuit of justice but also encourages their repetition. It urged the global community to make this day a moment of real accountability and effective pressure to end torture and bring justice to its victims.
