September Violations: Houthis Turn Sanaa into an Open-Air Prison, Targeting Even Women

Yemen Monitor / Special Report:

In a scene that reflects the extent of Houthi arrogance and violations of basic human rights, Yemen’s capital Sanaa and several other provinces under Houthi control have, in recent days, turned into an open stage for sweeping crackdowns. These campaigns have included mass arrests, home raids, humiliating searches of women, and even the inspection of their personal phones—an unprecedented practice in Yemeni society.

According to rights reports and local testimonies, the Houthi group carried out a wave of arrests that affected hundreds of civilians in Sanaa, Amran, Hajjah, Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Ibb, and Taiz governorates.

Arrest methods varied between storming citizens’ homes, abducting passersby from streets and checkpoints, chasing people through residential neighborhoods, and even raiding entire rural villages.

The group deployed massive forces in military and security uniforms, backed by masked gunmen, spreading fear across main and side streets while setting up heavily fortified checkpoints at neighborhood entrances.

A blatant violation of women’s dignity

Women were not spared from these campaigns. The group employed its so-called “Zeinabiyat” female force in search operations, targeting women and girls. Reports documented instances of body searches and coercion to unlock their phones, with officers browsing through private photos and personal messages.

One painful incident was documented by physician Nadheer Al-Aswadi, who wrote on Facebook that Houthi forces stopped his two daughters—both doctors—in a Sanaa street, subjecting them to humiliating searches of their phones and private messages. The ordeal left them in shock and drove the family to consider leaving Yemen permanently.

September anniversary turned into a “season of terror”

What was supposed to be a unifying national occasion turned, under Houthi repression, into a season of fear. Rights groups recorded arrests of citizens merely for raising the Yemeni flag, expressing joy over the September 26 Revolution, or posting simple remarks on social media.

The American Center for Justice expressed its shock over the campaign, which targeted hundreds of students, employees, writers, and activists. It stressed that what is happening constitutes a flagrant violation of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, amounting to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance—both prohibited under international law.

Shocking numbers and enforced disappearances

According to the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, nearly 613 people were arrested and forcibly disappeared in recent days alone, bringing the total number of detainees since last year to more than 1,063 citizens.

This month alone, around 123 home raids were documented, carried out because residents planned to celebrate the revolution or raise the national flag.

Most tragically, many families still do not know the fate of their loved ones, who were abducted from streets or homes and taken to secret detention facilities at unknown locations.

Houthi fear of the republican spirit

Deputy Minister of Human Rights Majed Fadhael said these violations reveal the extent of the Houthis’ fear of the spirit of the September 26 Revolution and the values of the republic that remain alive in the hearts of Yemenis. He noted that the militia is using every means to erase national identity and silence dissent.

Rights organizations have called on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent action to secure the immediate release of all abductees, halt Houthi repression, and open an independent international investigation to hold perpetrators accountable for these grave violations.

Meanwhile, as the group continues arresting children, youth, and even the elderly simply for raising the national flag, residents of Sanaa and other areas under its control live in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. The capital, once envisioned as a cradle of freedom and republican values, has become more akin to a massive prison that suffocates every free voice.