Rights Organization: Crime Rate Rises by 500% in Houthi-Controlled Areas
Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom:
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms revealed that the crime rate in areas controlled by the Houthi group has increased by 500% during the current year.
According to the organization, most of these crimes are linked to Houthi leaders or to fighters returning from battlefronts, as well as individuals who have participated in sectarian indoctrination programs.
Several Houthi-controlled governorates have witnessed a wave of brutal crimes in recent days, including murders, kidnappings, and assaults in the governorates of Raymah, Ibb, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Sanaa, and Amran.
In Raymah Governorate, Houthi leader Abdu Ibrahim Jureid committed a gruesome crime by killing and dismembering his 17-year-old wife, reportedly with the help of a gang suspected of involvement in human organ trafficking.
In Ibb, two murders were recorded — one committed by a husband who killed his wife in Ba’dan District, and another by a Houthi militant who murdered his stepmother.
In Al-Jawf, a 12-year-old girl was beaten to death by her father, Mutahr Ashoul, after beating her on the head repeatedly.
In Al-Bayda, a man was found hanged, under suspicious circumstances suggesting foul play.
In the capital, Sanaa, a 10-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped over two days in the Bani Al-Harith District, while 12-year-old Hisham Abdullah was abducted, beaten, and threatened with slaughter by an armed gang.
In Amran Governorate, two murders were reported — one involving a young man who strangled his stepmother before fleeing to Saada.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms stated that the rise in killings, domestic violence, and assaults against women and children reflects the dangerous sectarian ideology and indoctrination programs imposed by the militia on its followers.
The organization described these violations as a form of systematic terrorism that threatens Yemeni society, spreads fear and chaos, and undermines social cohesion and civil peace.
During the first half of this year, the network documented 123 murders and 46 injuries across 14 Yemeni governorates, noting that the proliferation of weapons, combined with deteriorating living and psychological conditions, has fueled the surge in crime.
Observers say these incidents reveal a deteriorating security situation in Houthi-controlled areas, where justice institutions are absent and perpetrators often escape accountability by seeking tribal protection or backing from influential Houthi leaders.
