“Euro-Med Monitor” Calls for International Investigation into Secret UAE-Run Prisons in Southern Yemen

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has called for an urgent and independent international investigation into allegations regarding the discovery of illegal prisons and detention facilities in several areas of southern Yemen. These sites were previously under the control of Emirati forces prior to their recent withdrawal.

In a press statement issued Wednesday, the Monitor explained that preliminary inspections of the discovered sites indicate physical evidence suspected of being linked to practices of torture, ill-treatment, and grave violations of human dignity. It noted that these indicators align with documented testimonies provided by victims and former detainees who spoke of arbitrary detention and torture within those facilities.

The Monitor considered these developments a pivotal step toward legal accountability and a genuine opportunity to achieve justice for victims of enforced disappearance and the gross violations that have targeted civilians over the past years.

On Monday, the Governor of Hadramawt, Salem al-Khanbashi, accused the United Arab Emirates of operating an underground secret prison inside the Al-Rayyan Airbase near the city of Mukalla. He also accused them of storing explosives and booby-trapping materials inside the base—accusations that local authorities say are documented with evidence.

Euro-Med Monitor emphasized the importance of preserving sites suspected of being used as secret detention centers and ensuring they are not tampered with or altered. This would allow international investigation committees to conduct independent technical examinations to verify the nature of their use. The Monitor called for the application of the principle of accountability in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.

It noted that the transfer of control of these sites to Yemeni government authorities opens the door to activating international mechanisms that have long been stalled, primarily enabling the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to visit these facilities. It urged the Yemeni government to facilitate these visits and provide the necessary guarantees for their success.

The Monitor stated that preliminary monitoring revealed sites potentially used as secret prisons in the governorates of Aden, Lahj, Al-Dhale, and Hadramawt, including facilities in the “Dhabba” area of Mukalla. These were designed with harsh structural features intended to multiply the suffering of detainees and leave long-term physical and psychological effects.

Furthermore, it noted that documented video footage showed narrow cells and harsh detention conditions that may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment prohibited under international law. These data points intersect with local human rights reports discussing a network of unofficial prisons across several southern provinces.

The Monitor asserted that the UAE Ministry of Defense’s denial of the existence of secret detention facilities does not negate the volume of intersecting evidence and documented testimonies. It demanded that Special Rapporteurs on torture, enforced disappearances, and human rights submit urgent requests to visit Yemen and form an independent international fact-finding committee.

It also called on the international community to take practical steps to ensure those responsible for these violations are held accountable and to prevent impunity. It urged the Yemeni government to prepare a comprehensive legal framework for victim redress, including providing medical care, psychological support, witness protection, and ensuring that such violations do not recur in the future.

Governor al-Khanbashi had previously accused the UAE of supervising a series of violations in the province, including enforced disappearances, torture, and the management of secret detention facilities. He confirmed that local authorities documented these violations and discovered large quantities of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside the Al-Rayyan Airbase near Mukalla.