BBC Investigation Reveals New Evidence of Secret Prisons Run by the UAE in Yemen
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Recent reports have revealed the existence of a network of secret prisons operated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yemen, raising questions about its role in human rights violations during the country’s decade-long civil war.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated that it obtained permission to enter detention centers located in former Emirati military bases, where it documented evidence of serious abuses. Former detainees spoke of being subjected to beatings and sexual assault inside these facilities, while cells and shipping containers were seen with the names of detainees and dates etched into their walls.
Two military bases in southern Yemen were visited, where detention facilities were found that raise questions about the nature of the treatment of detainees. While the UAE has previously denied these allegations, the evidence gathered by the BBC aligns with independent testimonies collected by human rights organizations.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government invited journalists to visit these sites, where they viewed detention facilities that former detainees described as inhumane. According to detainee testimonies, up to 60 people were locked inside a single shipping container, where they were handcuffed, blindfolded, and forced to sit at all times without the possibility of lying down. They also spoke of being subjected to torture and threats of being sent to Guantanamo if they did not confess to belonging to Al-Qaeda.
One former detainee confirmed that he was subjected to beatings and sexual assault on a daily basis throughout his detention, noting that Emirati soldiers and Yemeni fighters were among those holding the detainees. Families of the detainees also spoke of their children’s suffering; one mother said her teenage son was arrested nine years ago and was subjected to torture and electric shocks.
These reports come at a time of increasing tension in relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, especially after the withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen in early January 2023. Yemeni government forces and their allies have regained control over large areas of the south, including the detention centers formerly run by the UAE.
The Head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council has ordered the closure of all illegal prisons in the southern provinces and called for the immediate release of those detained outside the framework of the law. However, human rights organizations warn that arbitrary detention may continue under the control of other parties.
