Rights Organization: Torture in Yemen Is a Systematic Practice Fueled by Impunity

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said yesterday that torture remains one of the most serious systematic violations affecting thousands of Yemenis held in various detention facilities. The organization warned that the continued lack of accountability has entrenched torture as a recurring practice that threatens the rule of law and undermines prospects for peace and justice.

The statement was issued on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed annually on June 26.

SAM said that while the international community marks this occasion, victims of torture and their families in Yemen continue to search for truth and justice, while many of those responsible for these abuses remain unpunished. It stressed that torture is an absolute crime under international law and cannot be justified under any circumstances.

The organization noted that Yemen’s conflict, now ongoing for more than a decade, has created fertile ground for the spread of torture and ill-treatment in both official and unofficial detention facilities. During 2025 and 2026, SAM documented dozens of cases involving severe beatings, prolonged solitary confinement, enforced disappearance, denial of medical care, and psychological humiliation.

SAM stated that it was among the first human rights organizations to expose the existence of illegal prisons and secret detention centers in Yemen beginning in 2016. Through reports and witness testimonies, it helped bring international attention to systematic patterns of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture.

The organization also expressed concern over continued reports of detainees dying inside prisons controlled by the Houthi group or shortly after their release, allegedly as a result of torture or medical neglect.

It cited several recent cases, including:

• The death of detainee Muadh Hamid Nasser Tafyan inside a detention center in Sana’a.
• The death of prisoner Abdul Karim Abdullah Mohammed Al-Faqih at the Dhi Al-Sufal Prosecution Prison in Ibb Governorate under what SAM described as mysterious circumstances.
• The death of teacher Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al-Hulmani, who died days after his release due to injuries allegedly sustained during detention.

SAM further stated that the issue of secret prisons and the abuses associated with them remains one of Yemen’s most urgent human rights concerns. It said victim testimonies and documented incidents from 2025 and 2026 indicate that allegations of torture continue at unofficial detention facilities in Aden and Hadramawt.

The organization pointed to a report issued by the UN Panel of Experts in October 2025, which documented widespread and systematic abuses against women in detention centers, including the use of electric shocks and other forms of torture.

According to SAM, these abuses included suspension, nail removal, severe beatings, prolonged solitary confinement, and deprivation of food and medical care, with the aim of extracting forced confessions or coercing detainees into signing pledges and documents under duress.

The organization also highlighted sexual violence in detention centers as one of the gravest documented violations, citing reports that women and girls had been subjected to rape, sexual exploitation, and blackmail in detention facilities run by the Houthi group.

SAM expressed concern over the reappointment of individuals previously named in victims’ testimonies and earlier human rights reports to security and executive positions. It argued that such appointments send negative messages to victims and undermine public confidence in state institutions and the judiciary.

The organization emphasized that the consequences of torture do not end upon a victim’s release. Many survivors continue to suffer long-term physical, psychological, social, and economic effects. It called for comprehensive national rehabilitation programs that include medical and psychological treatment, legal assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and fair compensation.

SAM stressed that combating torture requires comprehensive institutional reforms in the security and judicial sectors, strengthening judicial independence, ensuring effective oversight of detention facilities, and criminalizing all forms of torture in accordance with the UN Convention Against Torture.

The organization said that the continuation of the war, institutional fragmentation, and the absence of accountability are the primary reasons these violations persist. It argued that any serious peace process must address cases of torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention.

SAM called on all Yemeni parties to immediately release those arbitrarily detained, disclose the fate of forcibly disappeared persons, and allow independent judicial and oversight bodies unrestricted access to detention facilities.

It also urged the international community and the United Nations to support accountability efforts and transitional justice mechanisms and to ensure that perpetrators of torture are brought to justice.

In its concluding statement, SAM reaffirmed its solidarity with torture victims, survivors, and their families, stressing that human dignity is a fundamental right that must never be violated. The organization stated that building a state governed by the rule of law in Yemen begins with ending torture, uncovering the truth, delivering justice to victims, and holding those responsible for these crimes accountable.