A Yemeni human rights organization reported that it has monitored 1,969 cases of enforced disappearance, including 203 women, inside prisons affiliated with the Houthi rebels.
The The Erada Organization for Combating Torture and Enforced Disappearance revelation happened Monday, in United Nations Office in Geneva during a meeting with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
The Organization’s report, titled: “The Houthis and the Secrets of Secret Detention Centers and Prisons,” detailed that the victims are subjected to grave violations amounting to crimes against humanity, including torture, denial of fundamental rights, and complete isolation from the outside world.
During the presentation, Jamal Al-Ma’amari, the organization’s head explained that the Houthi rebels pursues a systematic policy based on enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest.
He noted that the Houthis have reneged on UN efforts regarding the file of the kidnapped and have instead escalated their attacks on UN employees through kidnappings, fabrication of charges, and character assassination.
For its part, the UN Working Group condemned the practices of the Houthi rebels, considering them a “heinous crime” that contradicts international law and UN conventions. It affirmed its full support for the victims until their freedom is restored.