The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has documented numerous human rights violations in Yemen over the past two and a half months, perpetrated by various parties to the current conflict. These include the continued arbitrary detention of a number of United Nations staff members and others, as well as ongoing violations of the civil and human rights of citizens, including journalists, one of whom has been sentenced to death. GCHR expresses its concern over reports of the continued arbitrary detention of a group of citizens, including minors, in Lahj Governorate.

25 citizens victims of arbitrary arrest and serious violations

GCHR condemns in the strongest terms the grave violations that the Fourth Brigade (Mountain Infantry) continues to commit against innocent civilians in Lahj Governorate, which is under the control of the legitimate government recognised by the international community. These grave violations have included raids and searches of homes without a judicial warrant, the abduction and enforced disappearance of dozens of citizens, and the brutal torture of civilians.

Since July 2023, forces of the Fourth Mountain Rangers Brigade, including armed men in civilian clothes, have carried out arbitrary arrest campaigns. These included the detention of 25 people, including three minors, in illegal prisons run by the brigade itself, where they are subjected to horrific torture. The brigade commander has refused to implement successive judicial orders for their release and has denied them contact with their families.

The brutal torture to which the detainees were subjected included humiliating physical and psychological abuse, beatings with wooden sticks and iron bars, electric shocks, severe beatings, and interrogation until late at night while blindfolded, in order to force them to confess to crimes they did not commit.

GCHR has reviewed the extensive efforts made by the detainees’ families, as well as copies of their requests and correspondence with the relevant authorities and their responses, all of which were ignored by the brigade commander. Instead of halting the violations, those who contacted the official authorities and filed complaints against these inhumane practices were themselves then targeted.

Among these correspondences is an official document bearing the number 261 issued by the Public Prosecution on 03 December 2024, addressed to the commander of the Mountain Brigade, requesting that the detainees’ families and their lawyers be allowed to visit them. However, this request was met with complete disregard, and they were only allowed a single visit after a long wait, at the end of March 2025.

The families demand the immediate release of the detainees and the provision of medical treatment for those who are ill, an independent and transparent investigation into all violations that occurred, legal action against the perpetrators, and the activation of the role of the security forces in accordance with the law.

Informed sources confirmed that two detainees, Shihab Alwan and Yasser Al-Nasseri, who have been forcibly disappeared since July 2023, were brutally tortured, including severe blows to the head, which caused them to fall into a coma. They were then transferred to the hospital, still motionless, for treatment. There has been no news of them since then, despite memoranda issued by the Minister of Defense, the Military Prosecutor General, and the Public Prosecution. Their fate remains unknown, and they have not been released.

Four of the detainees whose cases are documented

The photo published above represents the following four detainees, three brothers and their brother-in-law: Ahmed Zaed Sultan Hamid Mohammed, 17, arrested on 10 October 2023; Mohammed Sultan Hamid Mohammed, 16, arrested on 01 December 2023; Naif Sultan Hamid Mohammed, 26, arrested on 17 October 2023; and Nader Murtada Noman Abdullah Mohammed, 19, arrested on 06 November 2023. They all live in the Akahla area of ​​Maqatra District, Lahj Governorate.

Their father said in a written statement seen by GCHR, “The charges against them are malicious and fabricated.” These alleged charges relate to a bombing whose perpetrators have been arrested.

GCHR calls on the Presidential Leadership Council, which represents the internationally-recognised Yemeni government, to fulfill its moral obligations towards its citizens and work to release all detainees immediately. The Council must establish an independent committee to swiftly investigate all violations and bring the perpetrators to justice. It must also hold accountable the security forces and judicial authorities, including the military prosecution, who have failed to stop these violations. It must also work to close all legal prisons in and outside Lahj Governorate.

Mothers of arbitrarily-detained juveniles organise protest

On 12 April 2025, mothers of juveniles arbitrarily detained in the prisons of the Fourth Brigade (Mountain Infantry) in Halaj Governorate organized a protest in the city of Al-Turbah, southwest of Taiz Governorate. They reiterated their previous demands for the immediate release of their sons or their referral to the competent judicial authorities, and for their unlawful detention to end.

Journalist Sahar Al-Khawlani released

On 05 February 2025, TV producer Sahar Al-Khawlani, 37, announced in a video posted on her Facebook page that she and her two children, Kyan (9 years old) and Abdulhamid (5 years old), had been released the previous evening and were in good health. She now uses her page to address daily issues of concern to citizens and provide support to those in need, after spending nearly five months in arbitrary detention.

In an arbitrary measure that contravenes all human rights conventions, the Houthi group targeted members of her family upon her arrest. Her husband, Suhaib Al-Maqaleh, her two children, and her brother, Taha Al-Khawlani, were also arrested. Her husband was released along with her and their children, while her brother was released on 14 February 2024.

On 10 October 2024, Houthi security forces arrested her, from her home and took her to an unknown location. The arrest, according to reliable local sources, was due to her continuous criticism on social media, including her X account, of the Houthi group, her opposition to corruption, and her calls for reform, especially her criticism before her arrest of policies related to imposing exorbitant tuition fees on students, and not including master’s students, of whom she is one, in the decision to reduce fees by 30%. These fees are being imposed at a time when the de facto authorities have not paid the salaries of government employees.

Journalist Fahd Yahya Al-Arhabi released

On 19 February 2025, journalist Fahd Yahya Al-Arhabi was released from the Security and Intelligence Service prison in Amran Governorate, under Houthi control, after nearly six months of arbitrary detention.

This followed sustained solidarity efforts by human rights and journalistic organisations, in addition to the deterioration of his health due to the lack of medical care and ill-treatment in prison.

On 21 August 2024, journalist Al-Arhabi was arrested and detained in a prison affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Service in Amran Governorate. His arrest is linked to his posts on social media in which he rejected the seizure of lands belonging to the Amran Cement Factory by an influential group, where he served as a media official before being dismissed and having his salary stopped by the Houthi group that controls this governorate. He was arrested twice in the past.

Journalist and writer Mohammed Al-Mayahy remains in detention

Journalist and writer Mohammed Dabwan Al-Mayahy is still a victim of arbitrary detention, and is being held incommunicado.

On the morning of 20 September 2024, an armed force affiliated with the Houthi group arrested him from his home in the centre of the Sana’a, and took him to an unknown location. Reliable local reports confirmed that he is being held incommunicado in a prison affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Service. The charges against him at that time have not been disclosed and he has been prevented from communicating with his family or lawyer.

On 13 January 2025, his case was referred to the Press and Publications Prosecution and Court as he is a journalist.

On the same day, prominent human rights lawyer Abdulmajeed Sabra posted the following on his Facebook page, “We attended the investigation today with journalist Mohammed Al-Mayahy…at the Specialised Criminal Prosecution in Sana’a, and the investigating member decided to refer his case to the Press and Publications Prosecution and Court because he is a journalist. The charge attributed to him is related to his work as a journalist, which, according to the General Directorate of Police Intelligence, is publishing inflammatory articles against the state and its political system.”

Al-Mayahy is known for his harsh criticism of the Houthi group through his writings that he regularly publishes on social media networks, which informed local sources confirmed were the reason for his arrest. In June 2022, he celebrated the publication of his first novel, entitled “The Little Philosopher”.

Actress and model Intisar Al-Hammadi remains in prison

Actress and model Intisar Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi has served four years and two months of her five-year prison sentence. Reliable reports confirm that she remains in the central prison, and her psychological state has improved after being transferred from the notorious outer section to the relatively comfortable inner section. She also receives regular visits from her mother, who urges the authorities to release her.

GCHR learned from informed sources that the Public Prosecutor in Sana’a received a request for her release on 12 August 2024, pursuant to Article (506) of the 1994 Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows the release of a convict after they have served three-quarters of their sentence. However, he has not yet issued a decision on this matter.

On 31 January 2024, the High Court rejected the appeal filed by Al-Hammadi against the ruling of the Court of Appeal which sentenced her to prison. The High Court ruled, due to the fact that the power of attorney drawn up for her lawyer, Saqr Al-Samawi, had a date that preceded the issuance of the ruling against her. GCHR has seen a copy of the verdict.

On 12 February 2023, the Court of Appeal in Sana’a held a session in which it upheld the initial sentence of five years’ imprisonment issued against her. The court lacked the minimum international standards for fair trial and legal procedures, and issued its verdict without discussing the legal notes submitted by the defense team.  

On 08 November 2021, the West Capital Municipality Court of First Instance in Sana’a, sentenced Al-Hammadi to five years in prison for alleged prostitution and drug use.

On 20 February 2021, Houthis in civilian clothes arrested her without an arrest warrant at a checkpoint in Sana’a. She remained subject to enforced disappearance for several days, before the launch of a widespread popular solidarity campaign that forced the Houthi group to refer her case to the judiciary. Her arrest led to a solidarity campaign used the hashtag: #Freedom_for_Entisar_AlHammadi

Al-Hammadi is still serving her sentence in the Central Prison. GCHR has previously documented that, on 21 July 2022, she was severely beaten by the head of the ward in which she wa staying, and another prison official.  

Young citizen dies in detention under mysterious circumstances

On 23 January 2025, young citizen Mohammed Rajab Bamhafuz was arrested by a group of individuals in civilian clothes without any official arrest warrants. The arrest took place in the Rukab area, a neighbourhood in the city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut Governorate, which is under the control of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government. Following his arrest, he was transferred to the city’s Anti-Narcotics Department, where he was pronounced dead just two hours after his arrest.

On 11 February 2025, residents of the Rukab area held a solidarity rally to denounce Bamhafuz’s death in the Anti-Narcotics Department’s prison. Protesters condemned his death and demanded an immediate and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the incident. During the rally, the victim’s father delivered a speech calling on all authorities to work to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Anti-Narcotics Department in Hadhramaut Governorate issued a statement denying that Bamhafuz died as a result of torture, but his family disputed this.

GCHR calls on the local authorities in Mukalla Governorate to exert all efforts to uncover the truth about what happened to Bamhafuz, and to take all necessary measures to protect the lives of citizens detained in government prisons.

Three journalists briefly arrested

On 16 April 2025, security forces affiliated with the Security Department of Haridah District, Hadhramaut Governorate, arrested journalist Awad Saleh Kashmeem while he was strolling through a market in the area and took him to an unknown location. He was released three days later, on 19 April 2025. His arrest was due to his journalistic activity and came days after his home in Haridah was raided.

GCHR previously documented that the Hadhramaut Criminal Court issued a one-year suspended prison sentence against Kashmeem, who serves as head of the Rights and Freedoms Committee of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate’s Hadhramaut branch. The sentence is related to opinions Kashmeem published in various media outlets, including his Facebook page.

On 07 March 2025, journalist Hussam Ahmed Bakri, a correspondent for Yemen Today TV, posted the following on his Facebook page: “Thank God, I returned half an hour ago to my family and children, after 11 days of separation. I thank you, my dear friends and colleagues, for your solidarity and support.”

Bakri was arrested on 24 March 2025, in the city of Mokha, in the Taiz Governorate, southwest of Yemen, while eating breakfast with a friend. He was arrested by an armed force affiliated with the Seventh Brigade, which controls the area, and was subsequently imprisoned by this brigade. The brigade is part of the joint forces led by Tariq Saleh, a member of the Presidential Council.

His arrest is linked to a post he wrote on his Facebook page, which he uses to express his personal opinions and convey the suffering of citizens. In the post, he criticised the Seventh Brigade commander’s decision to ban sports activities during Ramadan.

On 20 February 2025, a security force raided the home of journalist Emad Mahdi Al-Daini in the city of Mukalla. They assaulted him in front of his family, including his children, terrifying them all. They then took him to an unknown location without a warrant or any explanation. He was released on 23 February 2025, after the Attorney General of the Republic issued directives to refer the complaint from the Financial Prosecution Office to the West Mukalla Prosecution Office. Some press reports confirmed that his targeting was linked to the discovery of a small refinery operating illegally in Hawsh, in the Rayyan area.

Al-Daini is a member of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, president of the Observers Foundation for Independent Media, and editor-in-chief of the Hadhramaut News newspaper.

On 06 March 2025, he wrote an article on the Observers Press website, affiliated with the Observers Foundation for Independent Media, titled, “To Those Who Care to Know What Happened to Me!” He stated that the local authorities found no charges against him other than “sharing a post… about depositing funds from a diesel-smuggling refinery into a money exchange company belonging to a relative of the governor.”

He also explained in his article that his arrest was intended to silence him from “any media coverage of the corruption cases plaguing Hadhramaut, after the brazenness of the corrupt there reached the point of establishing an illegal oil pipeline and a primitive, haphazard, illegal refinery, which violates all standards for the first time in the country’s history. This was done for the purpose of smuggling Hadrami oil to smuggling mafias inside and outside Hadhramaut, in violation of all laws, procedures, and technical, engineering, industrial, and environmental standards adopted in the oil and gas sector.”

He also expressed his sadness that “the Financial Prosecution Office has been implicated in all the serious violations I have been subjected to, for which there is no legal justification or justification, as I am a journalist, not an official or merchant involved in the looting of public funds.”

Prominent politician forcibly disappeared for 10 years

Prominent political activist Mohammed Qahtan, 67, remains detained by the Houthi group, with no confirmed information available regarding his whereabouts and conflicting reports about his fate. His prolonged enforced disappearance raises real concerns that he may have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment, in addition to fears that his health may be deteriorating due to the lack of healthcare and the fact that he suffers from Type 2 diabetes.

On 24 February 2015, Houthi militants abducted him in the Al-Sahoul area of ​​Ibb Governorate while he was traveling to Aden. The following day, Houthi militants deployed around his house after returning him and placing him under house arrest.

On 31 March 2015, the Houthis tightened their security measures around his house, reinforcing their presence with special forces in military uniforms, in addition to the armed men who had been present near the house since the house arrest. On the afternoon of 04 April 2015, three civilian cars were seen stopping, and 15 armed men in civilian clothes emerged from them. They bypassed the security forces and took him away without presenting an arrest warrant. His family was able to track him to a house in Sana’a used by the Houthis as a detention centre and brought him food. They stopped after several days when the Houthis told them that he had moved to another unknown location.

Qahtan lost three family members while suffering enforced disappearance. His mother died on 09 November 2021, his uncle Sheikh Abdulrahman Qahtan died on 20 April 2020, and his uncle Murshid Yahya Al-Najjar died on 16 May 2023. The Houthis did not allow his family to contact him on these three sad occasions.

Mother of arbitrarily-detained civil society activist dies suddenly

On 20 February 2025, the Houthi group temporarily released civil society activist Rabab Al-Medhwahi for a few hours so she could attend the funeral of her mother, Gala Amhani Al-Medhwahi (Umm Ihab), only to return to prison. 

Her mother had died in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on 17 February 2025, while receiving treatment in intensive care at a hospital after her health suddenly deteriorated. She suffered two consecutive heart attacks, the second of which killed her. Her health undoubtedly collapsed, and she died of grief and sorrow for her daughter, with whom she had lost contact and not heard anything for months.

Her mother’s health deteriorated after Rabab Al-Medhwahi was kidnapped with her husband on 31 May 2024. Rabab Al-Medhwahi was working as the head of the information department at the American Democratic Institute. This was part of the Houthis’ campaign of arbitrary arrests of workers in local, international, and humanitarian organisations, as well as other citizens working in diplomatic missions. Many of these people remain arbitrarily detained without access to their families or lawyers.

Rabab Al-Medhwahi, who insisted on working to support her mother, is the daughter of prominent Yemeni politician Dr. Abdulqudos Al-Medhwahi, who died on 05 January 2012. He was one of the opponents of the rule of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Her work with international organisations, like that of her detained colleagues, was to serve their country and people.

Prominent Yemeni journalist Sami Ghaleb wrote on his Facebook page the following day, on the eve of the death of her mother: “Umm Ihab was very nervous as she watched the Houthis violate every taboo. She said that the former president had not violated the sanctity of the home of Dr. Abdulqudos Al-Medhwahi, his enemy whose name he could not even bear to be mentioned in a forum or a gathering, but the Houthis did!”

Detainees suffer amid their families’ tragedies

On 20 February 2025, the independent Yemeni newspaper Al-Nidaa published an article on its website titled, “Mothers Depart in Grief: Stories of Pain from the Families of Abductees in Houthi Prisons”. It mentioned the following: “Rabab’s mother was not the only one to depart in grief. Four other mothers preceded her, all bearing the same pain, all dreaming of a moment of reunion that never came.”

The article went on to detail: “In recent months, the mother of Murad Dhafer, an employee kidnapped by the Houthis, passed away after a struggle with illness exacerbated by her deep grief and constant anxiety over her son’s fate. Along the same lines, Sarah Al-Fayek‘s mother passed away, having hoped to embrace her daughter again, but time did not allow her, and her joy was snatched away before it was complete. Samira Balah‘s mother bid farewell with a heavy heart, leaving behind a silent plea to the world to save her daughter, who was being held without guilt.”

The article also added, “Earlier, the mother of Abdulmoein Azzan, an employee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana’a, died after suffering multiple strokes while waiting for her son to be released. He was kidnapped on 05 November 2021, after the Houthi group refused to allow Abdulmoein to leave for a single day to bid farewell to his mother.”

The article touched on other tragedies, stating that they were not limited to “only mothers, but extended to fathers as well. The father of Mohammed Al-Shami, one of the detainees, died without being able to see his son one last time. Every time fear for his son gripped his heart, he found himself helpless before silent walls and cold fences that held no answers but pain.”

The article went on to describe the situation of the detainees themselves, stating, “The suffering of the detainees themselves is no less cruel, as many of them lost their lives inside Houthi prisons, the most recent being Ahmed Ba’alawi, a UN World Food Programme employee, who died in a Sa’dah detention centre after months of arbitrary detention. He was preceded by Hisham Al-Hakimi, and others whose lives were lost in silence, while the world watched on, immobilised.”

Journalist Taha Ahmed Al-Maamari denied right to appeal death sentence

The Specialised Criminal Court of First Instance in Sana’a continues its blatant violations against media figure Taha Ahmed Al-Maamari, owner of Yemen Digital Media and Yemen Live for Artistic and Media Production. The court decided to deny him his right to appeal after issuing a death sentence against him and confiscating all his assets. In addition, the Houthi group has allowed individuals affiliated with it to operate his companies.

On 18 February 2025, he posted an appeal on his Facebook page, stating, “In my case I was sentenced to death by firing squad as a discretionary punishment, and all my domestic and foreign assets were confiscated for the benefit of the state treasury. On 04 February 2025, I was surprised by the issuance of a new 204-page ruling containing false, malicious charges, similar to the previous ones, lacking any real evidence. The appeal by my lawyer in my case was not accepted.”

On 26 September 2024, he published an appeal on the same page in which he announced that the Specialised Criminal Court of First Instance in Sana’a had issued, on 24 September 2024, “a death sentence by firing squad against him as a discretionary punishment, and the confiscation of all his movable and real estate property inside and outside the country.”

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Recommendations

GCHR urges the parties to the conflict in Yemen:

1. Immediately release all those who have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, or tried on fabricated charges;
2. Respect public freedoms, including freedom of the press and the right to peaceful assembly; and
3. Ensure that human rights defenders, including journalists, bloggers, academics, and internet activists, are able to carry out their legitimate work and express themselves freely without fear of reprisal and in a manner free from all restrictions, including judicial harassment.