[28/11/2025 05:31]

BEIRUT – SABA

Human Rights Watch revealed that the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias have arrested dozens of political opponents since July 2025, including leaders of political parties in Yemen and UN employees.

Some of these arrests may amount to enforced disappearances.

The organization explained in a report published on its official website that the Houthi militias arrested no fewer than 70 people linked to the Islah Party within 24 hours in Dhamar Governorate on October 28.

The report noted that the recent arrests come as part of a broader campaign over the past year and a half targeting civil society members, UN and NGO employees, businessmen, and even individuals from within the militias themselves.

The report pointed out that at least 59 UN employees are being held without access to a lawyer and have only limited contact with their families.

It added that the Houthis are leveling questionable espionage charges against detainees, including in a recent unfair trial of 21 people, 17 of whom were sentenced to death, with many accused of spying without being granted adequate due process.

Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, said:
“Instead of addressing the urgent needs of Yemenis in areas under their control, the Houthis appear to be detaining anyone they perceive as a threat to their movement.”

She called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals and for shifting focus toward protecting and meeting the rights of those living under their control.

According to the report, Human Rights Watch had previously documented cases in which the Houthis arrested dozens and forcibly disappeared them because of their political affiliations, including in April 2020 when they detained 25 Islah Party members in Dhamar.

It also noted that in June 2024, the “Specialized Criminal Court” sentenced 44 people detained in 2020 to death, 16 tried in absentia, and five others to prison.

Human Rights Watch’s 2025 report stated that the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen documented that “the Houthi-run judiciary has been used as a tool to suppress opponents and confiscate freedom of expression,” and that the Specialized Criminal Prosecution in Sana’a charged hundreds of individuals with treason and espionage.

The report added that detainees are often denied access to arrest warrants and official indictments, legal representation, and review of evidence.

Many are held for prolonged periods without trial or judicial oversight.

Human Rights Watch and other organizations, including the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, have documented the Houthis’ use of torture to extract information or confessions.

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