Governor of Ibb Ahmed Abdullah al-Hajri ordered last Sunday to shut down all private custodies, hold responsible people accountable and bring them to justice.
Ibb is one of Yemeni governorates in which tribal leaders run private jails. One revolutionary Mohammad al-Hussam is still enforcedly disappeared by Sheikh Sadeq al-Basha who has armed militias and private custodies.
There are many custodies that are run by tribal leaders in Hodeidah, Dhamar, Sana'a and other governorates, Yemeni activists say.
Activists and civil society organizations repeatedly demanded to shut down private jails and put an end to violations against human rights.
Yemen Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashhoor has called the government to immediately cloase private custodies run by some officials and tribal leaders, stressing that the existence of such custodies contradicts Yemen laws and international conventions.
Yemeni human rights groups had stated that hundreds of protesters are being detained and brutally tortured inside military camps affiliated to the outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh.The exact number of detainees being held by the authorities is unknown, but activists say that it could be as high as 260.Yemeni activists had urged all international human rights organizations to press on the Yemeni regime to release all detainees and hold the perpetrators accountable.They said that the Saada-based Houthi group practice torture and violations in its private prisons, affirming that it arrest its political foes.
Media sources have stated the Houthi group conducted an arrest campaign against activists, politicians, teachers, students as well as football players in Saada.