Human Rights Watch has revealed that the Houthi authorities in Yemen have been involved in extrajudicial arrests and forced disappearances of dozens of people in the capital, Sanaa, mostly Islah Party activists.
In a statement a day ago, it said it had documented arbitrary or abusive detention of at least 35 people from August 2014 through October 2015, 27 of whom remain in custody.
Families have not been able to find out the whereabouts of seven believed to have been forcibly disappeared, it said, while urging to allow relatives, lawyers and independent monitors immediate access to detention sites.
“Houthi arrests and forced disappearances of alleged Islah supporters have generated palpable fear in the capital,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Politicians, activists, lawyers, and journalists tell us they’ve never been more frightened of ending up ‘disappeared.’
Last year, international organizations said the Houthi group was among worst violators of international laws while affirming 2015 was the worst ever for journalists.
Moreover, international organizations have accused all parties to the conflict in Yemen including the Saudi-led coalition of human rights abuses and possible war crimes.