Barran Press
Sources in the Yemeni capital Sana'a have reported that dozens of international and UN organization staff, detained by the Houthi group, have been subjected to severe torture in secret prisons run by the group.
The sources, speaking to "Barran Press" on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said that the Houthis, designated as a terrorist group by several countries, forced the detained staff to confess under torture. They described the confessions extracted as "fabricated" and claimed that the Houthis are alleging the staff are "linked to a Washington and Israeli intelligence apparatus spying against the group."
According to the sources, the Houthis have documented these confessions with audio and video recordings and are planning to release them in the coming days to promote a supposed security achievement within their controlled areas.
The sources said that the footage of the confessions extracted under torture will be broadcast through the Houthi group's security media outlets.
Among the detainees who were tortured to extract confessions, according to the sources, are "three women recently detained by the group as part of their extensive crackdown on aid and humanitarian workers in Sana'a."
Other sources told "Barran Press" that the Houthis summoned a number of their own Ministry of Health employees to a secret meeting on Sunday morning. Relatives of the employees were shocked to lose contact with their loved ones and have no information about their fate as of this report (22:25 Sana'a time).
Since last Thursday, June 7, the Houthis have been conducting a widespread arrest campaign targeting international and UN organization staff working in Sana'a and areas under their control.
116 local organizations have stated that the Houthis "carried out a simultaneous armed campaign in areas under their control (Sana'a, Hodeidah, Sa'ada, and Amran) targeting Yemeni staff working for the UN and international organizations on Thursday and Friday (June 6-7)."
The organizations, in a joint statement seen by "Barran Press," said that the number of abducted staff reached "50 employees from international organizations, UN agencies, and civil society organizations."