Barran Press
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday, July 18, 2024, accused the Southern Transitional Council (STC) of implementing a series of measures aimed at replacing independent institutions with entities it supports.
In a statement published on its official website, HRW called on the STC and security institutions under its control to respect the rule of law and return the building of the Yemeni Women's Union in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen.
The international organization stated that forces linked to the STC seized the independent women's headquarters in Aden on May 26. HRW alleged that the STC and its affiliated "Southern Women's Union" threatened employees of the independent "Yemeni Women's Union" and the women sheltered by the center.
The statement quoted Niko Jafferny, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW, as saying, "While the Southern Transitional Council claims to support women's rights, its actions repeatedly show that it is restricting civil society, including those who support women."
She added, "The council should take immediate action to remove the Southern Women's Union from the Yemeni Women's Union headquarters, one of the few safe spaces that abused women can rely on."
According to HRW, the attackers "maintained complete control over the Yemeni Women's Union headquarters and its shelter in Aden for nearly a month."
HRW stated that the attackers "prevented staff from caring for a sick boy in the shelter and did not allow staff to bring in limited food supplies for those in the shelter, putting the women and children in the shelter at risk."
Although staff were able to return to their offices on June 23, the STC demanded they provide half of the building's space to the Southern Women's Union and remove the word "Yemen" from their institution's name to indicate their support for women in South Yemen only.
The organization said it requested a comment from the STC, which responded on June 6 denying that council forces controlled the building and stating that the "Southern Women's Union" is an independent organization.
The STC added that, "If council forces are present, it will be to secure the headquarters, as is the case with other headquarters."
HRW mentioned that the council provided it with a document from the Ministry of Social Affairs stating that the Southern Women's Union, founded on January 6, 2024, during a women's conference in Aden, is the official women's union recognized by the Yemeni government. However, while the council established this new women's union, it refused to renew the registration of the independent Yemeni Women's Union.
According to individuals interviewed by the organization, "the Southern Transitional Council began harassing the Yemeni Women's Union in early May and refused to renew its license, despite the union meeting the requirements for renewal."
On May 12, representatives of the Southern Women's Union demanded that the Yemeni Women's Union hand over its headquarters and serve only women from the south, not women from the "northern governorates," even if they were residents of Aden.
A woman working with the Yemeni Women's Union said she told the Southern Women's Union, "We are a civil society organization that receives all women from everywhere, including women from Somalia and Ethiopia. We cannot turn away those seeking protection regardless of their place of origin."
The Yemeni Women's Union is one of the oldest civil society organizations dedicated to serving Yemeni women. It operates shelters for victims of gender-based violence, including women and children, across the country.
These centers provide psychological, legal, social, and economic support to women. HRW stated that the union is a vital resource, especially in a country where the law still restricts women's freedoms.
The Southern Transitional Council is part of the internationally recognized Yemeni government coalition: the "Presidential Leadership Council" composed of eight members, which replaced former President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in 2022, as well as leaders of the Southern Transitional Council. The council, on its own, controls a large part of Aden and several other governorates in southern Yemen.
The Southern Transitional Council has previously seized buildings belonging to civil society organizations and other institutions not affiliated with it.
On February 28, 2023, forces under the council's control seized the headquarters of the "Yemeni Journalists Syndicate." According to the syndicate, the council-backed "Southern Media and Journalists Syndicate" removed the sign of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate from the building and replaced it with their own.
In June 2021, armed forces under the council's control raided the offices of the "Yemen News Agency (Saba)," the official news agency of the Yemeni government, and took control of it.