Barran Press
Recent reports alleged that Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have been systematically injecting detainees with toxic substances, leading to the deaths of at least 98 individuals shortly after their release. The Yemeni Organization for Prisoners and Kidnapped Persons has brought forth these serious accusations, adding to a growing body of evidence highlighting severe human rights abuses within Houthi-controlled detention facilities.
This new allegation follows years of documented atrocities. The organization reports that between 2014 and mid-2022, 671 detainees died in Houthi prisons due to torture, execution, and medical neglect. Furthermore, between September 2015 and December 2021, the Houthis were accused of perpetrating 17,600 cases of physical torture and over 2,000 cases of enforced disappearances, including those of 125 children and 16 women.
The issue was recently highlighted at a seminar in Geneva, organized by the Humanitarian Rights Association, which focused on the ongoing violations and torture methods used against detainees. The seminar, reported by the official news agency "Saba," underscored the severity of the situation.
Recent individual cases further illustrate the allegations. Sources speaking to "Barran Press" reported the death of Jamal Ahmed Rawah Qaed Mohsen Al-Mahmoudi, who died 11 days after his release. His death follows that of Mohammed Ali Al-Naseem, who also died shortly after release, reportedly due to severe torture suffered during five years of detention.
Government reports corroborate these claims, documenting over 350 deaths due to torture out of 1,635 documented torture cases in Houthi prisons since their 2014 coup.
These accumulating reports raise serious concerns about the systematic abuse and potential extrajudicial killings of detainees held by the Houthi forces, demanding urgent international attention and investigation.