Saudi, UAE Urged to Close Prisons in Yemen

By Staff, Agencies

The national committee for investigating complaints of human rights violations in Yemen called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] to close their secret prisons in the country.

In a statement, the committee stressed that these prisons are illegal and called for halting arbitrary and extrajudicial detention, Al Khaleej Online reported.

The Saudi-Emirati alliance is advised to make a comprehensive review of the rules of engagement and stop targeting civilians, the committee said.

It also recommended carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of the damage caused by warplanes in order to start distributing compensation to civilians.

Earlier, Amnesty International documented 51 detentions in secret UAE prisons in Yemen, stressing that these prisoners were tortured and mistreated.

The rights group also said in a report issued last week that the UAE has actively trained, funded and armed different armed groups operating in Yemen since 2015.

The UK’s Channel 4 in August last year broadcast a documentary on the suffering of prisoners held in UAE-run facilities in Aden, south of Yemen.

In an interview with the British TV station, former prisoner Adel Al-Hasani – who was an officer in the government forces – said that there are hundreds of prisoners in the UAE’s secret prisons.