Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Yemeni Government Informs UN Envoy of Houthi Violations | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55379127
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Houthi militants hold their weapons as they attend a tribal gathering. (AP)


Jeddah – The Yemeni government, represented by the Ministry of Human Rights, has briefed the UN envoy on Tuesday on some files pertaining to violations committed by Houthi militias, including the torture and persecution of detainees inside prisons.

The Ministry submitted evidence and proof of cases of human rights violations, including latest official statistics, which show that around 38,000 Yemeni citizens were among detainees and forcibly disappeared persons.

Human Rights Minister Dr. Mohammed Askar told Asharq Al-Awsat that UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has responded positively to the ministry’s reports about massacres that took place during the past three months in many cities and the human rights situation in Houthi-controlled areas.

He added that his ministry presented a file about the tragic condition of detainees, who are deprived of the most basic human rights, especially in light of the spread of cholera in Yemen.

He noted in this regard that prisoners were neither allowed to see their families nor provided with the necessary medicine and medical supplies.

Askar added that Ould Cheikh Ahmed had promised him to study all files and to refer them to the competent authorities within the UN.

He revealed that during the coming period, the Yemeni government, represented by the Ministry of Human Rights would cooperate with the UN to train national human rights institutions and educate civil society under the ministry’s umbrella.

The minister noted that he would be conducting a tour to a number of European capitals and the United States to hold discussions with the concerned parties on human rights issues and to raise awareness over the conditions of Yemeni detainees, who are being subjected to torture and abuse by the rebels.