NGO calls for probe on alleged UAE war crimes in Yemen

By Mahmut Geldi

MARIB, Yemen (AA) - Human right watchdog Amnesty International called for an investigation into alleged tortures, disappearances and ill treatment in detention facilities in Yemen run by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and affiliate militia groups.

"Justice remains elusive a year after a network of secret prisons was first exposed in southern Yemen," said the report called "God only knows if he's alive".

The Amnesty reports raised concerns over the children of detainees who are subjected to torture from UAE-backed militias.

Of 51 detainees who were reportedly abducted and tortured between March 2016 and May 2018, 19 remain unaccounted for.

"It is a small sample of a wider pattern of detention-related abuses in an environment of impunity and barriers to justice," said the report.

“Yemen and UAE should taking actions put an immediate end to these violations, and provide informations for those scattered families,” said Tirana Hassan Amnesty’s Director of Crisis Response.

Previously, Yemeni officials have asked UAE to shut down illegal detention facilities and hand over detainees to Yemeni government judicial authorities.

Last week, the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva reported ill treatment, torture and sexual abuse against Yemeni detainees by UAE soldiers.

The UAE is a major member of the Saudi-led coalition that has launched a massive air campaign in 2015 against Houthi rebels, who overran much of Yemen, including capital Sanaa.