SAM for Rights and Liberties has released its annual briefing for 2025, titled “The Cost of Stagnation,” highlighting the escalation of grave human rights violations in Yemen and the transformation of violence into a systematic policy for controlling public space and constraining civilians. The report underscores the resulting severe erosion of the system of rights and freedoms.

The organization noted that 2025 was marked by a continuation of the crisis without a political breakthrough commensurate with the scale of suffering. It revealed increasing indicators of a deteriorating protection environment, emphasizing that the absence of effective accountability remains a key driver in the reproduction of violations. This calls for measures that go beyond temporary responses toward sustainable guarantees of protection and accountability to prevent recurrence.

The briefing further clarified that the decline in the intensity of military confrontations did not necessarily reduce the cost borne by civilians; rather, violations have shifted into areas more closely intertwined with people’s daily lives.

Overall Toll and Scope of Targeting

At the outset of its statistical overview, the report stated that monitoring and documentation teams recorded 2,661 incidents of violations during the year. After verification and review, 2,421 grave incidents were confirmed. The organization emphasized that civilians were the primary targets, with 2,025 incidents directly affecting them—reflecting a serious erosion of the principles of distinction and military necessity. It added that these figures represent only the minimum documented in a complex security environment.

Right to Life: Grim Statistics and Diverse Means of Killing

SAM presented alarming figures illustrating the severity of violations affecting the right to life and physical integrity. The report documented 280 deaths and 170 injuries. It highlighted the diversity of methods used: gunfire accounted for 107 killings, concentrated in Ibb, Dhamar, and Sana’a; indiscriminate shelling caused 71 civilian deaths and 22 injuries, particularly in Taiz and Marib; landmines and remnants of war continued to act as a “silent killer,” claiming 40 lives and causing 49 injuries, mainly in Al-Hudaydah and Al-Jawf; while sniper attacks resulted in 14 deaths, most of them women and children in Taiz.

Expansion of Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, and Torture

The briefing underscored the widening scope of violations against personal liberty as a central tool of repression and intimidation. The report documented 671 cases of arbitrary detention outside the law and 354 cases of enforced disappearance. Organized patterns of detention and disappearance reached 1,025 incidents, led by Dhamar (258), followed by Ibb (202) and Saada (123). The organization stressed the grave nature of torture, documenting 68 cases inside detention facilities (32 in Sana’a), 36 of which resulted in death under torture. Additionally, 8 cases of assassination and extrajudicial killing were recorded.

Violations Against Property and Public Freedoms

SAM highlighted a policy of “impoverishment and material intimidation,” documenting 379 violations against property. These included 244 raids on homes and institutions, 51 cases of looting, and 18 instances of confiscation and seizure. The report also detailed systematic destruction and the demolition of homes as collective punishment, resulting in the total destruction of 43 buildings and partial destruction of 17 others. Additionally, 19 facilities were forcibly closed, 10 cases of illegal extortion were recorded, and 59 cases involved forcing employees and civilians into compulsory sectarian and military mobilization programs.

Women and Children: The Most Affected Groups

The briefing confirmed that vulnerable groups bore a disproportionate burden. It documented 122 violations against children, including killing, injury, and sniper attacks, as well as 9 publicly recorded cases of child recruitment. It also noted that 93 female victims were subjected to direct violations ranging from killing and physical assault to arbitrary detention.

Suppression of Media Freedoms and Targeting Humanitarian Work

The organization pointed to a sharp deterioration in the environment for journalism and humanitarian work. It recorded 108 violations against journalists and media institutions, including killings, injuries, arbitrary detention, and unfair trials. It also highlighted the targeting of UN personnel, noting that around 70 UN staff members were arbitrarily detained, including one employee of the World Food Programme who died after 18 days in detention. The report further documented armed raids by Houthi forces on UN offices in Sana’a.

International Military Operations and Escalating Civilian Costs

The briefing emphasized the devastating impact of international military operations. It reported that Israeli attacks (approximately 48 strikes) resulted in the deaths of more than 120 individuals, including the September 10 airstrikes that killed 28 people and injured 113 in Sana’a, and killed 7 and injured 18 in Al-Jawf, targeting vital and media facilities. It also noted that U.S. operations (exceeding 1,000 strikes) led, between March 15 and May 6, to the deaths of at least 238 civilians (including 24 children) and injuries to 467 others.

Geographic Distribution and Responsibility

According to the organization’s data, the highest number of violations was recorded in the Capital Secretariat (Sana’a) with 442 incidents, followed by Ibb (417), Dhamar (339), Saada (229), Al-Bayda (194), and Taiz (128). In terms of legal responsibility, SAM stated that the Houthi group bears the largest share at 93.5% of total violations, followed by Israeli airstrikes at 1.9% and U.S. airstrikes at 0.6%, with the remaining percentage attributed to unidentified parties or other local actors.

Urgent Recommendations to Break the Cycle of Impunity

In conclusion, SAM called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and forcibly disappeared persons, an end to torture practices in detention facilities, and a halt to violations against private property and the policy of demolishing homes. It stressed the need to immediately stop foreign airstrikes and military operations affecting civilians, and urged the international community to launch independent, transparent investigations into documented violations and ensure accountability for those responsible for these serious crimes.