In Line with the spirit of tolerance in the month of Ramadan; SAM Calls Upon Conflicting Parties in Yemen to Release All Arbitrarily Detainees and Allow for Family Reunification

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties called all conflicting parties in Yemen to release all arbitrarily detainees, adversaries and activists, and all for Yemeni families’ reunification with their imprisoned members, also to launch a public pardon initiative in line with the tolerance and forgiveness spirit of the month of Ramadhan.

SAM said in a press release issued today, that all parties in Yemen shall immediately alleviate the sufferings of Yemeni families and consider the month of Ramadhan as a good chance, and as humane and moral obligation to release the detainees, and improve health and humanitarian detention conditions, also to reveal the fate of the enforced disappeared to their relatives and lawyers and allow for family visits without delay. Also, to respect their rights adequate food and medication, and investigate torture allegations at the detention centres, and hold perpetuators accountable.

SAM noted that it has documented the sufferings of families who lives a miserable psychological and living conditions, due to the situation of the detainees, especially those who are under enforced disappearance. Their situation is further deteriorated during the month of Ramadhan, epecially women and children who lack their breadwinner, whereas most of the detainees were held on political grounds.

Tawfeq Al-Humeidi, monitoring and documentation officer at SAM said “following years of sever fighting and destruction and military confrontations, it is about time for the warring parties to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni families, and work for the best interest of the war-torn civilians, paving the way for comprehensive reconciliation, where continuation of the detainees’ sufferings will not bring stability and peace to Yemen”.

Al-Humeidi confirmed that the ongoing war shall not justify detention and torture of civilians, regardless of the security and military reasons, indicating that all parties are obliged to respect the international humanitarian law and human rights law.

SAM has documented in a report published in 2017, that 3900 civilians were detained, 3100 by Houthis group, while other military formation backed by UAE detained 722 others.

SAM indicated that the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance are widely practiced by all warring parties in Yemen, during 2018.

Within the same context, SAM pointed to the widespread of secret prisons outside the judiciary supervision, raising wide concern of physical assaults, in light of increasing number of deaths under torture that the Organization has documented, mainly in areas under Houthis control, in Sana’a, Al-Baidha and Hajjah governorates, as well as at areas administered by UAE-baked forces, in Aden and western coast areas, and other areas under armed group’s control in Taiz.

SAM added that it has documented the death of activist Sadeq Al-Hemyari, on 9 May 2018, who has been under enforced disappearance for three years.

SAM also documented statements of family members in Aden, Abyan and Lahaj, on disappearance of their relatives who has been detained by the Security Belt forces before two years.

SAM organization warned of failure of commitment to the judicial orders to release some of the detainees, considering that as “a flagrant challenge to justice and gross violations to the detainees’ rights”.

SAM disclosed that it has seen release orders of more than 50 detainees in Aden, and Hadhramout, however the UAE-backed forces and security at both cities refused to respond the prosecutor’s orders.

SAM confirmed that such challenge to the judiciary could lead to spread of violence culture in light of absence of judicial system, noting that some detainees started a hunger strike, to release them in response to the public prosecutor’s instructions, including activist Ali Baqityan, detained at Mukalla central jail, following his transfer from Al-Ryan detention airport centre, who has been arrested last January, and has started a hunger strike before two months, according to his family.

SAM confirmed that the exchange deals, brokered informally by the conflicting parties and rights organizations leads to unfair outcomes, where civilians who have been arbitrarily detained were exchanged for combatants, however it considered that as “the minimum accepted level of efforts in light of failure to achieve any breakthrough in the detainees’ issue”.

SAM concluded with the call to relevant organizations, including ICRC and UN agencies to intensify their efforts in this regard, and to take advantage of Ramadhan month to pressure on all parties to release the detainees, end forced disappearance and torture”.

SAM organization for Rights and Liberties

15 May 2018