SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties revealed that it has documented torture cases of detainees at the first military zone prison in Seyun, southeastern Yemen, under the Arab Coalition and legitimate government control who were exposed to severe torture, cruel and inhuman treatment.

“Tens of detainees fate is unknown and are under enforced disappearance and extended detention without trial and were denied proper treatment and family visits” SAM said.

SAM received information that the detainees are kept in the so-called “Atteen prison” which and old abandoned prison since 2006 at Murima area in Seyun about 500 feet far from the new prison. The detainees are interrogated for hours by Saudi interrogators supervised by Abu Salem and Al-Khaledi in addition to the commander of the first military zone

SAM indicated in the press release that most of the detainees who reported to SAM were detained by the first military zone without any judicial warrants or legal grounds and were detained from public streets or markets and made to disappear for about a year.

SAM noted that most of the detainees are charged with terrorism and affiliation to al-Qaeda Organization without due process or fair trial and some are kept as hostages to force their wanted relatives to surrender.

SAM received a complaint from one detainee who claimed that they’ve been treated like goats with no dignity we are insulted, beaten, and kept in solitary  confinement, shocked by electricity, and sprayed with cold water in the winter.

One relative of a detainee who visited his detained relative said “when I visited him I found him in psychological trauma, with thin face and handcuffed since his detention date”

In a testimony by S.M. a former detainee in since 2016 who told SAM that “my brother was accused of joining Al-Qaeda and they raided our house, but they couldn’t find my brother, so I’ve been detained along with my two brothers and my wanted brother’s wife and kept us as hostages. They threaten to photograph my brother’s wife and threaten to kill my child nephew, if she did not tell them about her husband whereabouts”.

“my elder brother was released after 40 days, and detained again, without any charges or due process, just for security precautions”, S.M. added, “although the security arrested our wanted brother after two months of our detention, they release me after 11 months”, he continued.

S.M. told SAM that, he and his two brothers were treated cruelly and humiliated, and their belongings were stolen, and the abductees called our family and took money without us knowing. “they took us blindfolded and tell us that a death sentenced was issued against us, and we live in terror and then they return us to the cells” he added.

SAM revealed that even children were detained and tortured in the first military zone prison, where Sami Faraj Al-Zabedi, 15, was detained, according to his father statement, and was beaten with iron cords and sticks, kept in cold water and was humiliated and abused.

In March 2015, two children Ghaleb Omar Ali,16, and Abdullah Wael Omar, 17, were also detained.

Relative of the children told SAM that they were in a bad psychological condition with skinny faces, handcuffed and were beaten severely and shocked by electricity.

SAM also received reports from the detainee’s relatives that they were not allowed to visit them, only after great suffer and follow-up at the first military zone commander, and the security commander.

One of the relatives told SAM that he was allowed to visit his son for half an hour during three years of detention.

SAM confirms that the detainee’s detention conditions is very bad, where some suffer diseases and tumors and never receive proper medication by the prison authorities, while their relatives are unaware of their condition due to denial of visits.

A relative of Bin Taleb, a detainee who suffers head tumor told SAM that he was decided to undergo a surgery, that never happen as he was not allowed, and we couldn’t see him for 5 months

SAM revealed that the detainees went on a hunger strike twice, due to the bad conditions, demanding the Saudi-UAE coalition and the first military zone commander to refer them to the court, to remove the iron legs cuffs, allow family visits, and contact their families and provide needed medical care and improve food.

The detainees are exposed to torture, according to testimony SAM received from an ex detainee, who said that one day they protested one day, demanding the presence of the Coalition officer, but they were tortured by the military police force led by officers Mustafa Al-Muhya, and Abdullah Al-Ashwal instead. The officers attacked severely the detainees; Ali Kalkali, Yeslem Al-Mansouri, Julhum Al-Katheri, Mahmoud Al-Shameri, Sami Al-Zabedi,. And Sultan bin Ali Jabir, who were beaten individually till they faint, and again tortured in groups at the military police center by electricity shocks and ordered them to pledge not to protest again. The witness could not determine the date of the incident.

SAM urged the Yemeni authorities to immediately release all the arbitrarily detained inmates and stop enforced disappearance, and to refer them to the court, in line with the guarantees provided for by the international law, and to start a serious investigation with the perpetrators.

SAM also urged the UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to exert pressure over the Coalition, and Yemeni authorities to respond to the fair demands of the detainees, and the Group of Immanent Experts to investigate these violations at the government forces’ and Arab Coalition prisons, who confirmed in their report that  “there is strong possibility that the Yemeni, Saudi and UAE forces are seriously involved in violations related to the detainees, that may mount to war crimes”.

SAM stressed on the duty of the international community, European countries in particular, and the US to work to end the sufferings of the detainees at the first military zone prison, and to ensure their treatment according to the Geneva conventions rules, and the UN Minimum Standard of Treating Prisoners.

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, Geneva

16 November 2018