Repeated Assaults on Female Protesters in Aden Signal Alarming Decline in Public Freedoms

Geneva – SAM organization for Rights and Liberties stated that security forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden arrested several women on Saturday morning who were participating in a peaceful protest planned in the Crater district. The organization reported that female police officers then assaulted the detainees inside a police vehicle, in a serious violation of the law and human rights.

Quoting Al-Masdar Online, SAM reported that among the detainees were Amina Al-Maisari, Khadija Al-Sayyid, and Ibtihaal Awad, along with other participants. The organization indicated that the women were subjected to ill-treatment during their detention and were released later without any legal justification or formal charges.

SAM emphasized that this incident is not isolated. A similar event occurred last May when several women were arrested and assaulted while participating in a peaceful demonstration in Aden. This, the organization warned, reflects a systematic pattern of suppressing women-led activism and curtailing the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.

The organization asserted that these violations constitute a clear breach of the Yemeni Constitution, which guarantees freedom of opinion and expression under Article 57, as well as a violation of international standards—most notably, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects individuals from arbitrary arrest and cruel or degrading treatment, and upholds the right to peaceful assembly without undue restrictions.

SAM also noted that the arrests and assaults took place amid heightened security measures by Transitional Council forces across entrances and streets in the Crater district. These forces forcibly prevented the protest—organized by female human rights activists calling for improved services and living conditions in the city—further evidence of the ongoing restrictions on civil liberties in Aden.

The organization reaffirmed the constitutional right to protest and assemble, and called for an urgent, independent investigation into the arrests and assaults. It demanded accountability for those responsible, including the female police officers involved in the assaults, warning that continued impunity will likely lead to a dangerous escalation of abuses.

SAM stressed that targeting female activists in this manner constitutes a dual violation: infringing on their individual rights and undermining the collective right to civic engagement and peaceful expression.

The organization called on the de facto authorities in Aden to end all forms of repression and violations against activists and civilians. It also urged the international community and the Human Rights Council to take clear positions on the ongoing situation and to work toward protecting the right to protest and peaceful assembly, as well as ensuring legal protection for activists and human rights defenders in Yemen.