Khaled Abdullah / Reuters
Yemeni detainees suffer from torture, sexual abuse and other kind of ill-treatment by UAE soldiers, the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva says adding that it has requested access to the prisons, but has not been allowed in so far.
“We have engaged with U.A.E. government on this issue and requested access to U.A.E.-run prisons in the country but to date we have not been granted access,” A spoeskersmon for the UN Rights Office Liz Throssell spoke to the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency on July 4.
“From the initial information that our office in Yemen has managed to gather, we have reason to believe that a number of Yemeni detainees have been subjected to ill-treatment, torture and sexual abuse by UAE soldiers.”
Throssell added that the UN Human Rights Office will further monitor this situation and may implement some steps in response.
In late June, Associated Press investigation revealed that up to 2,000 of detainees held by UAE forces in Yemen were subjected to torture and abuse. The news agency said that Yemeni guards, commanded by UAE officers, sexually violated detainees with wooden and steel poles filming these acts.
According to Associated Press data, the UAE and forces allied to the Sudi-UAE-led coalition run at least 18 secret prisons run across southern Yemen. However, The UAE denied this report saying there are no secret facilities or torture.
Since 2015, the UAE has been actively participating in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. Currently, UAE forces and UAE-backed forces are involved in the stalled offensive on the Houthis-held port city of al-Hudaydah.
