Aden – Yemen’s Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has accused the United Arab Emirates and its affiliated forces of gross human rights violations in Yemen, citing numerous complaints from citizens and civil society groups alleging assassinations, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, torture and detention in secret prisons.
In a statement carried by the Yemeni News Agency (Sabah) on Monday, the ministry said it had received multiple reports alleging that Emirati officials, officials, UAE-backed Yemeni elements, and foreign mercenaries were involved in what it described as “grave crimes and grave human rights violations.”
The ministry said these violations contradict the principles on which the Saudi-led Arab Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy was founded, stressing that coalition members are expected to respect Yemen’s sovereignty and ensure the security of its people.
In a statement, the ministry recorded the allegations and began an investigation, meeting with victims, families and witnesses, and visiting the detention center, which is described as a secret prison.
It said these sites lack basic humanitarian standards and are used for harsh interrogations that violate Yemeni law, international human rights obligations and widely accepted moral principles.
The ministry added that it had reviewed reports from local, regional, and international media and human rights organizations, including an investigation published by Human Rights Watch on January 30, 2026, regarding the secret prisons and detention centers that the United Arab Emirates allegedly operates in Yemen.
Related articles
Governor Hadramawt accuses UAE of supporting human rights violations in state
“These violations are clear violations of the constitution and national law, as well as Yemen’s international human rights commitments,” the statement said, stressing that those responsible “cannot be above the law or above accountability.”
The ministry said it will continue to receive complaints through its offices and hotlines across the country and will take legal action through national judicial channels to ensure accountability and prevent impunity.
Separately, Human Rights Watch reported that on January 27, 2026, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council detained members of the National Commission to Investigate Allegations of Human Rights Violations in Yemen who visited an unofficial detention center on Socotra Island. Committee members were detained for three hours and ordered not to return to the scene, and later that day two former detainees who spoke with investigators were also arrested.
One committee member described the detention center as “one of the worst conditions the committee has ever seen.”
Human Rights Watch and the Associated Press have previously documented the existence of secret detention facilities in Yemen run by the UAE and UAE-backed forces.
Nik Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the Southern Transitional Council has operated secret prisons for years, where detainees have been arbitrarily detained and often forced to disappear.
“Now the council is even arresting the people investigating these abuses,” she said. “The Southern Transitional Council must be held accountable for widespread violations.”
