The Houthi judiciary confirms its involvement in the detention of hundreds of girls in secret prisons

English - Monday 09 December 2019 الساعة 08:05 am
asen,newsyemen

The specialized criminal prosecution in Sana'a, controlled by the Houthi militia, confirmed the involvement of Houthi leaders in the kidnapping and forced disappearance of hundreds of women in secret prisons

According to an official document, the criminal prosecution, a leader of the Houthi militia called Sultan Zaben, and four other people have condemned the creation of private prisons and the detention of dozens of kidnapped women inside them, without any legal justification.

The specialized criminal prosecution in Sana'a had called for the trial of Sultan Zaben and his gang members after they were convicted of establishing secret prisons for women without any legal justification, and hiding more than three hundred women and girls inside them.

As a result, the Houthi militia, through its Ministry of Interior in Sana'a, Sultan Zaben (responsible for the kidnapping and concealment of hundreds of women in secret prisons, and for crimes of sexual exploitation and abuse against them), stopped working at the leadership of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Capital Secretariat, but returned to his appointment in the same position

According to the Yemeni Organization for Combating Human Trafficking, the Houthi-appointed public prosecutor was forced, under pressure, to close the case and stop the trial of Houthi leaders involved in crimes against the kidnapped women.

The organization affirmed, in a statement, that "keeping silent on returning criminals to security positions is a grave danger to society", and considered that silence on Houthi crimes against innocent people, especially women, is a disgrace to international humanitarian organizations operating in militia-controlled areas.

The organization expressed its shock at the return of the so-called Sultan Zaben and his gang members to their brutal practices against the forcibly abducted women, while affirming that it continues to document blatant crimes against women victims, calling on the international community and humanitarian organizations to take serious and responsible action to protect women victims.

It indicated that it obtained additional information condemning the so-called Sultan Zaben and the Prosecutor Hassan Batran involved in the crimes of torture, blackmail and sexual exploitation of women.

The Yemeni Organization for Combating Human Trafficking stressed that it "will continue its human, humanitarian and legal struggle in order to obtain justice for victims and retribution against criminals, whatever the difficulties, obstacles and challenges."