The investigative report titled “Years in Hell,” produced by SAM for Rights and Liberties, a member of the Justice4Yemen Pact coalition, exposes severe human rights violations in Yemen from 2015 to 2023. This report is part of the Yemen Human Rights Forensics Lab Plus (YHRFL+) project, which aims to document abuses during the ongoing conflict and raise awareness of the human rights situation in Yemen. Documenting 32 violations of personal freedoms primarily in the Sana’a and Aden governorates, the report highlights cases of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture, with a significant majority of cases attributed to the Houthis, responsible for 88% of violations. Victims—mostly civilians—were detained without judicial orders, often experiencing severe psychological and physical torture intended to extract false confessions that were later used in judicial proceedings. Furthermore, the report raises alarms about a recent wave of arbitrary arrests targeting Yemeni employees of United Nations agencies and NGOs, which poses a direct threat to humanitarian efforts in the country. In its conclusion, the report calls for a thorough and impartial investigation into these violations, urging the Yemeni government to ensure accountability and provide victims with access to remedies. “Years in Hell” seeks to draw the international community’s attention to the urgent need for justice and the strengthening of democracy in Yemen, emphasizing the importance of addressing the rights of victims and survivors in any peace process.
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