Inside Yemen's Secret Prisons: Families Share Heartbreaking Accounts

The BBC's recent access to detention facilities in Yemen confirms long-standing allegations of secret prisons operated by the UAE, where detainees have reportedly faced torture and abuse. One mother shares a heartbreaking account of her son, who has been held for nine years without proper legal recourse.

Human rights organizations have documented similar testimonies for years, indicating a systematic approach to detaining political activists and critics under the guise of anti-terror operations. Despite the UAE's previous denials of such practices, the evidence becomes increasingly compelling amid Yemen's chaotic civil war.

'No space to lie down'

Witnesses describe inhumane conditions, including cramped shipping containers where as many as 60 men are held at once with no room to lie down. Former detainees have provided chilling accounts of being tortured, threatened with imprisonment in Guantanamo, and denied food and sanitation.

'All types of torture'

One detainee recounted receiving continuous beatings and harassment while being forced to confess crimes he did not commit, reflective of a broader pattern of abuses noted by international human rights groups.

Families' Questions

Families of detainees express frustration over the lack of accountability from the Yemeni government and its allies for these violations. As the political alliance between Yemen’s government and the UAE weakens, calls for justice are growing louder, yet the fate of many detainees remains uncertain.

The Yemeni government has recently taken steps to close these illegal prisons and reform the justice system, but concerns persist about the transfer of detainees and the continuity of arbitrary detentions without proper oversight.