The Yemeni Center Meets with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – Geneva

63rd Session of the Human Rights Council

As part of its ongoing activities, the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will and Hope) held a meeting with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The meeting was convened to discuss several human rights reports: one focusing on secret detention centers and prisons, as well as the file of the abductees; and another concerning the grave violations committed by the terrorist Houthi militia in the districts of Taiz and Hodeidah governorates during recent events of Houthi incursions, highlighting the scale of forced displacement, field execution crimes, and the intense bombardment inflicted on civilians and travelers using ballistic missiles, drones, and heavy artillery. The meeting also addressed the targeting of IDP camps in the Raghwan district of Marib with ballistic missiles, which led to the killing of several children, as well as the overall issue of abductees and the Houthis’ thwarting of the exchange process that was scheduled to take place last August.

The meeting further addressed the situation of UN staff members abducted by the Houthi militia in Sana’a, foremost among them Dr. Ali Al-Mudhwahi, and the grave violations committed against them by the militia, including trials before the illegitimate Specialized Criminal Court. It highlighted the torture, psychological destruction, and harsh conditions endured by the abductees, whose only “crime” was working for humanitarian organizations seeking to provide a dignified life for those in need, refusing to yield to Houthi terrorism that aimed to siphon off aid through devious means, and refusing to pay levies to Houthi elements. This refusal resulted in their abduction, with many being subjected to torture and forced into making coerced confessions of spying for Western countries, in clear violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.

Additionally, the Yemeni Center reviewed with the OHCHR official, Mr. Mohammad Al-Nsour, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Section, the widespread arrest campaign that took place in Mokha, Hays, and Al-Wazi’iyah.

The Yemeni Center emphasized the necessity for the United Nations and the international community to assume their legal and moral responsibilities toward the victims in the governorates of Hodeidah, Taiz, and Marib, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all abductees—including UN personnel—and all those arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared.

Issued by: The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will and Hope) Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | Geneva – Switzerland