The President of the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture “Will & Hope” delivered a briefing before the Human Rights Council on Monday, March 16, 2026, as part of the 61st session of the Council.

Geneva – Switzerland

The President of the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture “Will & Hope” delivered a briefing before the Human Rights Council on Monday, March 16, 2026, as part of the 61st session of the Council.

Statement Text:

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We address you from Yemen, where thousands of abductees remain detained in secret Houthi prisons, thousands of children are being pushed into battlefronts by the Houthis, and millions of civilians continue to face hunger and fear.

These are not just numbers, but human lives being stripped away before the eyes of the world. The Houthi militia continues to commit grave violations against civilians; it has turned agricultural lands into minefields, recruited children and sent them into the fires of war, looted humanitarian aid, and detained humanitarian workers, including United Nations staff.

Thousands of abductees also remain forcibly disappeared and subjected to torture, while some are issued death sentences outside the framework of the law. In the city of Taiz, Houthi sniper attacks targeting civilians continue, while more than four million civilians have been living under a suffocating siege for years.

Eastern Yemen also witnessed serious violations last December, where the President of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, and his forces displaced hundreds of families from Wadi Hadramout and carried out extrajudicial killings.

Mr. President, the victims in Yemen do not need statements of concern alone, but a clear international stance that puts an end to impunity. Therefore, we call on the international community to take serious action to protect civilians, stop violations, and hold those responsible accountable.

Thank you.