Human Rights Watch on Tuesday (September 25th) accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) of hostage-taking, torture and other serious abuses against people in their custody, AFP reported.
The watchdog said it had documented 16 cases of illegal imprisonment by the insurgents, "in large part to extort money from relatives or to exchange them for people held by opposing forces".
"Houthi officials have treated detainees brutally, often amounting to torture," HRW said, adding that former detainees described being beaten with iron rods, wooden sticks and assault rifles.
Prisoners were shackled to walls, caned and threatened with rape, it said, noting that hostage-taking "is a serious violation of the laws of war and a war crime".
"The Houthis have added profiteering to their long list of abuses and offences against the people under their control in Yemen," said HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.
"Rather than treat detainees humanely, some Houthi officials are exploiting their power to turn a profit through detention, torture and murder."
In other news, the Yemeni army’s naval teams found naval mines planted by the Houthis in the Red Sea, al-Arabiya reported Tuesday.
A military source said the mines were found off the coasts of Midi, adding that the Houthis planted them there before fleeing the city.
