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Rights group says Houthis arrested 157 women in 2 years

July 14, 2020 at 10:12 am

A Yemeni mother and her baby at a hospital in Yemen [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

The Houthis have arrested 157 Yemeni mothers over the past two years on a number of charges including demonstrating to demand better living conditions and as a result of their political affiliation, the Abductees Mothers Association in Yemen said yesterday.

The group said in a statement that 18 of the women have been subjected to verbal violence, the threat of sexual abuse, physical violence and denied contact with their relatives. They have also been refused release unless they pay large fines and pledge never to participate in future protests.

According to the association, in some cases the Houthis arrested the women’s relatives, instead of them.

The Houthis also fabricated charges of prostitution against some of the women with the aim of isolating them from society and prolonging their detention, it added.

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