Yemen orders closure of illegal prisons and release of detainees in the south

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered on Monday the closure of all illegal prisons and detention centers in the southern governorates of Aden, Lahj, and Dhale, and instructed the immediate release of detainees held outside the framework of the law.

According to the official Yemeni news agency Saba, the decision comes as part of broader efforts to restore state authority, uphold the rule of law, and ensure respect for human rights in areas under government control.

Al-Alimi directed security and military authorities, in coordination with the Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Justice, to identify all unofficial detention facilities in the three governorates and to draw up an urgent plan to shut them down.

The directive also stipulates that detainees must either be transferred to official detention facilities operating under legal oversight or released immediately if no lawful charges are established against them.

Human rights reports have previously documented the existence of illegal prisons in several southern governorates, allegedly operated by the now-dissolved Southern Transitional Council, where cases of abuse and rights violations were reported.

The decision follows the council’s announcement last Friday of its dissolution after a failed attempt to impose control over southern governorates in pursuit of secession from northern Yemen.