Irada Org Meets OHCHR in Geneva

Within the framework of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced Disappearance and the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (YCVVT) held their third meeting with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The meeting focused on discussions related to the report on Houthis’ secret detention centers and prisons, as well as the file of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons, including the case of the United Nations employees detained by Houthis militia in Sana’a, and the grave human rights violations committed by the militia in blatant breach of international humanitarian law, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Irada organization and the Yemeni Center also reviewed with the OHCHR the wide-scale arrest campaign carried out by Houthis militia against civilians who celebrated the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution. These arrests constitute a clear violation of the right to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in Articles 19 and 21 of the ICCPR.

Irada Organization and the Yemeni Center reaffirmed the necessity for the United Nations and the international community to assume their legal and moral responsibilities toward the victims, through:

1. Demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted UN employees and all arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared individuals.

2. Conducting an independent and transparent international investigation into the violations committed within Houthis militia’s secret detention centers and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable without impunity.

3. Strengthening UN monitoring and reporting mechanisms on cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in Yemen and supporting victims in achieving justice and obtaining reparations.

Irada Org and the Yemeni Center emphasize that abduction, enforced disappearance and torture constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and amount to crimes against humanity when committed on a widespread or systematic scale. These practices require urgent measures to ensure accountability and prevent recurrence.

Issued by:

Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced Disappearance

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 Geneva – Switzerland