Irada Org Meets the Permanent Mission of the U.S.A in Geneva

Irada Org Meets the Human Rights Officer at the Permanent Mission of the U.S.A in GenevaOn the sidelines of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Sheikh Gamal Muhsen Al-Maamari, Chief of Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance, held a meeting with Ms. Shamis Mohamud, Human Rights Officer at the Permanent Mission of the United States of America to the United Nations in Geneva.

The meeting featured an in-depth discussion on the issue of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons in Houthis militia’s secret detention centers. Irada Org Chief informed the U.S. official of Irada’s plan to release a comprehensive report in the coming ten days on these detention facilities, involving the numbers of the forcibly disappeared and identifying the locations of their detention, supported by photographs and the exact location of these secret prisons .

The discussion also addressed the designation of Houthi militia as an international terrorist organization, as well as U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions against Houthis leaders implicated in acts of torture. Irada Org Chief explained that the impact of such measures remains limited, given that these leaders do not travel outside Yemen, stressing the necessity of pursuing them through legal channels and holding those involved in these crimes accountable by imposing strict punitive measures to deter Houthi militia leaders from continuing their grave human rights violations.

The discussions further covered violations committed against staff members of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), development programs, and international missions and organizations, in addition to the false accusations propagated by Houthi militia against abductees, such as espionage for the United States. Irada Chief touched on the contribution of Irada in providing the United Nations with information regarding the locations of detainees after their abduction and the abuses they are subjected to.

Sheikh Al-Maamari highlighted Irada’s attainment of consultative status with the United Nations, and detailed the organization’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of the abductees families, as well as the efforts to defend the dire conditions of the abductees inside secret detention centers, which he compared to the notorious Saydnaya prison in Syria in terms of brutality and abuse. Al-Maamari also delivered to Ms. Shamis Mohamud a list of the names of senior officials within Houthi Security and Intelligence Service proven to be involved in torturing detainees, and discussed it with her.

The Chief of Irada Org provided a detailed account of the suffering of thousands of forcibly disappeared persons since 2014 and the Houthis’ continued persecution of civilians. He further described the militia’s systematic acts of terrorism, including child recruitment, the planting of landmines that claim the lives of civilians, the worsening economic crisis, and their persistent attempts to obstruct the work of humanitarian organizations despite seizing international aid intended for civilians in their controlled areas.

For her part, Ms. Shamis Mohamud expressed her deep regret over the humanitarian situation in Yemen caused by Houthis militia and reaffirmed the United States’ rejection of these violations, and praised the efforts of civil society organizations, particularly Irada Organization, in defending victims and exposing these violations.

The meeting also reviewed the activities of the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (YCVVT).

The meeting was attended by the member of Human Rights Association Mr. Mohammed Mahdi, who addressed the intellectual aspects of Houthis militia, Chairwoman of Women for Peace Alliance in Yemen Ms. Noura Al-Jarwi, who touched on the assassination of Ms. Aftahan Al-Mashhary, and Human Rights Association Coordinator Mr. Mohammed Ghaleb.

Issued by Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance,

Monday, Sept 22, 2025 – United Nations HQ,Geneva, Switzerland