Amnesty urges ‘war crimes’ probe on UAE-run prisons in Yemen
CAIRO — An international rights group on Thursday called for an investigation into alleged disappearances, torture and possible deaths in detention facilities run by the United Arab Emirates and its allied militias in southern Yemen as potential war crimes.
Amnesty International’s call comes months after The Associated Press reported that the UAE and allied militias were running a network of secret detention facilities where torture and abuses were widespread, outside the control of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government.
In a report titled “God only knows if he’s alive,” Amnesty said it documented “egregious violations going unchecked, including systemic enforced disappearance and torture and other ill-treatment amounting to war crimes.”
The UAE issued a statement Thursday promptly rejecting Amnesty’s report, describing it as “politically motivated to undermine” Emirati efforts as part of the Saudi-led coalition in support of the Yemeni government.