Amnesty urges 'war crimes' probe on UAE-run prisons in Yemen

An international rights group today 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 has repeatedly denied it is involved in unlawful detention practices in Yemen. On Sunday, Anwar Gargash, the UAE state minister for foreign affairs, dismissed reports that his country controls prisons as "fake news." Amnesty said the denials come "despite all the evidence to the contrary."
"When they demand to know where their loved ones are held, or if they are even still alive, their requests are met with silence or intimidation." Amnesty said it had documented "widespread use of torture and other ill-treatment in Yemeni and Emirati facilities."
"The UAE does not manage or run prisons in Yemen," said the Emiratis' statement today. "Prisons in Yemen are under Yemeni authority and fall under the jurisdiction of the country's institutions."