Donate
Donate

Tag: Yemen

  • Lawyers Under Attack by Authorities: Iran Arrests and Tortures, Tunisia Imprisons, and the Houthis Kidnap

    Lawyers Under Attack by Authorities: Iran Arrests and Tortures, Tunisia Imprisons, and the Houthis Kidnap

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) expresses its deep concern over the escalating campaign of systematic repression targeting lawyers and judges across the Middle East and North Africa. This statement highlights three serious cases that reveal a consistent pattern of state authorities using their authority as a tool to suppress the independent defence of human rights.

    On 1 April 2026, officers from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence raided the home of prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh in Tehran, arrested her for the fifth time, and confiscated her electronic devices. During her detention, she was reportedly subjected to serious human rights violations, including beatings, the shackling of her hands and feet, and detention in inhumane conditions, as documented by Front Line Defenders. She was released on bail on 13 May 2026 after being charged with “propaganda against the state” in connection with her public statements concerning the government’s repression and Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Sotoudeh’s case is not an isolated incident. According to documentation by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), at least 32 lawyers were arrested, brought before the courts, or imprisoned between January and June 2026. Documented cases include the arrest of lawyer Elham Zeraatpisheh, who was later sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, along with the confiscation of her passport; the arrest and enforced disappearance of lawyer Setareh Ansari in Fars Province in May 2026; and the sentencing of lawyer Javad Alikordi to eighteen years’ imprisonment.

    These patterns amount to a systematic assault on the independence of lawyers in Iran, in violation of Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as Principle 16 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

    In Tunisia, on 6 April 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal sentenced Judge Anas Hamdi, President of the Tunisian Judges Association, to one year’s imprisonment on charges of “obstructing the freedom to work” under Article 136 of the Tunisian Penal Code. The charges stemmed from his role in the 2022 judges’ strike, which was organised in defence of judicial independence in response to presidential decrees dismissing fifty-seven judges. Hamdi had previously represented the dismissed judges in legal proceedings, which appears to have been the actual motive behind his prosecution.

    Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs explicitly expressed their “grave concern” over the case, stating that the conviction targets legitimate trade union activity. The case forms part of a broader pattern of repression affecting hundreds of opposition figures, lawyers, and civil society members in Tunisia. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, at least eight lawyers are currently serving prison sentences, including the former President of the Tunisian Bar Association.

    This conviction constitutes a clear violation of Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to freedom of association, including the right to form and join trade unions, as well as the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.

    In Yemen, the Houthi de facto authorities continue to arbitrarily detain human rights lawyer Abdulmajeed Sabra, who has been held since 25 September 2025. On that date, Houthi militia forces raided his law office in the Shumaila district of Sana’a and abducted him without a judicial warrant. Sabra has remained in detention for more than nine months in facilities operated by the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service in the Sarf area, north of Sana’a, without being formally charged or brought before a judicial authority.

    In protest against his continued unlawful detention, Sabra undertook a hunger strike. While in custody, the Houthi authorities demanded that he abandon his human rights work, cease representing detainees, and refrain from publishing political views in exchange for his release. Despite his coerced acceptance of these conditions, they failed to honour their commitment to release him. Furthermore, Sabra’s brother documented that Houthi personnel threatened family members who had publicly advocated for his release on social media with arrest.

    Sabra is one of Yemen’s leading advocates for the rights of individuals detained in Houthi prisons. His continued detention constitutes a clear violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibits arbitrary detention, as well as the provisions of international humanitarian law protecting civilians.

    A United Nations communication issued by five Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups of the UN Human Rights Council called for the direct legal accountability of the Houthi de facto authorities, in their capacity as the de facto authorities in Sana’a, for the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of the prominent human rights lawyer Abdulmajeed Sabra.

    These three cases demonstrate that the targeting of lawyers and judges is not the result of isolated incidents but reflects a systematic policy. The authorities in Iran, Tunisia, and Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen are criminalising legitimate legal work and using it as a pretext to silence independent voices and render the guarantees of a fair trial meaningless.

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) calls for:

    • The withdrawal of all charges against human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and all lawyers detained in Iran in connection with their legitimate human rights work, as well as the establishment of an independent investigation into allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.
      • The immediate and unconditional release of human rights lawyer Abdulmajeed Sabra and all individuals arbitrarily detained in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
    • The annulment of the conviction against Judge Anas Hamdi and an end to the judicial proceedings targeting lawyers and judges in Tunisia on the basis of their legitimate trade union activities.
    • The United Nations Human Rights Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to issue clear and public statements addressing these cases.

    American Center for Justice (ACJ).

  • Urgent Statement: The Yemeni Community in the Gaza Strip Between Existential Threat and Institutional Neglect

    Urgent Statement: The Yemeni Community in the Gaza Strip Between Existential Threat and Institutional Neglect

    More than 120 Yemeni nationals, representing approximately 18 families, are facing a dual siege in the Gaza Strip, trapped under continuous bombardment and deprived of even the minimum conditions necessary for survival. Their suffering is reflected in their forced displacement into makeshift tents that lack the most basic humanitarian standards, with severe shortages of food, safe drinking water, and medical care. These encampments have also become fertile environments for the spread of disease. The severity of these conditions is further compounded by declining international attention and diminishing media coverage, leaving those stranded, along with the broader population of the Gaza Strip, to endure the consequences of war in conditions of enforced isolation.

    Verified information confirms that the majority of those stranded are Yemeni women married to Palestinians, alongside their children and grandchildren. Their crisis extends beyond the immediate threat to their physical safety and encompasses complex legal and administrative challenges, particularly the expiration of travel documents for many individuals. This administrative barrier constitutes an additional obstacle that effectively eliminates opportunities for escape and urgently requires immediate institutional intervention to regularize their legal status and facilitate their evacuation. Official responsibility is further heightened by documented cases of missing persons among members of the Yemeni community, creating a legal and moral obligation to clarify their fate.

    The continued presence of these civilians in areas subject to direct targeting constitutes a grave violation of the right to life and personal security, while also devastating the psychological well-being and future prospects of children and young people growing up under the constant threat of violence and fear. In this context, the Yemeni government, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions, bears full constitutional responsibility for the protection of its citizens. Continued institutional silence amounts to an explicit abdication of the state’s fundamental duty to safeguard the lives of its nationals.

    Accordingly, the Center calls for the following:
    •⁠ ⁠The immediate issuance of emergency travel documents and the renewal of expired passports for stranded Yemenis in order to remove administrative obstacles impeding evacuation efforts.
    •⁠ ⁠The establishment of urgent and effective coordination with relevant authorities and international organizations to secure safe humanitarian corridors that ensure the evacuation of Yemeni families and their transfer to safe and stable locations.
    •⁠ ⁠The expansion and intensification of emergency humanitarian assistance to include Yemeni families and the wider civilian population of the Gaza Strip, who continue to suffer under the machinery of war, and to break the state of isolation and neglect exacerbated by the decline in international media attention.
    •⁠ ⁠The formation of a governmental crisis cell tasked with investigating the cases of missing persons and providing immediate humanitarian support to besieged families pending the completion of evacuation procedures.
    •⁠ ⁠The mobilization of Yemeni diplomatic efforts to press the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in protecting civilians and ensuring legal and on-the-ground protection for communities trapped in conflict zones.

  • Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance of a Citizen in Sana’a Over His Religious Advocacy Activities

    Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance of a Citizen in Sana’a Over His Religious Advocacy Activities

    Eyewitnesses informed the American Center for Justice (ACJ) that a security force affiliated with the Houthi group arrested the citizen “Ayman Dhabyan Mohammed” in front of a mosque in the Airport area of the capital, Sana’a, while he was on his way to perform Maghrib prayer, and took him to an undisclosed location.

    Dhabyan works operating a mobile ice cream cart. According to testimonies, the force, using a military vehicle and official uniforms, carried out the arrest without presenting any legal justification or arrest warrant issued by the public prosecutor’s office. The detainee is currently being subjected to enforced disappearance, as local police stations in the area have denied responsibility for his detention and have provided conflicting information to his family regarding his whereabouts, shifting responsibility between the district administration and the intelligence apparatus.

    Dhabyan is known for his voluntary religious outreach activities, including delivering sermons and religious lessons within his local community. His arrest comes within a broader context aimed at suppressing independent social actors, monopolizing public space, and preventing any religious or guidance activities that are not under the group’s supervision and control.

    The American Center for Justice emphasizes that these practices constitute a blatant violation of the right to personal liberty and security, and an infringement on freedom of belief and expression. The Center calls for the immediate disclosure of Ayman Dhubyan’s fate and his unconditional release, holding the Houthi-affiliated security authorities legally and criminally responsible for his safety and life.

  • Statement: The American Center for Justice (ACJ) Calls for an End to Systematic Repression Against Journalists in Yemen

    Statement: The American Center for Justice (ACJ) Calls for an End to Systematic Repression Against Journalists in Yemen

    On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, the Yemeni media community continues to face targeted violations that strike at the core of the profession and the safety of those who practice it. Journalism in Yemen has increasingly become a high-risk endeavor, placing practitioners in direct confrontation with repressive authorities whose names may differ, but whose practices converge in the silencing of free expression.

    Houthi Detention Facilities: Medical Neglect as a Form of Abuse
    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) expresses deep concern over the severe deterioration in the health condition of journalist Adel Al-Siyaghi, who is detained by the Houthi group in Sana’a. Al-Siyaghi is reportedly suffering from extensive skin ulcers and is being deliberately denied access to basic medical care.

    The Center considers the deliberate denial of medical treatment to a detainee as a form of systematic ill-treatment that may amount to torture, aimed at undermining the physical and psychological integrity of detainees. The group bears full legal and moral responsibility for the life and well-being of Al-Siyaghi, as well as all detained journalists under its control, each of whom represents a prolonged story of suffering.

    Aden: Undermining the Rule of Law and Arbitrary Detention
    In the interim capital, Aden, another pattern of violations is evident in the continued detention of journalist Naseh Shaker, despite a judicial order mandating his release.

    Failure to implement court rulings undermines the authority and effectiveness of the judiciary and reflects the dominance of security actors operating beyond constitutional oversight. This conduct constitutes a clear case of arbitrary detention and requires immediate compliance with the rule of law and accountability.

    Demands and Calls for Action
    Ensuring the protection of journalism in Yemen requires the international community to move beyond rhetorical condemnation toward concrete measures that guarantee the safety and rights of journalists. Accordingly, the American Center for Justice calls for:

    •⁠ ⁠Immediate Release: The unconditional release of all detained journalists across all Yemeni governorates.

    •⁠ ⁠Urgent Medical Intervention: Allowing medical missions and international organizations to access Adel Al-Siyaghi and provide him with immediate and necessary treatment.

    •⁠ ⁠Respect for the Rule of Law: The prompt enforcement of judicial decisions ordering the release of Naseh Shaker, and an end to the overreach of security bodies over judicial authority.

    •⁠ ⁠International Accountability: Prioritizing violations against journalists in Yemen within international investigative mechanisms to ensure accountability and prevent impunity.

    The American Center for Justice affirms that the resilience of Yemeni journalists in the face of these challenges remains a vital safeguard for truth. Standing in solidarity with their just causes is a legal and moral obligation that cannot be deferred.

  • U.S. Federal Court Halts Trump Administration Decision to Terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni Nationals

    U.S. Federal Court Halts Trump Administration Decision to Terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni Nationals

    A U.S. federal court issued an emergency order today mandating the immediate suspension of the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals. This ruling ensures that TPS will remain in effect pending a final judgment in the lawsuit, which alleges clear violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and the constitutional protections guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment.

    In its decision, the court stated: “Yemeni TPS holders are not ‘criminals,’ ‘burdens,’ or ‘seekers of unearned benefits.’ They are law-abiding individuals who were granted the right to remain in the United States because the government has repeatedly determined, under the TPS statute, that Yemen is experiencing an ongoing armed conflict, and that forcing their return under such conditions would pose a serious threat to their safety.”

    This ruling protects thousands of Yemeni nationals from the risk of forced deportation to a country facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Official records continue to demonstrate the persistence of extraordinary conditions rendering Yemen unsafe, directly contradicting the rationale behind the termination decision, which lacked a basis in current and objective realities.

    In this context, “Ahmed,” a Yemeni engineer covered under the program and a father of six, two of whom are U.S. citizens, stated that he had felt secure with his children until the administration’s decision threatened to uproot them and return them to a war-torn country. He described the court’s intervention as a restoration of the sense of safety that had been taken from them. Such testimonies underscore the profound existential anxiety experienced by thousands of families whose members actively contribute to American society as doctors, engineers, and workers, and whose continued presence reflects resilience and strengthens the broader social fabric.

    For his part, attorney Abdulrahman Barman, Executive Director of the American Center for Justice, expressed his appreciation to the organizations involved in the case. He affirmed the Center’s commitment to pursuing the legal process through all necessary stages, in line with its professional responsibility to uphold the values of the United States and protect vulnerable populations from arbitrary decisions. Barman emphasized that humanitarian protections must not be repurposed as mechanisms for deportation, but rather must remain safeguards grounded in factual realities and conditions on the ground, free from political motivations that seek to strip migrants of their legally guaranteed protections.

  • Sixteen Years in Iraqi Prisons: Hasna Ali’s Case Prompts Urgent Calls to Secure the Release of 11 Yemeni Detainees

    Sixteen Years in Iraqi Prisons: Hasna Ali’s Case Prompts Urgent Calls to Secure the Release of 11 Yemeni Detainees

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) has issued an urgent appeal to the Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, calling for immediate intervention to end the prolonged detention of eleven Yemeni nationals held in Iraqi prisons.

    In its statement, the Center highlighted the case of Yemeni detainee Hasna Ali, who is in her sixteenth year of detention. She has received cumulative prison sentences amounting to up to 32 years and is currently suffering from serious health conditions, including a perforation in the diaphragm and a gastric ulcer. She has also been deprived of contact with her children for many years.

    According to ACJ, many of the detainees are serving harsh sentences linked to broader political circumstances, reportedly without clear evidence of involvement in criminal or terrorist activities. The Center emphasized that this situation places a moral and legal responsibility on the Yemeni government to act to protect their rights and facilitate their return.

    The Center further noted that there is a viable opportunity to secure the transfer of Yemeni detainees from Iraqi prisons, pointing to similar agreements concluded by Baghdad with other countries. It urged the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council to take decisive sovereign action by directing relevant authorities to expedite the necessary legal and technical arrangements.

    Abdulrahman Barman, Executive Director of ACJ, stated that resolving this issue requires moving beyond ineffective administrative approaches that have failed in the past. He stressed that the case should be treated as a priority human rights matter at the core of the Council’s responsibilities, particularly given the deteriorating health conditions of several detainees, some of which have reached critical levels requiring immediate intervention. He also commended the constructive role played by the Yemeni embassy in efforts to address the issue.

    Hasna Ali is considered among the longest-serving female detainees in Iraq. She was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to imprisonment in connection with her marriage to Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a senior Al-Qaeda figure. She had married him in Yemen when he was working as a teacher in her village in Amran Governorate under an assumed identity. He later moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he served as an imam in a major mosque, before relocating to Iraq, where he became involved in leading the group’s activities against U.S. forces. He was killed in 2010.

  • Statement condemning the assassination of Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Shaer

    Statement condemning the assassination of Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Shaer

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) strongly condemns the assassination of educational expert Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Shaer, carried out by unidentified armed assailants. This direct attack on a prominent academic figure constitutes a deliberate blow to the civilian fabric and reflects a grave deterioration in the security environment, while placing national professionals who contribute to societal development at serious risk.

    The Center affirms that the resurgence of targeted killings is intrinsically linked to the absence of accountability and the leniency of law enforcement institutions in addressing previous crimes. A climate of impunity emboldens criminal networks to expand their operations and provides them with a permissive environment to continue targeting intellectuals and influential figures. The lack of effective legal deterrence accelerates the cycle of violence and undermines what remains of social stability.

    The Center holds the Ministry of Interior and relevant security agencies fully responsible for safeguarding citizens and protecting their right to life. It underscores the urgent need to move beyond superficial measures and adopt concrete, effective actions to protect society from organized criminal violence.

    Accordingly, the American Center for Justice calls for the following:
    •⁠ ⁠Immediate action by the Ministry of Interior to pursue the perpetrators, apprehend them, and refer them to a competent, independent, and impartial judiciary.
    •⁠ ⁠The launch of a transparent and comprehensive investigation to uncover the motives, as well as the parties responsible for planning and financing the crime, and the prompt public disclosure of the findings.
    •⁠ ⁠The implementation of robust preventive security measures to protect civilians and public figures from potential targeting.
    •⁠ ⁠An end to the prevailing climate of impunity through the effective functioning of justice institutions and the strict enforcement of the law to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

    American Center for Justice (ACJ)
    26 April 2026

  • a Letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

    a Letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

    American Center for Justice Warns Against the Forced Deportation of a Yemeni and a Moroccan in Benin

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) has submitted an urgent communication to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) concerning the detention by authorities in the Republic of Benin of a Yemeni national and a Moroccan national. In its letter dated March 26, 2026, the Center highlighted the case of the Yemeni national, Ahmed Al-Maliki, who faces serious risks to his life and personal safety if returned to his country of origin, which continues to experience ongoing armed conflict and severe humanitarian conditions.

    The Center stressed that any attempt to forcibly return him would constitute a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee law.

    ACJ urged UNHCR to intervene immediately to assess the protection needs of the individuals concerned and to prevent any unlawful deportation measures.

    The Center also raised serious concerns regarding the referral of the two individuals, Ahmed Al-Maliki and Abdelkamel El-Hmamouchi, to the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) in Cotonou, Benin. The Michigan-based organization indicated that it had received credible information suggesting that the individuals had been subjected to arbitrary detention and violations of fair trial guarantees, as well as the potential misuse of legal frameworks in their cases.

    It further urged UNHCR to monitor the ongoing judicial proceedings before this specialized court, ensure that legal frameworks are not misused against the detainees, and document any human rights violations associated with the case.

    In an urgent appeal, the American Center for Justice called for consideration of resettlement in a safe third country, given the impossibility of safe return to their countries of origin under current conditions, particularly in light of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The Center expressed its full readiness to cooperate with UNHCR to ensure the safety of the detainees, emphasizing that the current situation may constitute serious violations of international human rights and refugee protection standards, and requires urgent action to prevent irreparable harm

  • Press Release: Sniping of Children in Taiz .. Systematic Houthi Exploitation of Civilian Vulnerability

    Press Release: Sniping of Children in Taiz .. Systematic Houthi Exploitation of Civilian Vulnerability

    The American Center for Justice (ACJ) unequivocally condemns the ongoing sniper attacks targeting civilians in the city of Taiz. The latest victim, 14-year-old Ibrahim Jalal Amin, was fatally shot by a Houthi-affiliated sniper positioned in the Al-Mawshaki area while returning home from school on April 5. This incident reflects a recurring pattern of conduct that deliberately targets individuals least able to protect themselves or respond to hostile fire.

    The deployment of precision sniper weapons equipped with advanced optics provides the perpetrator with clear visual identification of the victim, thereby eliminating any plausible claim of accidental or indiscriminate harm. The targeting of children and women in densely populated civilian areas constitutes a deliberate and calculated military practice aimed at crippling community life and engineering demographic displacement. By turning school routes and water collection points into zones of lethal risk, these actions impose gradual forced displacement, effectively transforming residential neighborhoods into depopulated buffer zones that facilitate military domination.

    Within this framework, the systematic targeting of economically and socially vulnerable populations represents a deliberate strategy to consolidate front lines at minimal operational cost. By focusing on families compelled by necessity to remain in high-risk areas and unable to afford displacement, perpetrators achieve localized deterrence while avoiding retaliatory dynamics that might arise from targeting members of armed groups or influential tribal networks. Consequently, these vulnerable populations are left exposed to sustained sniper threats, their daily existence reduced to a continuous mechanism of coercion, and their communities transformed into environments governed by entrenched fear.

    These field-based violations are compounded by a media discourse that deliberately obscures accountability by promoting misleading narratives about the political beneficiaries of condemning such crimes. This tactic seeks to detach the criminal act from its material reality, disregarding the fact that the gunfire originates from positions under the group’s control following deliberate identification of the victim. By shifting the discourse from the physical crime scene to speculative political interpretation, this narrative performs a dual function: concealing the direct perpetrator and fostering a climate of legal paralysis that enables ongoing violations and facilitates impunity.

    In light of these grave and ongoing abuses, the American Center for Justice stresses that routine international condemnations have failed to deter this pattern of violence and have contributed to the instrumentalization of vulnerable civilians as bargaining tools. ACJ therefore calls on the international community and the UN Special Envoy to adopt concrete and enforceable measures to halt this human attrition. These include lifting the siege on Taiz, ensuring the withdrawal of military positions overlooking civilian neighborhoods, and activating international accountability mechanisms through rigorous criminal documentation that links each violation to its direct perpetrator as well as the chain of command responsible for authorizing and sustaining such acts. These steps are essential to breaking the cycle of impunity and ensuring effective protection for civilian lives.

  • Press Release: Landmines in Yemen — A Sustainable Infrastructure of Violence and a Crime That Cannot Be Justified by Military Necessity

    Press Release: Landmines in Yemen — A Sustainable Infrastructure of Violence and a Crime That Cannot Be Justified by Military Necessity

    On the International Day for Mine Awareness, observed today, Saturday, April 4, the American Center for Justice (ACJ) affirms that landmine networks in Yemen constitute a parallel infrastructure of violence, continuing to claim lives and destroy livelihoods independently of the immediate military context that produced them.

    The Center recalls its human rights report, “Mines.. Blind Killer,” which documented the systematic and indiscriminate planting of lethal devices across Yemeni territory. It notes that estimates based on field monitoring indicate more than fifteen thousand civilian victims, nearly 80 percent of whom suffer permanent disabilities and lifelong physical deformities as a result of the deliberate use of fragmentation devices and camouflaged explosives specifically designed to mimic the natural environment.

    The Center further affirms that the Houthi militia bears full and exclusive responsibility for the planting of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, as well as improvised and disguised explosive devices, in the current conflict. It emphasizes that the group’s failure, as a de facto actor, to accede to international treaties does not absolve it of criminal responsibility. Customary international humanitarian law imposes binding obligations prohibiting the use of indiscriminate weapons and the targeting of civilians, and places responsible leadership under potential prosecution under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

    The Center underscores that landmines bear no legitimate relation to the principle of military necessity; rather, they operate as inherently indiscriminate and automated means of harm that kill civilians arbitrarily, without any threat posed by the victims. The brutality of this practice was starkly evident during the truce in mid-2022, when the cessation of hostilities prompted thousands of displaced persons to return to their villages and farms, only to encounter minefields laid by the Houthi militia prior to withdrawal. This resulted in severe human and material losses that undermined prospects for restoring normal life.

    The Center also draws attention to an additional catastrophe resulting from the continued closure of main roads, particularly the Sana’a–Marib route, which forces travelers to take an alternative desert route through Al-Jawf Governorate. The danger along this compulsory route is exacerbated by climate change and flooding, which displace landmines and conceal them beneath shifting sand dunes, creating mobile and unpredictable death traps that expand the scope of the threat.

    Recommendations:

    The American Center for Justice also expresses its deep appreciation for the exceptional efforts undertaken by the Saudi “Masam” Project to clear Yemeni land of landmines, and commends the significant sacrifices made by its field teams in dismantling this deadly infrastructure, protecting civilian lives, and restoring safety.

    The American Center for Justice calls on all relevant parties to fulfill their obligations through the following measures:

    The international community and sponsors of peace processes: Require the handover of minefield maps as a preliminary condition prior to any political or security negotiations, and reject the marginalization of this crime in peace discussions.

    The Houthi militia: Immediately cease the planting of all types of landmines, provide accurate maps of contaminated areas, and assume full criminal and material responsibility for ongoing violations against civilians.

    The Yemeni government: Intensify efforts to provide sustainable medical and psychological care to victims, and integrate amputees into structured, long-term rehabilitation programs that go beyond temporary response measures.

    International human rights organizations: Develop international litigation cases based on the principle of universal jurisdiction to hold accountable the military and political leaders involved in orchestrating this systematic mine-laying campaign.

    American Center for Justice (ACJ)
    April 4, 2026