By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-10-06

Human rights activists warn that the Iran-backed Houthi group’s escalating abuses against Yemenis amount to crimes against humanity.

Arbitrary arrests, home raids, and enforced disappearances have become routine, alongside the widespread use of landmines and indiscriminate violence that has killed or injured tens of thousands.

Houthi militias arrested 1,063 people across several provinces during recent revolution celebrations, including 450 detained last year alone, said Mohammed al-Omda, head of the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, September 27.

This year, he said, at least 613 cases of arrest and enforced disappearance have already been documented.

Al-Omda added that in September alone, 123 cases of home invasions were recorded, all linked to citizens attempting to celebrate the September 26 Revolution and raise the national flag.

Arrests have occurred in public places such as roads, markets, and mosques, as well as inside homes. Victims are routinely handcuffed, stripped of their phones and documents, and transferred to secret detention centers.

"There is no legal or moral justification for arresting Yemenis simply for marking the September 26 Revolution," activist Riyadh al-Dabai told Al-Fassel.

"Arbitrary arrests, raids, and property confiscation reveal an authoritarian mindset that neither believes in people’s rights nor honors the sacrifices made by Yemenis for freedom and the republic," he said.

Al-Dabai said that the Houthis’ aim is not state-building but consolidating power by force.

Political analyst Abdullah Ismail echoed this, saying that "anyone who rejects the group’s ideology or opposes its dynastic goals is subjected to violations."

He added that the true number of detainees is likely far higher than recorded.

Regional destabilization

The Houthis’ systematic abuses extend beyond targeting individuals – they also undermine Yemen’s historical identity and regional stability.

By cracking down on national celebrations tied to Yemen’s September 26 Revolution, the group seeks to erase symbols of republicanism and replace them with a sectarian, authoritarian order.

Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi warned that the Houthis’ campaign of violence is not confined to Yemen’s borders.

"They have killed and injured more than 55,000 civilians, including tribal and social figures. Furthermore, their use of landmines has resulted in over 7,000 civilian casualties," he told Al-Fassel.

"The persistence of these crimes endangers Yemen’s stability and carries a threat to security throughout the region, spanning Bab al-Mandeb to the Arabian Gulf," he said.

According to al-Majeedi, the suppression of the September Revolution celebrations is "not merely an act of suppression, it is a serious, long-term project intended to erase the Yemeni national identity and establish a sectarian authoritarian state."

The arrests of more than 1,000 Yemenis this year for expressing national pride underscore this agenda.

Combined with widespread civilian casualties and displacement, the Houthis’ actions represent both a humanitarian crisis and a strategic threat to the Middle East.