Aden — Yemen's Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh have set up 480 secret prisons in Yemeni provinces, according to a recent report by the National Committee for Human Rights in Yemen. The prisoners are subjected to severe forms of torture, the report said. It pointed out that the militias have transformed several government and civil buildings into detention centers. Some 227 government buildings, 27 medical institutes, 49 universities, 99 schools, 25 sports clubs, 47 court campuses and 10 houses have been converted into secret prisons. The report mentioned 16,804 cases of arbitrary arrests, torture and disappearance committed by the Houthi militias and Saleh's forces. Several international organizations, including Amnesty International, have reported the cases of arbitrary detention and disappearance of civilians. Houthi militias also forced 99 percent of those who were released from prisons to sign papers pledging not to engage in any political, human rights, global or social activity or any act against the idea of armed expansion of Houthi and Saleh militias. If they renegade on their pledge, they are killed along with their family members and their property is confiscated. Houthi and Saleh militias have also been abducting children from schools and sending them to the scenes of military operations. The Arab Coalition forces in Yemen have recently handed over 52 children recruited on Yemeni-Saudi border by Houthi militias after coordinated action with a number of international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF.
