It included children and women.. Human Rights: Houthi militia carried out a kidnapping campaign against the people of Saada

The Ministry of Human Rights said on Thursday that it is following with great concern the widespread and systematic campaign of arrests and kidnappings of civilians, including women and children, by the terrorist Houthi militias in Saada Governorate, especially in the areas of (Al-Abdin and Gharaz near the governorate center).

A statement by the ministry said that its sources estimated the number of detainees at hundreds, including a large percentage of women, who are being subjected to harsh conditions and torture to force them to confess to espionage in violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law, according to the Saba news agency.

The statement indicated that the kidnapping campaign carried out by the Houthi militias comes in the context of accusing the civilian population in the province of spying for the Americans and the British against the backdrop of the air strikes on the province during the past week, as Saada province is considered the main stronghold of the Houthi militias.

The statement explained that the ministry received reports of a campaign of arrests that affected several governorates, including Ibb, Sana'a, Amran and Hajjah, and that the ministry's team is following up on these rabid violations by the Houthi militias.

He pointed out that these violations come in conjunction with the visit of the UN envoy to Yemen to Sana'a in order to negotiate with the militias and release the detained employees of the United Nations and international organizations, considering this a confirmation of the militias' disrespect for all the attempts of the United Nations to release all the detainees and move towards peace.

The ministry confirmed in its statement that these violations are added to a series of systematic crimes committed by the Houthi militias against civilians, and that these arrests are nothing but a dangerous indicator by the Houthi militias of escalation, especially since these kidnappings come with a military escalation carried out by the Houthi militias in Taiz, Al Dhale, Lahj and Al Bayda during the past few days.

In this regard, the Ministry called on the international community, the Security Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to work to provide protection for civilians and condemn these violations, stressing that these crimes are not subject to a statute of limitations and their perpetrators will not escape punishment.