Yemen: The Agony of Enforced Disappearances

Yemen: The Agony of Enforced Disappearances
Guided by our unwavering belief in the universal values and principles of human rights, and the inherent right of all people to enjoy all rights fully, we join the world in commemorating the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. On this occasion, we draw the attention of the international community and all human rights defenders to the grave human rights violations in Yemen and reiterate the need to uncover the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons.
An objective observer of the human rights situation in Yemen will recognize that the policy of enforced disappearances has been systematically and widely practiced since the outbreak of the current conflict in 2014. Thousands have been subjected to enforced disappearance, and the fate of many remains unknown to this day, leaving families in a state of anxiety and despair as they continue to search for their loved ones.
The crime of enforced disappearance is not only a flagrant violation of human rights but also a crime against humanity. Its effects extend beyond the victims to their families and children, instilling in them fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.
On this occasion, we remind the parties to the conflict in Yemen, particularly the Houthis, that crimes of enforced disappearance do not have a statute of limitations, and that responsibility for these crimes is both individual and collective. The perpetrators of these crimes bear full legal responsibility for their actions.
At Mayyun Human Rights Organization, we affirm the right of victims of enforced disappearance and their families to truth, justice, and reparation, and the individual and collective legal responsibility of all perpetrators of these crimes. We demand that they be brought to justice. We call on the international community to support national and international efforts to search for the disappeared and to provide the necessary resources for this purpose, as well as to activate relevant international human rights mechanisms, such as the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
As we warn against the dangers of condoning these grave human rights violations in Yemen, we call on all concerned parties to:

• Cease all forms of human rights violations, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.
• Immediately disclose the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons and release all arbitrarily detained persons. We call on the Houthis in particular to disclose the fate of UN staff, international organization employees, and civil society leaders, and we call on all human rights and humanitarian organizations, media outlets, and people of conscience worldwide to exert pressure and advocate for the release of UN staff, international organization employees, and civil society leaders who have been abducted by the Houthis since June 2024.
• Ensure the accountability of all those responsible for these crimes and bring them to justice.
• We call on the Yemeni government to accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to ratify the Convention. We also call for the implementation of Cabinet Resolution No. 127 of 2013 regarding the signing of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances and its submission to Parliament for ratification.
• We call on the international community and human rights organizations to pressure all concerned parties to end these inhumane practices and to provide the necessary support to victims of enforced disappearance and their families.
  We remain hopeful that we will one day be able to achieve transitional justice in Yemen and secure justice for the victims and redress for their harm. However, this requires all of us to redouble our efforts and pay greater attention to networking and building human rights alliances.

Issued by the Mayyun Human Rights Organization
August 30, 2024