The Abductees’ Mothers Association of the Forcibly Disappeared expresses its deep concern over the fate of our sons who have been forcibly disappeared in the southern governorates, amid measures taken in several governorates to close some unlawful detention facilities without clear guarantees to reveal the fate of the disappeared, preserve evidence, or hold those responsible for these grave crimes accountable.
The Association stresses that closing secret prisons without independent judicial oversight, and without enabling victims and their families to access the truth, poses a real threat to victims’ rights. It opens the door to the destruction of evidence of torture and enforced disappearance and allows perpetrators to evade accountability.
The Association also confirms that it has documented testimonies indicating the existence of several secret prisons and unofficial detention sites in the southern governorate, particularly in the temporary capital Aden, as well as Hadramout (Mukalla and Seiyoun) and Socotra, where detainees were arbitrarily held and forcibly disappeared outside the framework of the law.
Among the most prominent unlawful detention sites in Aden are:
Shalal Shae’e’s house (near Gold Moor)
Al-Asifah Brigade Prison – Awsan Al-Anshali
Waddah Hall – Counterterrorism Prison (Yusran Al-Maqtari)
Bir Ahmed Prison (Al-Bariqah)
Coalition Prison (Al-Buraiqah)
Al-Jalaa Camp (Al-Buraiqah)
Officers’ Club Prison on Al-Ummal Island (Khor Maksar)
Facilities Prison (Al-Mansoura)
Jabal Hadid Camp Prison (Al-Mualla Roundabout)
Tariq Camp Prison (Khor Maksar)
Ras Abbas Camp Prison (Salah Al-Din)
Badr Camp Prison (Khor Maksar)
Al-Nasr Camp Prison (Al-Areesh)
Al-Mashari’a Camp (Al-Mansoura)
Security Directorate Prison (Khor Maksar)
According to documented testimonies from former detainees held in secret prisons across several southern governorates, approximately 10 shipping containers, painted black on the inside with poor ventilation, were used as detention cells. The containers bore writings indicating dates of detention and the number of days held.
Testimonies also documented the existence of eight brick-and-cement cells, including extremely small cells (1×1 meter) used for solitary confinement. Detainees reported that around 60 people were held in a single container, blindfolded and handcuffed, prevented from sleeping or lying down, and forced to sit for long periods.
Detainees were subjected to continuous beatings, food deprivation, threats of transfer to Guantánamo, and sexual assaults during interrogation. The Association also documented cases of victims held for years, including minors, who were subjected to physical torture and electric shocks.
Some detainees were later transferred to official prisons, while others remain in detention according to statements from their relatives. Testimonies also indicated that detention operations involved Emirati soldiers and Yemeni fighters.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association strongly condemns the existence of these prisons and the violations associated with them, which constitute flagrant violations of the Yemeni Constitution, national law, and international human rights obligations, most notably the absolute prohibition of torture and the crime of enforced disappearance. The Association holds the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council forces, under whose control these prisons operated, fully legally responsible for the lives, safety, and fate of the forcibly disappeared.
Based on our moral and humanitarian responsibility as the Abductees’ Mothers Association of the forcibly disappeared, we demand:
– The immediate and comprehensive disclosure of the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons in the southern governorates, and enabling their families to know their places of detention or fate.
– The closure of all secret and unlawful prisons, with full preservation of their sites and contents as legal evidence, and the prevention of any tampering or concealment.
– The formation of an independent and impartial investigation committee under judicial oversight to investigate crimes of enforced disappearance and torture.
– Accountability for all those involved in establishing or operating these prisons and for perpetrators of violations committed therein.
– Full reparation for victims, including fair material and moral compensation, in accordance with international legal and humanitarian standards.
Enforced disappearance is a continuing crime that does not lapse with time. True peace cannot be achieved without justice, no justice without accountability, and no reconciliation without full disclosure of the truth.
Issued by:
Abductees’ Mothers Association
28/1/2026