The Abductees’ Mothers Association participated virtually in a meeting held in Geneva with the Justice for Yemen Alliance and representatives of various countries. The meeting aimed to strengthen international cooperation, defend human rights in Yemen, and promote accountability and justice.
In its address, the Association highlighted its documentation of thousands of cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance involving civilians, including human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and university students. It shared testimonies from hundreds of survivors who recounted the violations they or their peers experienced during detention. These include deaths caused by torture or deliberate medical neglect, such as the spread of tuberculosis in several prisons, which led to the deaths of several detainees.
Chairwoman Amat Al-Salam Al-Haj, speaking via video conferencing, discussed the restrictions imposed on civil space by conflicting parties, including travel bans on activists, threats of arrest, and restrictions on non-governmental organizations.
She also shed light on the arrest campaigns targeting humanitarian workers and the struggles of survivors, who urgently need psychosocial support programs to recover from the trauma of abduction and enforced disappearance. Many are forcibly displaced during exchange operations.
In her concluding remarks, the chairwoman called for increased pressure on conflicting parties to end arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. She urged the formation of an independent international investigation committee, akin to the now-defunct Group of Eminent Experts, to investigate these violations. She emphasized the importance of ensuring justice for victims and holding perpetrators accountable to prevent impunity.
