CAIRO — A prominent Yemeni group says the Houthi rebels are holding dozens of women without trials or charges, torturing them and blackmailing their families.
The allegations came over the weekend from the Yemen Organization for Combating Human Trafficking, based in the capital, Sanaa.
A Yemeni rights lawyer confirmed this and told The Associated Press on Thursday that the women were rounded up from cafes and parks the past weeks. He says their families are searching for their missing daughters.
The lawyer spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for personal safety.
The Houthis had earlier dismissed torture rumours and vowed to prosecute those behind them.
The Yemeni group says it’s obtained new information showing “atrocity of abuse, torture, and forced disappearances of women and girls in secret and illegal prisons.”
Maggie Michael, The Associated Press
