[17/02/2026 11:42]

AL-BAYDA-SABA
Rasd Center for Rights and Development has documented 868 serious human rights violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Al-Bayda governorate during 2025, according to its latest annual report released on Tuesday.

The report, titled “Al-Bayda 2025: Geography of Repression and Harvest of Abuse,” provides an overview of the human rights situation in the governorate and highlights a sharp rise in abductions and arbitrary detentions, which accounted for 690 cases. Most incidents were concentrated in Al-Qurayshiyah and Rada’a districts, where military vehicles were reportedly used in mass arrest campaigns.
A copy of the report obtained by the Yemeni News Agency (SABA) indicates that January recorded the highest number of violations, with 612 cases documented during that month alone. The spike coincided with a military campaign targeting the Hanka Al-Masoud area in Al-Qurayshiyah district.

The center also reported the killing and injury of 14 women and children as a result of shelling and landmines allegedly planted by the militias. It documented the detention of 16 bodies in Al-Qurayshiyah district, describing the practice as a means of pressuring families. In addition, 26 residential properties and 13 mosques were reportedly destroyed or damaged, which the report characterized as part of a broader attempt to undermine the governorate’s social and religious fabric.

Beyond the 2025 findings, the report includes cumulative data spanning from 2014 to 2025, documenting a total of 13,384 violations. Abductions and arbitrary detentions topped the list with 3,773 cases, a pattern the center said has effectively turned the governorate into what it described as a “large prison” lacking minimum standards of human dignity.

The organization stated that developments in Al-Bayda—particularly in Hanka Al-Masoud—go beyond isolated incidents, characterizing them as systematic collective punishment aimed at weakening and fragmenting the tribal structure. It held the Houthi militias legally responsible for the documented violations.

The center called for urgent international pressure to secure the release of arbitrarily detained individuals and to ensure the return of withheld bodies to their families, describing this as both a humanitarian and moral obligation.

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