At a glance: Civic space, arbitrary detention, press freedom | For policymakers, UN mechanisms, donors, and independent media
“This report turns documented testimonies into a roadmap for accountability and protection—so that the silence of victims becomes the exception, not the rule.”
“Silence by Force: Systematic Houthi Violations Against Human Rights Defenders in Yemen” offers a credible reading of the continuing deterioration in rights and freedoms since Ansar Allah (the Houthis) seized control on 21 September 2014. The picture goes beyond a narrowed public sphere to reveal systematic policies of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, alongside sham trials that violate basic fair-trial guarantees—including denying defendants independent counsel and appointing lawyers loyal to the group. These tools have evolved into a standing apparatus to silence dissent and consolidate control, impacting thousands of civilians—activists, journalists, defenders, and political opponents—with structural effects on Yemen’s social and civic fabric in the northwest and on the feasibility of independent human-rights and media work.
The report is grounded in a multi-source methodology that links in-depth interviews with 12 individuals—journalists, researchers, and relatives of victims—to an analytical review of local and international human-rights reporting, UN documentation and mechanisms, and a legal analysis that situates facts within international humanitarian law and international human-rights law, including standards on the protection of journalists and humanitarian personnel during conflict. The research team adhered to rigorous documentation standards and strict safety protocols: all potentially identifying details of victims and informants are withheld, and testimonies were triangulated to the extent possible in a high-risk, restricted-access environment. The time frame spans 2014–2025, with particular attention to escalation in 2024–2025.
The analysis shows that targeting extends well beyond generic restrictions to orchestrated pressure on human-rights defenders, staff of local and international organisations, and media professionals. Moral and political smear campaigns—branding targets as “traitors” or “morally corrupt”—have intersected with practical constraints on documentation and victim access, producing a systematic blackout that weakens transparency and narrows pathways to accountability. Arrests and disappearances have struck journalists and media institutions; administrative and security pressure has hamstrung civil society organisations’ access and service delivery; and smear campaigns have eroded public trust domestically and internationally, directly diminishing the flow of independent information. The human toll is severe: survivors and families suffer deep psychological and social harm, while civil actors experience organisational exhaustion under fear, surveillance, and procedural obstacles.
The most recent period has seen expanded raids and arrest campaigns since May 2024 against UN personnel and staff of international and local organisations, accompanied by the broadcast of “confessions” likely extracted under duress and blanket accusations of espionage against aid workers. Several agencies have scaled back or redeployed operations. On 7 October 2025, the United Nations announced the additional detention of staff in Houthi-controlled areas—an indicator of rising operational risks for local partners and international actors and a signal for a coordinated protection response to restore basic conditions for humanitarian and human-rights work.
Despite relevant resolutions from the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, implementation has remained limited given the absence of robust enforcement tools and the downgrading of independent expert mechanisms—entrenching a culture of impunity. The report therefore concludes that symbolic gestures are insufficient. Stopping violations and restoring the rule of law require concrete, measurable steps: establishing an independent international investigative and accountability mechanism; imposing targeted sanctions on those responsible for grave abuses; immediately releasing detained journalists and civilian workers; disclosing the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared and enabling visits; and ensuring legal, psychosocial, and health support programmes for survivors—including journalists and civilian staff fleeing Houthi-controlled areas. These are not rhetorical add-ons but practical requirements for re-establishing protection and interrupting the reproduction of violence.
All identifiers are withheld to protect victims and informants. The report adheres to recognised human-rights documentation standards to ensure accuracy and reliability in support of advocacy and accountability.
