NCIAVHR Assesses Prisoners’ Conditions with Judicial and Security Authorities in Al Mahrah Governorate

Al Mahrah | May 28, 2024

The National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights (NCIAVHR) conducted a field visit to Al Mahrah Governorate in the eastern part of Yemen to evaluate human rights conditions.

At the beginning of the visit, the Vice-Chairman of the Commission, Judge Hussein Al-Mashdali, and Commission Member Judge Ishraq Al-Maqtari, today, met with the Director of the Governorate’s Police, Brigadier General Mufti Suhail Al-Mahri, and the Director General of Criminal Investigation, Brigadier General Ahmed Ali Rafit.

Judge Hussein Al-Mashdali outlined the purpose of the visit and emphasized the Commission’s interest in coordinating and communicating with law enforcement and security agencies to collaborate in enhancing and protecting the rights of prisoners and detainees, ensuring their rights by international conventions and national laws.

For his part, the Director of the Governorate’s Police, Brigadier General Mufti Al-Mahri, affirmed the important roles played by the Commission and institutions concerned with guaranteeing rights, contributing to the enforcement of the law, and reducing violations and deficiencies in humanitarian aspects.

During the visit, the Commission members visited the central prison and the detention center of the Criminal Investigation Department, inspecting their departments and facilities, assessing social rights, fair trial procedures for detainees, and guarantees of humane treatment.

The visit also included listening to several prisoners and detainees, recording their various demands and needs, and reviewing the data of (267) detainees and prisoners, including three female detainees, discussing their legal situations.

Additionally, the Commission held a meeting with the prosecutors of Al Mahrah Governorate, attended by the Chief of Appeals Prosecution in the Governorate, Judge Hani Belhaf, and Deputy Governor Hussein Al-Masadi. The meeting discussed the main challenges facing judicial work, especially given the vast distances between the governorate’s districts, the high influx of displaced persons from war zones, and the urgent need to improve the environment of prisons and detention centers in terms of health, psychological, and nutritional aspects.