Unlawful Detention Inside a Civilian Facility
In 2016, Emirati forces took control of Ataq Airport in the city of Ataq, Shabwa Governorate, eastern Yemen. While the airport was closed to civilian flights, it began to be used as a military base and an unofficial detention center, where dozens of civilians were detained in underground facilities that had previously been used to store aircraft oils, in the absence of any judicial or legal oversight.
According to testimonies documented by Mwatana, the detention center at Ataq Airport consists of a number of poorly ventilated hangars that lack even the minimum standards of cleanliness. The detention rooms are also equipped with surveillance cameras, constituting an additional violation of detainees’ privacy and human dignity.
Mwatana for Human Rights documented the detention of at least 11 victims at the unofficial detention center at “Ataq Airport,” including 7 victims who were subjected to enforced disappearance and 3 victims who were subjected to physical and psychological torture during interrogations. Detainees were also denied family visits.
Mwatana for Human Rights calls for the immediate closure of the unofficial detention center at Ataq Airport; the release of all those arbitrarily detained there; the disclosure of the fate of those forcibly disappeared; the subjection of all detention centers to the authority of the judiciary and the Public Prosecution; the provision of redress and reparations to victims; and efforts to ensure that such violations are not repeated.
