Houthi Militia Documented Committing 761 Violations in Sana'a in 2025

A human rights report has documented 761 violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the capital, Sana'a, and its ten districts during 2025.

The report, released by the "Deemant for Rights and Development" organization at a press conference, detailed how the Houthi militia employed economic starvation as a tool for collective punishment. The deliberate withholding of salaries for 70 percent of public sector employees and the imposition of arbitrary taxes led to an 80 percent collapse in purchasing power, pushing 80 percent of families below the poverty line and resulting in acute food insecurity for half the population of the capital.

Concurrently, the report documented 129 violations against humanitarian and UN organizations. These included the abduction of 52 staff members and the enforced disappearance of 31 others in secret detention centers, an apparent effort to commandeer aid and cut off the lifeline to millions in need.

The report also addressed the horrific details of the "Khashm Al-Bukra" neighborhood disaster in Bani Al-Harith district on May 22, 2025. The detonation of a secret cache of weapons and missiles, which the militia had established beneath citizens' homes, resulted in the deaths and injuries of over 90 civilians, the annihilation of entire families, and the destruction of approximately 50 homes. The report emphasized that the use of civilians as human shields and the storage of explosives in residential areas constitute a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and amount to war crimes.

According to the report, national symbols were not spared from the starvation policy. A total of 156 violations were recorded in September alone, targeting citizens for simply raising the national flag or commemorating the glorious September 26th Revolution anniversary. These violations included the abduction of 103 individuals, including women and children, the enforced disappearance of 27 others, and raids on 12 homes.