Yemeni prisoner dies after being tortured in Houthi jail: Reports

Jihad Saleh Saleh Ali Makaber, one of many jailed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia group, has died in a Sanaa prison after suffering from both psychological and physical torture, according to several Yemeni reports.

Makaber’s family said that their son had died under torture by the Houthi militia who did not allow him to be treated or transferred to a hospital, noting that his kidneys had been damaged by continuous torture since his capture two years ago in Wadi Jbara in the Kataf district of Saada.

Local media reported that his wife was allowed to visit him on October 21 but was surprised by an order from the prison director to transfer her husband for treatment.

Makaber was 35 years old at the time of his death. He hails from the Atma district of Dhamar province. His brother is also currently detained in one of the Houthi prisons after the militia group kidnapped him in Radaa district of al-Bayda province.

The Houthis have long been accused by the Yemenis and the international community of human rights abuses, especially toward women.

In a 2014 Reuters report, Yemeni women said they experience much worse since the Houthis took over the capital in a coup against the government, including threats of sexual violence they say come from supporters of the Houthis.