‘Unidentified Corpses’ Raise Doubts about Houthi Killing of Detainees

Houthis bury unidentified bodies in mass graves (Houthi media)
Houthis bury unidentified bodies in mass graves (Houthi media)
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‘Unidentified Corpses’ Raise Doubts about Houthi Killing of Detainees

Houthis bury unidentified bodies in mass graves (Houthi media)
Houthis bury unidentified bodies in mass graves (Houthi media)

Houthi militias in Yemen announced a few days ago that dozens of bodies were buried in mass graves in Sanaa. The Iran-backed group claimed that those laid to rest were “unidentified.”

Houthis currently face grave accusations of torturing detainees to death, hiding their bodies for some time and then burying them in mass graves across different Houthi-run governorates.

Public Prosecution in Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis, has launched alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross the first phase of burying 28 unidentified corpses, reported the Houthi version of the official Saba news agency.

While Houthi media did not disclose any other details related to the identity of these bodies, a source close to the group’s ruling department in Sanaa revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that there are three women among the 28 getting buried.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, the unidentified bodies were placed in airtight bags so that none of the parties involved in the burial would recognize them.

Reports prepared by the internationally-recognized government reveal that more than 300 abductees who were forcibly kidnapped by the militias had died under torture.

Activists and local human rights organizations had previously accused the militias of digging mass graves for dozens of civilians who died under torture in their detention centers.

Houthis, however, claim that those buried were unidentified individuals found in hospital mortuaries in several cities under their control.

In 2020, the Iran-backed militia buried 232 bodies out of a total of 715 in graves across Sanaa, Hodeidah, and Dhamar. Houthis also claimed that the corpses were unidentified. The burials took place over three phases.

Irada Organization for Combating Torture and Enforced Disappearance, a human rights NGO, had accused Houthis of torturing detainees to death and hiding their bodies.

In a statement, the organization called for an international investigation into the Houthis’ burial of hundreds of unidentified bodies, blaming the militias for the lives of all those killed.



Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Suspected US airstrikes battered Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the militias saying that one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under US President Donald Trump, targeting the militias over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, has killed at least 65 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis.

The campaign appears to show no signs of stopping as the Trump administration again linked their airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. While so far giving no specifics about the campaign and its targets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt put the overall number of strikes on Tuesday at more than 200.

“Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks, and we have seen they have taken out Houthi leaders,” Leavitt said. “They’ve taken out critical members who were launching strikes on naval ships and on commercial vessels and this operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored.”

Overnight, a likely US airstrike targeted what the Houthis described as a “water project” in Hodeidah governorate's Mansuriyah District, killing four people and wounding others. Other strikes into Wednesday targeted Hajjah, Saada and Sanaa governorates, the militias said.