Yemen's collapse after a decade of Houthi rule

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said in a report that Yemen witnessed a radical transformation when the Houthis carried out a coup against the government in September 2014,

The report, titled “A Decade of Collapse,” explained that the Houthi coup turned Yemen into a backyard for regional and international countries, including Iran, which supported the Houthis, which profoundly affected the course of the war and the humanitarian and political conditions in the country, and increased the complexity of the conflict and made peaceful solutions more difficult. These factors combined led to the division of Yemen into separate areas of influence, and the emergence of major challenges to the state restoring its unity and sovereignty.

The report issued by SAM stated that these conditions resulting from the coup caused the development wheel to stop completely, as employees’ salaries were stopped and prices rose significantly, which increased the suffering of the Yemeni people, and the conflict led to the forced displacement of more than two million civilians.

The report indicated that the Houthi coup caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, as more than half of the country's population is in dire need of humanitarian aid, and nearly 17.8 million people need health aid, half of whom are children. The siege and ongoing battles have also led to widespread displacement of the population, which has further complicated the situation.

The report highlighted the policy of systematic impoverishment and economic exhaustion pursued by the Houthis throughout the ten years of the coup, as they imposed exorbitant taxes and fees on merchants and citizens

The report noted that the judicial system was shaken, as the Houthi group worked to politicize it and used it as a means of revenge against political opponents, which led to the creation of an environment of fear and threat.

The Houthi group also committed serious violations against civilians in Yemen, planting more than 2,300,000 mines in various regions, killing 2,632 people, including 477 children and 168 women, and injuring 3,386 others, including 730 children and 219 women, during the period from 2014 to 2022. Mines also damaged 4,743 private facilities and 456 public facilities.

The report indicated that the Houthi group arbitrarily arrested more than 18,000 civilians and hid many victims in unofficial prisons not subject to judicial supervision, where detainees face harsh conditions, including torture leading to death, explaining that more than 17,000 cases of torture against detainees in Houthi prisons were monitored and documented by human rights organizations.

Since the Houthi coup against the legitimate state in Yemen, the country has witnessed a noticeable decline in political and civil liberties, and the human rights situation has deteriorated significantly,