Witnesses tell Associated Press men were sexually tortured and beaten, and others raped<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of detainees have been sexually abused at a jail in southern Yemen believed to be run by the\u00a0United Arab Emirates, according to several witnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifteen officers who arrived at Beir Ahmed prison in Aden hid their faces behind their headdresses, but their accents were clearly identifiable as from the UAE, Associated Press reported. They lined up the detainees and ordered them to undress and lie down. The officers then searched the anal cavity of each prisoner, claiming to be looking for contraband mobile phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men screamed and wept. Those who resisted were threatened by barking dogs and beaten until they bled, witnesses said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Descriptions of abuse suggest sexual torture is rampant in UAE-controlled prisons in\u00a0Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Details of the US ally\u2019s secret prisons and use of torture were exposed by an AP investigation in June last year. AP has since identified at least five jails where security forces allegedly use sexual torture against prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked last year about claims of human rights abuses committed by the UAE, a Pentagon spokesman said the US had seen no evidence of detainee abuse in Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUS forces are required to report credible allegations of detainee abuse,\u201d Maj Adrian Rankine-Galloway said. \u201cWe have received no credible allegations that would substantiate the allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
American officials have acknowledged that US forces receive intelligence from UAE partners and have participated in interrogations in Yemen. But Rankine-Galloway said he could not comment on intelligence sharing with partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UAE officials did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emirati forces that are part of the Saudi-led coalition\u00a0fighting Houthi rebelshave taken control of swaths of territory in the south of Yemen. Hundreds of men suspected of being al-Qaida or Islamic State militants have been held in at least 18 prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Witnesses said Yemeni guards working under the direction of UAE officers have used various methods of sexual torture and humiliation. They allegedly raped detainees while other guards filmed the assaults, and are accused of electrocuting prisoners\u2019 genitals. Witnesses claim they sexually assaulted others with poles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey strip you naked, then tie your hands to a steel pole from the right and the left so you are spread open in front of them. Then the sodomising starts,\u201d one man said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Detainees at Beir Ahmed prison smuggled letters and drawings out about the alleged sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prisoner told AP he was detained last year and has been in three different jails. \u201cThey tortured me without even accusing me of anything. Sometimes I wish they would give me a charge, so I can confess and end this pain,\u201d he said. \u201cThe worst thing about it is that I wish for death every day, and I can\u2019t find it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drawings show a man hanging naked from chains while being electrocuted, a prisoner being kicked on the floor while surrounded by dogs, and graphic depictions of rape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the five prisons where sexual torture is alleged to have taken place, four are in Aden, according to three Yemeni security and military officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US personnel have been seen at Buriqa base, the headquarters of UAE forces and one of the jails identified, according to two prisoners and two security officials. The detainees could not say whether the Americans were mercenaries or officially working for the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war in Yemen began in 2015 when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels took over much of the north of the country, including the capital, Sana\u2019a, and forced out the government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The Saudi-led coalition, armed and backed by the US, has\u00a0conducted a bombing campaignin support of Hadi\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Yemeni government has said it has no control over the UAE-run prisons and Hadi has ordered an investigation into allegations of torture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Britain, opposition spokesman Fabian Hamilton called for an investigation by the Saudi-led coalition, the US, and the UN into what he said were \u201cextremely serious and disturbing allegations\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny form of torture or sexual abuse of prisoners is a clear violation of international law,\u201d the Labour Middle East spokesman said. \u201cIf the allegations are proven to be true, those responsible must be held to account by the United Nations and the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n