{"id":651,"date":"2026-06-15T11:10:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/?p=651"},"modified":"2026-06-15T11:10:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:10:46","slug":"uae-torture-victims-association-calls-for-an-international-investigation-into-the-misuse-of-the-uae-red-crescent-emblem-in-yemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/?p=651","title":{"rendered":"UAE Torture Victims Association Calls for an International Investigation into the Misuse of the UAE Red Crescent Emblem in Yemen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Geneva<\/strong> \u2013 The UAE Torture Victims Association has called on the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC<\/a>) to open an independent and comprehensive investigation into allegations concerning the use of structures and assets belonging to the UAE Red Crescent in military and security-related activities in Yemen, considering that such practices \u2013 if proven \u2013 would constitute a serious violation of humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an official letter addressed to IFRC President Kate Forbes, the Association stated that a legal report attached to the complaint documents a series of facts that may affect the integrity and reputation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and raise serious concerns regarding compliance with the principles of neutrality, independence, and impartiality upon which humanitarian action is founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Association indicated that the report<\/a> contains allegations regarding the use of humanitarian facilities and vehicles bearing the humanitarian emblem in operations linked to military or intelligence activities during the armed conflict in Yemen, which could constitute a misuse of the emblem protected under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. It further warned that the use of humanitarian symbols to facilitate military operations may, under certain circumstances, amount to conduct prohibited under international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter also referred to what it described as the existence of operational links between certain entities presenting themselves as part of the Red Crescent and armed groups, considering that such relationships \u2013 if verified \u2013 undermine the independence and neutrality of humanitarian action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Association expressed concern regarding information contained in the report indicating the presence of individuals associated with humanitarian structures within unofficial detention facilities allegedly involved in cases of torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention, stressing that these allegations raise serious concerns regarding violations of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits torture, cruel and inhuman treatment, and arbitrary detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Association added that the documented facts may also involve violations of the fundamental guarantees provided under international humanitarian law, including the protection of human dignity and physical integrity of protected persons, as well as the prohibition of torture and degrading or humiliating treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter emphasized that there are witnesses and individuals with direct or indirect knowledge of the facts contained in the report who could provide testimony within the framework of any investigative or review mechanism adopted by the competent institutions of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Association called on the International Federation to launch an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts and responsibilities, refer the matter to the competent mechanisms responsible for protecting the humanitarian emblem and ensuring integrity and compliance, conduct a legal assessment of the facts in light of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, and take the necessary measures to preserve the neutrality, independence, and credibility of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint is based on a legal report prepared by the UAE Torture Victims Association, which documents, on the basis of testimonies from former detainees, human rights reports, and leaked documents, what it describes as a systematic pattern of using humanitarian work as a cover for military and security activities in Yemen, contrary to the fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality, and exclusively civilian character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report cites testimonies from former detainees held in secret detention facilities in southern Yemen, who stated that UAE Red Crescent facilities were used \u2013 according to their accounts \u2013 to store weapons and military equipment and to provide logistical support to local armed forces, which the report considered a departure from the protected civilian nature of humanitarian facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also includes the testimony of former detainee Adel Al-Hassani, who stated that during his detention in a prison supervised by the UAE in Aden, he observed Emirati officers working inside detention facilities, only to later discover some of them occupying positions associated with the UAE Red Crescent. He specifically referred to officer Saeed Al-Kaabi, whom other testimonies linked to the administration of Al-Rayyan Prison in Hadhramaut Governorate, one of the most prominent detention centers accused of committing serious violations against detainees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report states that the Association obtained data and testimonies from approximately 180 former detainees held in UAE-linked prisons in Hadhramaut, containing detailed information regarding detention conditions and the violations they allegedly suffered, including torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report further refers to leaked documents alleging links between entities associated with the UAE Red Crescent and assassination operations targeting mosque imams and political figures in southern Yemen during 2017, as well as information relating to the financing and arming of armed groups. It argues that these facts \u2013 if substantiated \u2013 could give rise to legal responsibility under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Hadhramaut Governorate, the report documents incidents that local organizations said involved the use of certain UAE Red Crescent facilities as logistical and military support centers and weapons storage sites, as well as the use of vehicles bearing humanitarian emblems in non-relief activities. The report argues that such practices undermine confidence in humanitarian action and expose civilian personnel and humanitarian facilities to increased risks in conflict zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also addresses the activities of the UAE Red Crescent on the island of Socotra, reviewing documents and local testimonies alleging that its role extended beyond humanitarian activities into security, military, and economic functions, including the supervision of projects linked to security and military installations and involvement in matters concerning detainees and victims of enforced disappearance. According to the report, these allegations warrant an independent and transparent investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report concludes that the documented facts may, if verified, amount to serious violations of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, as well as misuse of internationally protected humanitarian emblems. It further notes the possibility of links to crimes including torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearance, calling for an independent international investigation, accountability for those responsible, and the protection of humanitarian action from politicization and militarization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This step comes amid growing human rights calls for humanitarian activities operating in conflict zones to be subjected to independent oversight in order to ensure that humanitarian symbols and facilities are not exploited for military or security purposes and to preserve international confidence in humanitarian institutions operating in armed conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Geneva \u2013 The UAE Torture Victims Association has called on the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to open an independent and comprehensive investigation into allegations concerning the use of structures and assets belonging to the UAE Red Crescent in military and security-related activities in Yemen, considering that such practices \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-comment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=651"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":653,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions\/653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.avtuae.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}