NCIAVHR Conducts Field Visits to Detention Centers and Prisons in Aden

Aden | 03 February 2026

Over the course of two consecutive days, the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights conducted field visits to a number of prisons and detention centers in the temporary capital, Aden, as part of its legal mandate and in support of the rule of law.

The visits included police detention facilities in the districts of Dar Saad, Sheikh Othman, and Al-Mansoura, in addition to the Women’s Police Station, to review the situation of detainees and prisoners and assess detention conditions from legal and humanitarian perspectives.

The visiting team, which included Commission members Judge Jihad Abdulrasoul and Judge Dr. Diaa Muhairz, carried out comprehensive inspections of the facilities, covering various sections and detention wards. The team focused on the suitability of detention spaces in terms of capacity, ventilation, cleanliness, and security, and on ensuring the preservation of detainees’ human dignity.

The visits also aimed to listen directly to male and female detainees, assess their legal and humanitarian situation, and review the soundness of detention procedures—one of the key aspects examined in the Commission’s investigations—along with verifying the availability of health, psychological, and nutritional care.

The team met with a number of detainees and prisoners: (17) detainees in the first building at Dar Saad Police Station, (65) detainees in the second building, (54) detainees at Sheikh Othman Police Station, and (69) detainees at Al-Mansoura Police Station, including individuals awaiting trial, under investigation, as well as convicted persons.

During the visits, the Commission verified detainees’ conditions in terms of detention procedures and their appearance before the competent judicial authorities. The team also documented areas of compliance and gaps in the application of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and recorded detainees’ demands—particularly those related to expediting case decisions, ensuring fair trial guarantees, and improving service and health conditions within detention facilities.

The Commission also heard briefings from police officials on the main challenges facing detention administrations and the issues requiring remedial action, in preparation for submitting the necessary recommendations to the relevant authorities.

In the same context, the team visited the Women’s Police Station in Al-Mansoura District, where it met with (6) female detainees and listened to their detention conditions and legal and humanitarian needs, as part of the Commission’s monitoring of the situation of all categories of detainees without exception.