A terrifying account of torture in secret prisons in the Balhaf facility in Yemen

They tortured me to confess to what I did not commit” shocking testimony provided by the former Yemeni detainee, Salem al-Rubaizi (27 years), about the methods of torture in secret prisons run by Emirati forces at the Balhaf oil facility, which is supervised by the French company, Total, in southern Yemen.

Al-Rubaizi, who was released early this month – one of the detainees who lived the experience of arrest – told Al-Jazeera Net the story of his suffering in prison, and how they were torturing him during the investigation to force him to compose the story of his conviction, on charges of communicating with foreign countries.

Harsh experience

Al-Rubaizi – a resident of Shabwa governorate – holds the position of head of the Supervision and Inspection Authority of the Southern Revolutionary Movement Council and a member of the Council’s political bureau, and he remained in detention for about two years, during which he was transferred to several secret prisons run by the UAE in southern Yemen.

He began his story by saying: I was arrested on June 10, 2019, when I was first placed in Manshiyet Balhaf prison in Shabwa governorate, then Emirati forces worked to transfer me to a prison at Al-Rayyan Airport in Hadramout governorate, and then to a prison in the oil port of Dhabba in the same governorate.

He added – in an exhausted voice that reflects the cruelty of the experience – “These were very harsh days in detention, during which I was subjected to various types of torture, including electric shocks, beatings with sticks and electric wires, until I fainted more than once.”

He added, “During the first days of detention in the Balhaf facility, unimaginable types of torture were practiced on us by Emirati soldiers led by an officer called Abu Saif Al-Emirati. The torture continued during the detention and investigation period at the facility for a period of 3 months.”

He continued, “They were proficient in methods of psychological torture, including stripping the prisoner of his clothes, shackling and hanging by the hands and feet for hours, insulting and severe beatings on the face, drowning in a water basin, deprivation of sleep and entering the bathroom.”

Reasons for arrest

Regarding the number of prisoners, he says, “I was with 8 detainees in one cell, and I was transferred from time to time to a solitary cell.” He adds, “There are other prisons that have a large number of detainees that we are not allowed to meet with them. We used to hear some crying and talking to some from behind.” Prison walls. “

He went on, reviewing the reasons for the arrest, “At first I was charged during the investigation by the Emirati officer with communicating with foreign countries, but after a number of interrogation sessions, the same officer told me that the reason for my arrest was to reject the UAE’s policy in Yemen.” Advertising

“After 3 months, the Emiratis transferred me from Balhaf prison to a prison in Al-Rayyan airport in Hadramout, then he was imprisoned in the port of Daba in the same city, and after 7 months I was referred to the Criminal Court after calls and demands for the Emirates to release me or my trial.”

He added, “The trial lasted more than 5 months while I remained in detention after Emirati officers rejected the court’s decision to release me with a guarantee, and on April 2, I was released under the court’s ruling, which ruled me innocent of all the charges against me by the Emirati side.”

The Balhaf LNG facility is the largest investment project in Yemen, with an estimated value of $ 5 billion. It is managed by the local Yemen LNG Company, which is run by Total, and contributes 39.6% to it.

The UAE established a military base and a prison inside the invading complex, based on an official request submitted by the Yemeni government, in mid-2017, noting that this station had stopped working since the spring of 2015 after the outbreak of the war in Yemen.