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injuring two civilians and causing material 

damage.

AERIAL AND NAVAL BLOCKADE

The coalition continued to impose a partial 

sea and air blockade that was tightened in 

November, purportedly to enforce the UN-

sanctioned arms embargo on the Huthis and 

Saleh-aligned forces. Throughout the year, 

these blockades curtailed the movement of 

people and goods, deepening the 

humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict 

and contributing to violations of the right to 

health and to an adequate standard of living, 

including adequate food. This contributed to 

pervasive food insecurity and what became 

the world’s worst cholera epidemic. In March, 

the NGO Save the Children reported that the 

coalition prevented three of its aid shipments 

from reaching the port of Hodeidah, forcing 

them to reroute to Aden and delaying the 

delivery of aid for three months. In August, 

OCHA reported that four vessels carrying 

more than 71,000 tonnes of fuel were denied 

access to Hodeidah by the coalition. In 

November, 29 ships carrying essential 

supplies were prevented by the coalition from 

reaching Hodeidah port, according to OCHA.

ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS

The Huthi-Saleh forces, Yemeni government 

and Yemeni forces aligned with the UAE 

engaged in arbitrary and illegal detention 

practices. Amnesty International documented 

a few cases in Sana’a and Marib of civilians 

being detained solely to be used as leverage 

in future prisoner exchanges, which amounts 

to hostage-taking and is a violation of 

international humanitarian law.

In Sana’a and other areas they controlled, 

the Huthis and their allies continued to 

arbitrarily arrest and detain critics and 

opponents as well as journalists, private 

individuals, human rights defenders and 

members of the Baha’i community, 

subjecting scores to enforced disappearance. 

Five Baha’i men remained in detention at the 

end of the year. One of the men had been 

held for nearly four years, accused by the 

Huthis of apostasy, which carries the death 

penalty under Yemeni law.

UAE-backed Yemeni forces in Aden 

perpetrated a campaign of arbitrary detention 

and enforced disappearances. Amnesty 

International documented 13 cases of 

arbitrary detention during the year; some of 

these detainees were held incommunicado or 

had been subjected to enforced 

disappearance. Members of the Baha’i 

community were also arbitrarily detained at 

Aden International Airport by local forces 

aligned with the UAE and were held without 

charge for nine months.

Professor and political figure Mustafa al-

Mutawakel was arbitrarily arrested by the 

internationally recognized Yemeni 

government forces in Marib on 27 April. He 

remained in detention without charge.

IMPUNITY

Since the conflict began, all parties 

committed serious violations of international 

humanitarian law and violations and abuses 

of human rights law with absolute impunity.

Since its inception in September 2015, the 

National Commission to Investigate Alleged 

Violations of Human Rights, established by 

the Yemeni government, failed to conduct 

prompt, impartial and effective investigations 

consistent with international standards into 

alleged human rights violations committed by 

all parties to the conflict in Yemen. Similarly, 

the Saudi Arabia-led coalition investigative 

mechanism continued to appear to lack the 

necessary impartiality and independence to 

carry out its work credibly.

With the proliferation of armed groups and 

security forces without command and control 

and the lack of effective control of the central 

government over its security forces and 

territories, the space for impunity further 

widened. In its mid-term report, the UN 

Panel of Experts on Yemen expressed 

concern that member states of the coalition 

were expressly shielding themselves from 

accountability and individual responsibility by 

hiding behind the umbrella of the coalition.

In a positive development, the UN Human 

Rights Council passed a resolution in 

September mandating a group of experts to 

investigate abuses by all parties in Yemen. 

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This constituted a first step towards justice 

for victims of human rights abuses and grave 

violations of international law.

FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION AND 

ASSOCIATION

The Huthis and their allies, as well as armed 

factions in Ta’iz, Aden and Sana’a, waged a 

campaign against journalists and human 

rights defenders, curtailing freedom of 

expression in areas under their de facto 

administration.

The Huthis and allied forces continued to 

hold at least nine journalists without charge; 

they had been arbitrarily detained for more 

than two years. Meanwhile in Aden and Ta’iz, 

armed groups and security forces 

assassinated, harassed, intimidated, detained 

and in some cases tortured human rights 

defenders and journalists, forcing some to 

exercise self-censorship and others to flee 

Yemen.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition and the 

Yemeni government prevented journalists 

from entering Yemen, including by preventing 

the UN from allowing journalists onto their 

flights into Yemen, minimizing coverage and 

effectively imposing a media blackout. This 

ban was also extended to human rights 

organizations in May.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

The protracted conflict exacerbated existing 

discrimination and inequality for women and 

girls and gave rise to the adoption of negative 

coping mechanisms, such as child marriage, 

especially in the governorates of Ta’iz, Hajjah, 

Hodeidah, Ibb and Sana’a. Societal and legal 

protection mechanisms – however 

inadequate – broke down. This left women 

and girls with less protection from, and fewer 

avenues of redress for, sexual and other 

violence, including female genital mutilation, 

forced marriage and other abuses.

DEATH PENALTY

The death penalty remained in force for 

many crimes; no information was publicly 

available about death sentences or 

executions. On 12 April, the Huthi-Saleh 

authorities in Sana’a convicted journalist 

Yahya al-Jubaihi and sentenced him to death 

on charges of spying. This was the first time 

the Huthi-Saleh authorities had sentenced 

somebody to death. Yahya al-Jubaihi was 

released in September.

ZAMBIA

Republic of Zambia

Head of state and government: Edgar Chagwa Lungu

The authorities cracked down on critics, 

including human rights defenders, 

journalists and opposition political party 

members. The Public Order Act was used to 

repress rights to freedom of expression, 

association and assembly. The police used 

unnecessary and excessive force against 

peaceful protesters and failed to address 

violence by groups close to the government. 

The judiciary came under verbal attack from 

the President. Levels of food insecurity in 

rural areas remained high.

BACKGROUND

There was heightened tension between 

supporters of the President and of Hakainde 

Hichilema, leader of the opposition United 

Party for National Development (UPND), 

following the disputed election results in 

2016. Hakainde Hichilema refused to 

recognize Edgar Chagwa Lungu as President. 

The Constitutional Court rejected Hakainde 

Hichilema’s petition against the results on 

procedural grounds. The Court was also 

expected to deliver a judgment during 2018 

on whether President Lungu could run for 

president in the 2021 elections.

FREEDOMS OF ASSEMBLY AND 

ASSOCIATION

The space for civil society, human rights 

defenders, journalists and opposition political 

parties was increasingly restricted. The 

authorities continued to use the Public Order 

Act to prevent political parties and civil 

society organizations from gathering. Section 

5(4) of the Act provided that anyone 

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