About the archive.
The Houthi Crimes Archive is an independent documentation platform preserving crimes and abuses committed by the Houthis in Yemen. It brings together events, victims’ names, dates, locations and sources in an open, searchable record. Its purpose is to make each crime intelligible: what happened, where and when, who was harmed, and which published evidence documents it.
Shelling that destroys a home, a mine that takes a child’s leg, or an abduction that leaves a family unable to learn a relative’s fate does not end when the news moves on. The archive preserves the details of Houthi attacks and their consequences, bringing scattered documentation together so that victims’ names do not disappear behind totals and events do not become lost among separate reports.
Why this archive exists
Accounts of Houthi crimes and the experiences of their victims are dispersed across human-rights reports, local news, investigations and United Nations statements. One event may appear in several sources, while a report published years earlier may be difficult to find. The archive organizes this material into source-linked event pages, making it easier to revisit than an unconnected collection of news reports.
The project is grounded in victims’ right to have their names and experiences preserved, and in the public’s right to examine a record of Houthi crimes without obscuring responsibility. Documentation requires more than an incident title or number. The location of shelling, the age of a child shot by a sniper, a detainee’s separation from family, and the disability caused by a mine are essential to understanding the harm done.
What we document
The archive covers killings, shelling and sniper attacks; torture, detention and enforced disappearance; mines, home demolitions, displacement and siege; attacks on humanitarian workers and journalists; and attacks on places of education and worship. It also covers other crimes and abuses where sources document Houthi responsibility. Records are based on the evidence available for an attack, not the volume of publicity it received or the force of the language used to describe it.
Each event has a page bringing together its circumstances, date, location and consequences, including death, injury, detention or other harm. Published names and victim details are included when they serve documentation and respect safety. Categories connect related forms of abuse, while governorate pages and the timeline help readers follow attacks across places and periods.
The victim at the centre of the record
A victim is not simply a statistical entry. When a woman is killed by a sniper, a child is wounded while playing outside a home, or mines prevent a family from returning, the circumstances show what Houthi attacks have done to people’s lives. Descriptions therefore focus on the specific event rather than general phrases that could be attached to any incident.
Preserving names does not justify exposing people to danger. Documentation is not a reason to publish a survivor’s precise private address, or personal details unnecessary to understanding a crime. Requests to restrict sensitive information must be considered in light of victims’ and families’ safety while preserving the facts establishing responsibility for an attack.
Sources and accuracy
The archive draws on United Nations and human-rights reporting, news agencies, local and international journalism, and other published material documenting an event. Source names link directly to the original material so that readers can review attribution and context. Republishing the same report on several websites does not create several separate events.
Clear condemnation of Houthi crimes requires accuracy. We distinguish the date of an attack from a report’s publication date, deaths from injuries and detentions, and individual events from extended campaigns. Different casualty accounts for the same event are not added together, and an English translation is not counted as another crime. The methodology page explains the handling of dates, figures and the limits of the displayed statistics.
A researchable record, not a news bulletin
This is not a daily news service or a forum for comments and arguments. Its structure centres on the event: a page that can be updated, related information and traceable sources. When new documentation concerns an already recorded attack, the existing page can be reviewed rather than duplicated simply because another news report has appeared.
Readers, victims’ families, researchers and journalists can search by titles, names and locations or use category, governorate and chronological indexes. Arabic and English content appear in separate language sections, with translations linked so that the same event can be reached in either language without mixing feeds.
Record review and further documentation
Published records are reviewed against their cited sources. New evidence may lead to revisions of dates, names or figures, and the latest update date appears on each event page.
The archive remains open to further documentation and does not claim that its current contents encompass all Houthi crimes in Yemen. Absence from the index does not establish that an event did not occur. Inclusion is not a substitute for judicial investigation or victims’ right to seek redress. The archive’s role is to provide a usable documentary record and preserve the connection between events, their sources and the responsibility of those who committed them.
Founder and curator
Mohammed Abdulqaher Sinan founded and maintains the Houthi Crimes Archive. The project brings the documentation of Houthi crimes and the memory of their victims into one organized place, with a commitment to accuracy, respect for affected people’s privacy, and the preservation of their experiences in connection with their rights.