How has life been since being named an Aurora Humanitarian – has it sunk in yet?
I was named an Aurora Humanitarian while I was going through the hardest time of my life after losing my son Mohsen. Mohsen has always been optimistic, as if he was seeing the future and telling me “Mom, you will be the Aurora Laureate,” so I felt that me being named by Aurora was a recognition of Mohsen. This honor helped me get through that hard time, and I never imagined I will be recognized, especially with all other humanitarian work done around the world and the lack of interest in what is happening in Yemen.
So, no, it still has not sunk in yet. I feel like I owe a huge amount of gratitude to the Aurora Prize Selection Committee and all the people who stood by my side. I cannot thank them enough. This recognition allowed me to stand on my feet again and take responsibility to shed more light on torture and arbitrary detention happening in my country.
What was the reaction in Yemen?
The Yemeni press was all over it, and several big Yemeni outlets congratulated me for being named an Aurora Humanitarian. Saba News Agency – the official state news agency – covered the news and clearly mentioned the reason for being chosen by the Selection Committee, which was a big recognition of my work.
Al-Watan magazine that covers civil society activities and achievements by Yemeni activists has also covered the story. Al-Masdar Online, the biggest Yemeni news website, mentioned this as a major achievement for the Yemeni human rights community, as did Yemen Shabab and Belqees channels. On that day, I received tons of messages and saw Facebook and Twitter posts congratulating me for being chosen by the Selection Committee. It was an exceptional day in my life. The Women’s Solidarity Network also posted it on their website to congratulate me for being named an Aurora Humanitarian.
Being a human rights activist is a tough career choice, especially for a woman. Did you ever
regret your choice?
I have always felt that being a human rights activist in Yemen is a challenge, and being a woman adds an extra layer of difficulty. Although life has been tough sometimes due to losing my son, I have never regretted my choice.
My close connection to the victims and their families has always given me courage. I might take a break in the middle of the road, but I have decided to continue on this path. There is nothing more that I can lose after losing the most precious thing in my life.
Being named an Aurora Humanitarian did not just give me excitement but also a feeling of responsibility to take our fight for justice all the way to the end.
What attracted you to working in the human rights sector?
I initially studied at the Faculty of Economy in the University of Aden and was active in civil society. I received training in monitoring and documenting the suffering of the women who were victims of gender-based violence. In my third year, I attended a hearing for female victims telling their stories at the Yemeni Women’s Union. They were usually seeking legal support. If I wanted to provide full support to those women, I would need to become a lawyer. So, in my third year in University I decided to switch to the Faculty of Law and graduated as a lawyer.
After the war broke out in the city of Aden in 2015, I saw the injustices mothers, wives and sisters were facing because the security forces arbitrary detained their loved ones. I couldn’t help but provide them with legal support, and our work with the families resulted in investigating a network of secret prisons being created in the south of Yemen.
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Huda Al-Sarari |
The challenge has always been to reveal that information, especially since national human rights committees were less interested in doing it out of fear of reprisal from the security service in Aden. When we pitched the first story to the Associated Press, it attracted international attention and encouraged us to continue our investigation and pursue other outlets outside Yemen. The second pitch was to Human Rights Watch, which also received the attention of the global media. I feel that being a human rights activist was not a choice, but my destiny.
Besides being a human rights activist, you also have a family.
Nothing will be more difficult than the pain of losing my son and the feeling of exposing my family to fear and threats that ended with my son being murdered by some cowardly assassins. They wanted to break a mother’s heart in such a cruel way.
My son was only 18 years old when they shot him, and I felt helpless seeing him dying in my own hands. He couldn’t receive treatment abroad because he required a visa to travel. I had to stay with him in the hospital, waiting for God to be merciful. I only pray he did not feel any pain and is in a happy place right now.
And yet there were happy moments, too. I feel joy because I have many things in my life. I am blessed with a loving and caring family and friends. My memories with them have always brought me joy. There have been moments of extreme happiness like the concluding of the Yemeni National Dialogue conference in 2013 and the hope of a new democratic country.
Another moment of happiness was in July 2015 when Aden was liberated from the Houthi militias after they have waged their war on us in March 2015. But nothing is compared to the love and care I feel when I am with friends, especially in the human rights community in Yemen. Those friends are my family, and my life would not have been the same without them.
Female humanitarians face twice the challenges when it comes to their work. What is the hardest thing for you in your work?
Being a woman in a male-dominated society, I must prove myself maybe ten times more than a man. The worst part is the defamation and insults I receive as a woman. I constantly had to lie to my family or hide some of my activities because of what was written about me. The easiest way to prevent a woman from being active in Yemen is shaming her. The feeling of being shamed and my honor are something I think of day and night.
Another difficult part is the fact that you must take care of your family, stay at home and not expose your children to any harm. A man will never know the difficulties faced by women. It is never the same [for them].
Where does your resilience and fearlessness come from?
I was seen by my teachers in school as a naughty and rebellious child. I jumped over the school walls many times and used to get punished all the time. As a child I was hyperactive. In the university professors used to ban women from attending certain classes because of the high percentage of men there, but I always insisted on attending, even if it meant being shamed by the professor in front of my classmates.
I don’t think I was born with a special strength or resilience, but I get it from mothers and sisters who protest day and night for their beloved ones. Those women are the true heroes who no one knows about. Yemeni civil society will always owe their achievements to the victims.
Anyone working on human rights issues in Yemen will face the fear of losing her or his life, or the ones they love. This feeling does not stay with you all the time. It fades away once you start working closely with others. Also, the teamwork means we feel the support of each other.
What would you tell anyone who wants to help in the field but is scared of the risks involved?
I would tell them to be patient and courageous but not expose themselves to danger. Understanding the dangerous circumstances in this field is essential to being successful. I would also advise them to be always, always loyal to certain principles in your life – especially honesty, impartiality and objectivity.
Always be a true believer in the human rights principles.
Who are your heroes and how do they inspire you?
I feel like I have many heroes in my life.
When it comes to having strong beliefs and commitment to human rights, it’s Eshraq Al-Maktari. For bravery, it’s Reham Al-Badr. For pursuing one’s dreams, it’s Nelson Mandela.
Eshraq Al-Maktari is my soulmate and the person who introduced me to the human rights world. She put me on the path of human rights activism, and I owe it to her. Even today, I still turn to her for guidance. She is an inspiration.
Reham Al-Bader was a brave human rights activist killed by the Houthi militia while she was delivering water to the families living in some of the besieged areas of Taiz in central Yemen. She was working with me, documenting human rights abuses, but she was working in an extremely dangerous area.
Nelson Mandela was a true inspiration in his pursuit to achieve what he believed in. He is a reminder to me that no matter how dark the night can get, there sun will always rise.
What’s next for you?
I have faith that we will win our fight for justice and human rights. I am determined to work on highlighting and supporting those families until we close all secret prisons in Yemen. This award meant the world to me and made me feel responsible to pursue our fight for justice. I doubted for some time that I will continue, but the messages of support and love I received after being named as an Aurora Humanitarian helped in lifting some of the burden and getting out of my shell. Those mothers, wives and sisters never lost hope. I feel the responsibility of being the voice of the voiceless.