![Amnesty International calls for Southern Transitional Council to withdraw from Yemen Women’s Center](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/05/Yemen-Capital.jpg)
Amnesty International (Amnesty) called on Thursday for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) de facto authorities to withdraw their forces from the Yemeni Women’s Union Center, which is the only women’s shelter in Aden. The STC took over the center in an attack on May 26.
According to the human rights group, armed men, accompanied by women associated with the STC-backed Southern Women Union, forcibly entered the Yemeni Women’s Union center building in Aden. They seized control of the building following an attempt on May 13.
Yemeni Women’s Union works to empower women and support them in times of need. Amnesty reported that children and women in the shelter were terror-struck as the intruders stormed into the building. Additionally, the STC armed men have denied women from seeking protection services. Moreover, there has been no progress despite the order issued by the Public Funds prosecutor instructing law enforcement authorities to seek control of the situation.
The STC de facto authorities have unlawfully and arbitrarily restricted the work of civil society organizations in Aden, Amnesty said. The STC insists that the organizations procure permits from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the STC-run National Authority for Southern Media to carry out their activities. This has created a restricted environment that does not allow civil society to work freely.