Yemen.. Red Cross announces the release of 153 detainees from Houthi prisons in Sana'a

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced , today, Saturday, the release of 153 Yemeni detainees from Houthi militia prisons in Sana'a.

The International Committee said in a statement that the release was carried out unilaterally and at the request of the Houthi Prisoners’ Committee, and that those released were detainees whom the International Committee regularly visited in Sana’a and provided assistance to, as part of its work to ensure humane treatment for all detainees in connection with the conflict and their detention in appropriate conditions.

“This operation has brought comfort and joy to the hearts of families who were eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones,” said Christine Cipolla, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, in the statement.

“We know there are many families still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones, and we hope this process will lead to more happy moments like we have seen today,” she added.

The statement indicated that the ICRC, as part of its usual working procedures, conducted private interviews with the detainees before they left the detention facility to verify their identities and inform their families about their expected release, as well as to provide them with support to help them return with dignity to their areas of residence.

He added, "Before releasing these detainees, the ICRC medical team met with the detainees and assessed their health condition and whether they were fit to travel by land. The ICRC provided special travel arrangements for some cases that required additional support in this regard."

“As with any release operation in Yemen in which the ICRC is involved, we spoke privately with all detainees to hear any concerns they may have about the process, ensure they are in contact with their families, and obtain the necessary information to follow up on their situation – if necessary – in the coming weeks,” said Alicia Bertelli, the ICRC’s head of protection in Yemen.

In conclusion, the ICRC welcomed the operation as another positive step towards reviving negotiations under the umbrella of the Stockholm Agreement, expressing its readiness to play its role as a neutral mediator to facilitate the release, transfer and repatriation of any detainees held in connection with the conflict in Yemen, whenever the parties to the agreement decide to engage in these efforts again.

Earlier, the Houthis announced, through Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of the militia's prisoners' committee, their intention to release dozens of those who contributed to the "prisoners of the other party," referring to the legitimate government.

In the first comment from the government side on this announcement, the head of the government delegation negotiating the prisoners and abductees file, Yahya Mohammed Kazman, said that the Houthi announcement comes within the framework of "media consumption."

He added: "These are blatant methods that the Yemeni people know well, and they are not fooled by such tricks and deceptions that the Houthis are accustomed to."

He explained that "it is not strange for the Houthi militias to launch such initiatives, because they arrest people from the streets and roads, from their workplaces, from Quranic schools and mosques, for specific periods, and then announce their release, for media consumption."

He pointed out that this is not the first time that the coup militias have announced such a measure, noting that they will not release those against whom false and baseless cases and charges have been filed and who have been sentenced to death.

The Houthi militias announced what they called an initiative to unilaterally release a number of detainees in their prisons.
It is not surprising that the Houthi militias launch such initiatives, because they arrest people from the streets and roads, from their workplaces, from Quranic schools and mosques, for specific periods, and then announce their release, for consumption...

— Yahya Mohammed Kazman (@Yahyakazman) January 24, 2025

The release coincided with a new kidnapping campaign launched by the militia against employees of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, as part of a broad kidnapping campaign that has targeted various categories of Yemenis in recent months.

Observers believe that the release operation announced by the militia is nothing more than an attempt to improve the image of the militia and the head of its prisoners’ committee, Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, who is on the US sanctions list for his involvement in torture and ill-treatment of abductees and prisoners in prisons.