- Title: Yemen's Houthis unilaterally release hundreds of detainees
- Date: 30th September 2019
- Summary: SANA'A, YEMEN (SEPTEMBER 30, 2019) (REUTERS) PRISONERS LEAVING SANA’A CENTRAL PRISON RELEASED PRISONERS KNEELING IN PRAYER PRISONER HUGGING LOVED ONE UPON RELEASE MORE PRISONERS LEAVING PRISON GATES RELEASED PRISONER HUGGING LOVED ONE UPON RELEASE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RELEASED PRISONER, IBRAHIM HADI, SAYING: "It's been a year and a half and our feelings today are indescribable. And this is a very good initiative from Ansarullah and we hope that all parties can take similar initiatives and release all the prisoners." PRISONERS HUGGING LOVED ONES UPON RELEASE RELEASED PRISONER POSING WITH LOVED ONES MORE OF RELEASED PRISONERS BEING GREETED BY LOVED ONES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RELEASED PRISONER, AS'AAD ALY, SAYING: "We suffered in prison and today I feel at peace because of my release. It's such a joy. And we hope that this humanitarian file is prioritised, even from a religious point of view." VARIOUS OF PRISONERS HUGGING LOVED ONES UPON RELEASE RELEASED PRISONERS STANDING ON STREET HEAD OF HOUTHI PRISONER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, ABDUL QADER AL-MURTADA WALKING WITH OFFICIAL FROM SPECIAL ENVOY'S OFFICE RELEASED PRISONER IN WHEELCHAIR QUEUING WITH OTHER RELEASED PRISONERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF HOUTHI PRISONER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, ABDUL QADER AL-MURTADA, SAYING: "We have presented the United Nations with an initiative for the release of 350 captured and detained prisoners who were listed in the Sweden file belonging to the other party. And we have asked of the United Nations that they pressure the other party to take a comparable step, or to account for a number of our detainees in any future deal that occurs through them. And we guarantee that this initiative proves our credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement." VARIOUS OF RELEASED PRISONERS LINED UP CARRYING BELONGINGS VARIOUS OF SOLDIER STATIONED OUTSIDE SANA'A CENTRAL PRISON VEHICLES ENTERING SANA'A CENTRAL PRISON
- Embargoed: 14th October 2019 14:42
- Keywords: yemen saudi arabia houthis prisoner release united nations international committee of the red cross sweden
- Location: SANAA, YEMEN
- City: SANAA, YEMEN
- Country: Yemen
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001AYUO407
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group on Monday (September 30) released hundreds of Yemeni prisoners in a unilateral move the United Nations hoped would help revive a stalled peace process.
Dozens of men in clean, new, white clothing walked out of the prison and lined up outside, supervised by men in military uniforms.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated the release, said 290 Yemeni nationals were transferred from the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa to their homes.
The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital, agreed in Sweden in December with the Saudi-backed government to swap prisoners as a confidence-building step, but the arrangement has been stalled as the sides struggled to agree on implementation. Each side was meant to release around 7,000 prisoners.
The Houthis said on Monday they were releasing "350 prisoners and detainees" from the list prepared for the deal under the supervision of the United Nations. Those released included three Saudis, the Houthis said.
The U.N. Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths called on all parties to meet soon to discuss prisoner exchanges.
Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC Director for Near and Middle East, said in a statement: "The humanitarian situation in Yemen is catastrophic and any momentum towards easing the hardship is a positive development."
A Saudi-led Sunni Muslim coalition, which receives arms and intelligence from Western countries, intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Yemeni government from power in the capital Sanaa in 2014.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine. The United Nations calls it the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
(Production: Ahmed Ansi, Abdulrahman Yahya, Tarek Fahmy) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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