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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that the Sanaa government had unilaterally released 113 prisoners from Aden government forces in the capital, Sanaa, as part of an initiative announced on Friday. The ICRC expressed hope that this move would pave the way for more releases.
In a press statement, the ICRC said it supported the release of the detainees at the request of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Sanaa government.
The statement noted that “the released detainees are among those regularly visited and assisted by the ICRC in Sanaa, with the purpose of these visits being to ensure humane treatment of detainees.”
The ICRC welcomed the unilateral release as a “positive step towards reviving negotiations under the Stockholm Agreement.”
The ICRC expressed its readiness “to act as a neutral intermediary to facilitate the release of detainees whenever the parties to the Stockholm Agreement agree to engage in these efforts again.”
According to the statement, an ICRC medical team member assessed the health of the detainees before their release, ensuring they were fit to travel by land and providing recommendations to the authorities regarding any special measures required for some detainees’ conditions.
Daphne Mariet, Head of the ICRC Delegation in Yemen, said, “We are pleased to see humanitarian considerations being prioritized, especially as this action brings joy to families eagerly anticipating the return of their loved ones, particularly with Eid al-Adha approaching in a few weeks.”
Mariet expressed hope that this initiative would pave the way for more releases “that would end the suffering of families looking forward to reuniting with their loved ones.”
Alicia Bertley, Head of Protection at the ICRC in Yemen, said, “We conducted confidential conversations with all detainees to hear their concerns about the release process, ensure they have contact with their families, and gather the necessary information to follow up on their situation if needed.”
Meanwhile, the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah channel reported that the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs (Houthi) executed a unilateral humanitarian initiative on Sunday, involving the pardon and release of 112 prisoners from the other side.
It added that “the released individuals were captured on various fronts, most of whom are in humanitarian conditions.”
The channel quoted Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, as saying: “This initiative came in response to directives from the leader of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis), Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, based on humanitarian motives, affirming our strong commitment to humane treatment in this matter.”
He added, “We reiterate our consistent stance and complete readiness to implement all agreements signed by both parties, without any preconditions, according to the arrangements agreed upon with the United Nations.”
Last Friday, Al-Murtada announced a unilateral initiative to release more than one hundred prisoners.
Source: Al Jazeera
